Clutch adjustment? Update!

[refit1701]

I'm under the truck, trying to adjust the throwout bearing and the clutch pedal. When I took it apart, it was adjusted close to the center of the range on the shaft (two opposing screws holding the tang on the pedal).

So I am watching the fork touching the throwout bearing and just about turned the adjusting screws all the way in one direction, so when the pedal is fully depresssed it pushes on the bearing carrier ears.

It seems like there is not enough movement to disengage the clutch.

I have studied the drawing of the linkages and read the instructions in the book...is there something I am missing??

I'm gonna have to pull the engine/transmission anyway due to that little return spring coming loose.

With a new clutch plate and throwout bearing, I should have not changed the point on contact that much, should I??

[m37jarhead]

Just recently went through the identical problem.
See my post: "clutch pedal goes to the floor" for more info. or call
me at 480-497-9722 for the complete story on how I finally fixed the problem
Jerry
Gilbert, AZ

[Cal_Gary]

I got a Power Wagon clutch rod from VPW that solved my clutch adjustment issues. It has the threaded clevis on one end that offers more adjusting space.
Gary

[8543bob]

GOOD MORNING,
I pulled my engine/trans about 3 1/2 years ago, for a rebuild. I did not connect the spring that returns the through out bearing. just missed it, till i saw it in a pile of "left overs" Three 1/2 years later, about 1000 miles per year, no problem. I figured, when the through out bearing goes, then i'll deal with it. So far so good.
BOB

[refit1701]

Wow, I had missed your thread, Jarhead. Probably due to not being to the point of clutch installation.

After looking at the pressure plate/throwout bearing assembly, it does seem to be the same problem you had. In my case, however, I took the original disc and had it relined. so now it is too thick.

A new presure plate will solve this? I used the original pressure plate.

[m37jarhead]

The new, relined, thicker disk WILL cause the "fingers" on the pressure plate to move more inward toward the engine once it's
bolted to the flywheel.
As Charles has recommended, "always" replace the pressure plate when replacing a new clutch disk. I finally did that and
it solved the problem. Apparently the old pressure plate was good enough for the old, worn out disk, but created problems
with a new, thicker clutch disk.
I also replaced worn out clevises and clevis pins to take the slop out of the linkage. The holes in the clevises were oval
shaped and the pins were trash.
After all that, the clutch pedal adjusting screws returned to normal. Pedal height is perfect and the truck drives great.
JB

[RMS]

i found this rolling around in the inspection cover

pulled the trany and clutch cover to find this


replaced all the linkage, fork and pedal bushes. put a new 11 inch disk in and nearly broke a hip trying to disengage the clutch. with no new 11inch cover to be found i did a bad thing and used some washers that were within two thou of each other to space out the cover. now its so easy to disengage and when it wears out I will remove the washers. not the right way to do it but got the job done

[refit1701]

I received a replacement pressure plate from John at MWM and spent nearly all of yesterday (Thursday) getting the clutch back together and everything back in the truck.

Bad news: the new pressure plate made no difference. The fingers were still too far inside the clutch for the throwout bearing to reach it.

We measured the new friction plate against a worn out one and the difference is roughly 3/16th of an inch. After much head-scratching we decided to put washers between the pressure plate and the flywheel. We used some 1/8 inch washers that were nearly all the same thichness.

I swore I had seen some actual spacers at either Lowe's or Home Despot but after 3 hours of driving around town looking for some good, hardened washers, we finally found some at a little Ace Hardware. I was fairly aggrivated by this point. But we got them and now the clutch is working fine.

Not the best solution perhaps, but short of getting yet another friction disk.

Oh, and we put the new pressure plate back in it's wrapper and I am saving it for later. The old one was fine.

*note* I forgot to mention that the pressure plate I got from MWM was actually "thinner" than the old one. When we set them both on the table, the new one was not as "tall". It's weird and I expected that these clutch pieces would be more standardized than this. But who knows. The old pressure plate was from a military engine.

I guess if I had ordered and NOS clutch disk from Midwest, this might not have happened but I wasn't willing to try again. Plus everytime I order from John B. I always wind up buying more stuff and spending too much money. It's like a Pringle chip, you can't just eat one!

[refit1701]

Here's a few photos:

A look inside the clutch pressure plate housing showing how far "inside" the fingers are. The throwout bearing can only barely reach them like this.



The 1/8inch washers we added. This was after putting on the new pressure plate and finding that it did not remedy the problem. I put the old one back on.



The fingers *after* using the washers. It is amazing what a difference that small amount makes. The geometry of the pressure plate is complicated.




Now we are back where we were four weeks ago. Time to start adding all those parts!!!!

[refit1701]

Oh and thanks to all that offered advise either in the thread or through PM's.

[W_A_Watson_II]

the engine out of my M that I installed in my '49 PW had spacers there as well. I had to remove them for use in the PW though. Must be some fork placement difference between the PW and M bell housings.

Will

[Monkey Man]

When I put my new driven plate in I had to put 40 thou spacers in as I was getting enough drive from the "fluff" on the new plate to make it hard to shift, I was going to remove them when I pulled the box but it was adjusted so well and no slippage was occurring so it did not need to be done yet. Another advantage I have is the clutch is hydraulically driven and I have an adjustable actuator linkage so I can adjust out very small amounts of movement, something the M37 should have had from day 1....

MM

[T. Highway]

Refit,

TM 9-1840A covers this on page 119

The proper distance from the flywheel to the top of the release fingers is 1.9375" +/- .031"

You have to adjust the eye bolt nuts and then stake them after after adjusting.

Bert

[refit1701]

Refit,

TM 9-1840A covers this on page 119

The proper distance from the flywheel to the top of the release fingers is 1.9375" +/- .031"

You have to adjust the eye bolt nuts and then stake them after after adjusting.

Bert

Err...thanks Bert! I'll have to look that up. Since things seem ok now I'm not pulling the powerpack again....no siree....