When power shifting today from 2nd to 3rd I noticed some clutch slippage. I then paid closer attention and noticed I could get it to slip in other gears.
The car has 45k miles and as far as I know original clutch. Is there some peddle adjustments available or is this clutch fried?
Also, is it necessary to drop the engine or gearbox to replace clutch plate?
both
you could check the free play.
Power shifting is not conducive to long clutch life
If it’s a 71 and has a hydrostatic slave I think it is non adjustable.
Yes lump has to be dropped to separate the bell housing.
I rarely power shift but wanted to see if the clutch was wearing. Apparently it is. Does 45 K miles seem in the ballpark? I know it depends on the driver. I have been the driver for only about 3500 of this miles. Just wondering what others may experienced
It depends mostly on the driver. Major oil contamination from the rear main seal can cause issues as well. I’ve heard if them lasting longer, and also shorter.
I plan on switching my 68 to a non-hydrostatic slave cyl in the near future. If Walter did this would it perhaps give him some adjustment to prolong his clutch or since his is already slipping is it too late ?
I’m afraid I’ve never been in that situation as mine has always been the adjustable type. It’s certainly a cheaper fix than a clutch though and most people seem to think it’s a more reliable clutch slave so I guess it wouldn’t be a bad move?
This depends entirely on your driving style and geography of your lot. If your driveway is steep it wears faster.
LLoyd
Wherever space and time interact, there is information, and wherever information can be ordered into knowledge, and knowledge can be applied, there is intelligence.
Pavel Mirsky, mid 21st Century Russian General
Walter,
If your car is a '71 it should not have the “self adjusting” clutch slave. That Jaguar experiment was over by then. You should have been manually adjusting the free play regularly to avoid excessive wear of the throw out bearing. It may now be too late, but I’d give a try anyway. All in the manual, or in the archives. Good luck!
That wouldn’t cause slippage though would it? A thinner TO would cause hard shifting due to inadequate TO.
Wear on the throw-out will increase free-play. Wear on the clutch disc will decrease free-play. What actually happens in any given case depends on which is wearing most quickly.
With proper maintenance, the disc will generally see the most wear. With inadequate maintenance, the throw-out will generally see the most wear. And, either one can lead to the other.
The only thing that matters is, if regular adjustment are not made, SOMETHING will wear, and the end result will be the same - you MUST remove the engine and gearbox to repair it, regardless of which part has actually failed. And, given how much work that is, it would be insane not to replace ALL of it - clutch disc, pressure plate, throw-out, flex hose, and rebuild/replace the slave cylinder.
Regards,
Ray L.
If the throw out bearing hasn’t been adjusted for clearance from the pressure plate contact area, it will prevent the pressure plate from fully clamping the driven plate. This will cause slippage, as well as rapid throw out bearing wear. I think this is right…
My car is a 67 S1 and has the “self adjusting” hydrostatic slave. I note that jaguar went from hydraulic to hydrostatic and back to hydraulic. What were the results of the “experiment” that caused them to revert? I know that the return spring is not used in the hydrostatic, but are there changes internal to the cylinder?
Rod
The “results” are that the hydrostatic cylinder increases wear of the throwout bearing, as the spring inside the hydrostatic slave keeps the throw-out lightly in contact with the pressure plate at all times. This greatly increases the chances you’ll have to pull your engine to replace the throw-out, before the clutch has worn out. NOT good!
Regards,
Ray L
Rays post is why I cobbled together a return spring on my hydrostatic slave unit. Hoping for the best. I also am fortunate to live somewhere that has a very low “shift to quality drive distance” ratio.
with the 3:55 in the rear, I find shifting to be mostly and affectation. Throw in a double clutch and it upgrades to “poser”. 
Ah, built in “riding the clutch.” I presume you recommend replacing the hydrostat. cylinder with a conventional slave? I would think that Bill’s compromise of using an external return spring would work assuming it overcomes the internal spring and fully retracts the piston, and the push rod is set up using the non hydro proceedure. Or does the hydro cylinder have a different stroke and mounting that would require a different setup?
I replaced the slave about a month ago, unusual failure mode. I was waiting at a stop light with the tranny in neutral and clutch engaged. Light went green, pushed the clutch pedal down and the resistance seemed a bit light, but shifted into first OK. Suddenly the car jumped into the intersection and killed the engine. Couldn’t disengage the clutch, started the engine in gear and “synchronized” to 3rd. Got home with a couple of cautious stop sign running incidents. If there had been any cars in front of me at the light I would now be arguing with my insurance company about bonnet repair cost.
I thought the replacement would be easy, two nuts and disconnect the hyd. line at the hose. OK removing, if a bit tight disconnecting the hyd. line, but in replacing could not get the steel hyd. line to exactly line up with the hose coupling in that tight space. Ended up removing the air cleaner, cavity floor panel and vacuum canister.
Rod
One of the things I love most about the e type 4.2 liter is the crazy range that I get out of 4th gear. On the VT country roads around my house 4th is ideal most of the time. A neighbor of mine has a Ferrari from the 90’s that he lets me drive from time to time. As a passenger he continues to harass me to shift more while driving. All this does is make me love my Jag all the more…