Morris Minor Owners Club

I have posted on the forum about my juddering clutch.

The consensus seems to be that the pressure plate/driven plate/thrust bearing is causing the problem!

Any road up; I am cranking myself up to change the clutch bits and bobs.

What is the best way to go about this?
1. Engine and gearbox out or
2. Drop the prop shaft and separate the gearbox from the engine.

Could anyone give me a bit of detail please, as to the best way to go about the job.

it may not be the clutch

The engine steady bar may be loose and underneath the car there is a gearbox steady cable which may also be loose they do not need to be very very tight just do them up a bit and then try the car again

First test for clutch -park in an open area - handbrake on hard, nothing in front of the car. Clutch down - stick it in 4th gear - rev up the engine good and hard - and lift your foot straight off the clutch. It should stall pretty much right away - if it does - it's not worn out or contaminated with oil. If it slips badly - then indeed clutch change required. Many views on this - but without a doubt for me - it's engine out. Far far easier than struggling under the car with the gearbox! There can be many reasons for 'juddering clutch' - many of them nothing to do with the clutch!

I'm a gearbox out person. Remove the front seats and lift the box up into the car.

You make it sound so easy - it's NOT!

Engine out is the easiest way to go. Just a word of caution, the test above will not show up a broken pressure plate which will cause severe judder. In my experience engine steady bars and gearbox cables have little effect on judder either but a good measure for me is if the judder is much worse in reverse than when pulling off in 1st, then it's time for a new clutch.....

Indeed - it 's just a test for oil on clutch - or worn out clutch plate.

Engine out for me as well, much easier. I only tried the gearbox out method once and really struggled with the lining up due to the steering rack, I reckon this method is a two man job.

Having done it both ways, the next time it has to happen, it will be engine out!

Yes I agree engine out is the easiest. Dropping gearbox might be the easiest if car on a hoist otherwise very hard for one person.

I changed the gearbox in a field once, on my own with only a scissor jack to jack the box up. Once the seats are out of the way (4 bolts on each) there is room to lift the box into the car and out through the front door. Especially if you don't have an engine hoist.

Ay - but it's fun twisting it around the rack - and even more 'fun' getting it back in again! The floor retaining screws can be a day's challenge in them selves!

I have replaced my floor screws with bolts, I can spin them off with a 7/16 A/F socket on a ratchet. The gearbox twists through 90 deg. to clear the rack.