Morris Minor Owners Club

Fitted the clutch linkage to the pickup today (doesn't work though, seems the friction plate is stuck to the flywheel after being stood for years - Typical, the engine has to come out again!) and I'm not sure about the spring. I've hooked teh srping between the end of teh fork and the hole in the engine plate, but that leaves the pedal free to rattle around of course.

So how does it all go together?

It sounds like the spring is in the right place but it should pull the pedal up until it stops against the underside of the gearbox cover.

Have you tried the old trick of getting the engine warmed up then starting it in first gear with the clutch held down. Never known it not to free up a stuck clutch.

kennatt wrote:Have you tried the old trick of getting the engine warmed up then starting it in first gear with the clutch held down. Never known it not to free up a stuck clutch.

Fourth gear is less likely to break anything, and make sure the car can't move if the clutch doesn't come loose (chock the wheels and/or hold the brake pedal down).

If it's been stuck 'for years' then it's likely to be very well stuck indeed. I once had to chisel the old plate off a flywheel that had been lying for a while - in small pieces. Budget for a new plate i'm afraid, but certainly nothing to lose by trying the hot + start in gear (I would and have used 1st) trick in the past - and it worked!

The clutch would have gon eon around the time I first signed up to this board... And has never actually had a pedal attached until yesterday!

I don't need to budget for a new plate though - One went in my Midget just under a year ago, and as I've now dropped a different engine in there the nearly new clutch came off the old lump yesterday just in case

I've also heard of a trick involving spraying Coca Cola onto the flywheel/clutch - but this is not something i've tried myself! It is important though to get the engine right up to temperature - and to let the heat soak right though into the flywheel/clutch.

The Coke trick is probably down to the acid - Which I happen to have about half a gallon of in a more concentrate form kicking around

One of todays jobs was getting the engine to run better, as it needed to and it might help freeing the clutch. Replaced the suspect 1.5" carb with the original (well, not, but a Morris Minor one) HS2, and then found the timing was out by a long way which had been causing most of the problem!

Hopefully I can get the exhaust to route somewhere near where it should be tomorrow, then can seal that up and pay the government a handy sum in flywheel heating fluid...

Only one slight snag about trying to free it against the brakes - There currently aren't any!

I've also just remembered why there's a tiny issue in warming it up fully - No radiator fitted yet either!

In fact, the more I think about it, the less I seem to have actually bolted on!

have just installed my clutch linkage today, if pics would be of any help?

They may well do

I haven't got the tunnel cover on yet, but I'm failing to see what stops the pedal shifting around on its own in the direction the rod doesn't stop it. And I'm going to be redoing part of the job anyway as I wasn't happy with the amount of wear in the rod at the pivot end, so have ordered a new one that should be here Monday

Packedup wrote:I haven't got the tunnel cover on yet, but I'm failing to see what stops the pedal shifting around on its own in the direction the rod doesn't stop it.

Do you mean the clutch pedal is moving sideways? On one side the pedal arm butts up against the left hand side of the chassis leg and on the other side there should be a washer and a nut. Or do you mean it is able to come too far up? There is a small rectangular plate welded part way up the arm that rests against the underside of the gearbox cover (there should be a rubber buffer on this too).

I mean what stops it coming too far up - Is it just down to that metal plate (and rubber, that was missing but is part of the current order I hope to have turn up Monday) then?

I'm sure it was slightly different on the 4 door that's been a donor, but that had a 1275 Midget engine so I seem to recall something had been done with the srping location to get round it, not sure what though.

alex_holden wrote:There is a small rectangular plate welded part way up the arm that rests against the underside of the gearbox cover

Precisely what I was about to say

I wouldn't go too much further till you find out if the gearbox needs to come back out to free the clutch! Yes - The Coke trick is due to the Phosphoric Acid in the drink. Not sure how that helps to free a clutch - but it's a trick I have heard from the past.

When the tunnel cover is in place the plate and buffer on the clutch pedal should be up against the bottom side.

bmcecosse wrote:I wouldn't go too much further till you find out if the gearbox needs to come back out to free the clutch! Yes - The Coke trick is due to the Phosphoric Acid in the drink. Not sure how that helps to free a clutch - but it's a trick I have heard from the past.

The box came off yesterday to free the clutch - And whoever thinks that's the best way to do it is sick, twisted, and if they then advise others to do it that way, possibly criminally insane! Still, with the box out the way I only had to loosen the pressure plate bolts and remove three for the friction plate to pull free. Stuck it all back together (sounds a lot easier than it was, getting the box back in was even harder than out, not helped by having wrenched my shoulder and being totally worn out by that point) and had a working clutch! OK, so at first it was a grinding, not quite working clutch, but adjustment saw to that. I think I'd over adjusted as it would be engaged, pedal down disengaged, pedal fully down engaged and grinding. Now it's pedal fully down, whooshing slippy noise (the sound I would expect all things considered) and disengaged, then pedal up and engaged. The first time in years the pickup will have had any form of clutch control!

When the tunnel cover is in place the plate and buffer on the clutch pedal should be up against the bottom side.

The cover is a way off going on yet, got to swear at the brakes again, split the various pins, paint the passenger floor.. But I'm feeling a little happier that the pedal will sit right and not thwap about after this thread

Yes - I would always pop the engine out to get at the clutch - it's far far easier - even when the tunnel cover is already removed.

I didn't want to pull the engine as the towers are a swine to line up again (springy warped towers, that need to be bolted through the not quite spot on holes in the floor and through the chassis) and I'd also run my nice shiny new brake pipe across the crossmember the day before. As I didn't fancy trying to lug the huge engine hoist out to do it, and didn't want to risk crushing the brake pipe, taking the box off seemed like a plan after hearing some people think it's better that way. Never again! If for any reason I ever need to get at the clutch or remove the box, the engine is coming out!

Just like I've always said