Morris Minor Owners Club

has anyone experianced and rectified the clutch pedal vibrating? it vibrated quite a lot, when i put my foot on it slightly it stops, if it help diagnose the brake pedal and the clutch when left and right feet are on the seem to wobble a bit when i depress either one? its not stopping the clutch work but would be good if i could sort it out as its making a noise

Could be worn out carbon thrust bearing. Means engine out to fix it ! The two pedals are on the same shaft - so they sometimes 'interact' if the lubrication is not all it could be !

oh dont tell me engine out, ive had enough of engines out, im getting a expert at it though. it doesent act like a thrust bearing because it judders when the car is going along as well as stationary?

h dont tell me engine out, ive had enough of engines out

you can take the gearbox out instead - it's much easier than engine if you are doing it single handedly without lifting equipment.

Don't agree - engine is far easier - gearbox a nightmare to get back in !
So if it judders all the time - I don't see why the clutch pedal should vibrate - assuming you have it set with the correct clearance/free play ? Is the engine running smoothly enough - firing on all 4 ok ? How do you know it's vibrating - are you driving with your foot on the clutch ??

its running sweet as a nut, im thinking that something has come loose? i rest my foot on the clutch, i know i shouldnt but i always do it

Which makes the clutch judder. I know a girl who always drives in high heels, and thus has none whatsoever feel in the clutch operation. I saw her clutch plate, it was all worn unevenly. You really must learn yourself to remove your foot from the pedal. Also the hand on the gearstick is bad for the gearbox

no seriously its definatly juddering, its more like having a good old shake down there, its rattling the dash a bit aswell, ive really got to get under the car and see if something is loose?

ohc_turbo wrote:no seriously its definatly juddering, its more like having a good old shake down there, its rattling the dash a bit aswell, ive really got to get under the car and see if something is loose?

I got the same going on. And you might be in the same boat.
To cut a long short short..
I recently dropped a new gearbox and motor in, and noticed the pressure plate release lever was not level. Have a quick look, couldn't see any collapsed release springs, so thought "wack it in!" . Which I did.
Now I'm having the same juddering as you describe.
Yours is probably a collapsed release spring, mine obviously needs to be reset.
...Guess sometimes you learn the hard way. Hope this helps.

-Grant

Don't agree - engine is far easier

How do you do the engine on you own without lifting gear??????????????????
I'm astonished.

Gearbox is not a tough job if you know what you are doing - it's a real dirty job though. Doing the engine is fine if you have a hoist but without one I'd not bother unless I had to. Comments are based on approx 8 gearbox changes and 4 times removing/refitting engine.

ohc_turbo,
If you rest your foot on the clutch, then you either need a moder car with a roller bearing on the clutch release system, or to learn how to get the engine and gearbox apart to change the carbon bearing every 20,000 to 40,000 miles or so.

ohc_turbo wrote:has anyone experianced and rectified the clutch pedal vibrating? it vibrated quite a lot, when i put my foot on it slightly it stops, if it help diagnose the brake pedal and the clutch when left and right feet are on the seem to wobble a bit when i depress either one? its not stopping the clutch work but would be good if i could sort it out as its making a noise

Hmmm.... I wonder if it's a worn phosphor bronze bush in the throw-arm pivot?

That would cause the carbon thrust bearing to be off centre and if it was 'just' touching the clutch cover and it was off centre then it would cause it to vibrate. Then perhaps with more pressure, the arm would be held with the pressure and the vibration would not be carried through to the loose pedal assembly? Just a thought.............

Get under the car and grab the end of the clutch throw arm and try to waggle it up and down (NOT side to side). If it moves then you have a worn throw arm bush and that might be the cause......

Oh and it does sound like you need to replace your clutch pedal shaft bushes (and probably the shaft too - as more oftem than not the shaft has worn badly if the pedals are moving a lot).

doobry wrote:

Don't agree - engine is far easier

How do you do the engine on you own without lifting gear??????????????????
I'm astonished.

I prefer to remove the engine as it IS easier (in my opinion) but I have engine lifting gear in my garage. Doobry has a very good point though and that is if you have NO lifting gear then it's pretty impossible to get the engine out on your own without damaging the car (and/or engine). I have done it before on my own but that was in a scrap-yard and it did not matter about damaging things........

it doesent act like a thrust bearing because it judders when the car is going along as well as stationary?

A friend had a similar problem a couple of years ago and it occurred after some work was done on the car and it was the gearbox steady cable causing the problem because it had been done up bow tight instead of just enough to take the slack out as its purpose it to stop the drive train from moving forward under heavy braking so the fan does not hit the radiator, and it sounds like Grants problem is the same and its easier to check than the input shaft bearing that Cam mentioned.

i found out what was making it judder, it was the arm that sticks out of the gearbox(dont know the tech term) on this arm is a threaded bolt that connects to the clutch pedal mecanism, i tightened up the nut on the end so it was not so loose and it stoped the judder. i think the bearing in the clutch has gave up though so im hunting for a sierra box now.

Yes - the bearing is ruined because you have been resting your foot on the clutch !!
Engine out is not 'easy' - but it is done single handed with no lifting gear. Front panel off - head off (complete with manifolds) trolley jack below with wood on the cradle - wood on the front cross bar to protect it - stand in the engine bay - lift and slide !! To replace it - reverse the proceedure. It way beats grovelling about underneath - especially when tryin to put the box back in again. You don't disconnect - the prop shaft, the cross member, the tie cable, the earth strap, the clutch mechanism, the gear lever, the floor panel. The front panel comes off in 20 minutes (use new bolts/nuts) complete with radiator - head off in 15 minutes - that's it !!

Front panel off

on many cars, that is more work than removing the gearbox - add to that the cost of new hockey sticks etc.. when the studs rip out of the back as you try and undo the nuts. If you've had it out recently then it will be quicker than a gearbox, but if it's never been out it then keep both sets of fingers firmly crossed.
Taking the head off to do a clutch bearing repair? I can see why as it helps reduce the engine weight, but by the time youve added an engine oil change (due to probability of head coolant getting into the oil) and a new set of gaskets you could hire a hoist.

You don't disconnect - the prop shaft, the cross member, the tie cable, the earth strap, the clutch mechanism, the gear lever, the floor panel.

Earth strap is fixed to the crossmember so there's nothing extra to dissassemble. The clutch linkage needs to come off periodically to be greased and also to inspect the bushes and link pins for wear, so that is a job worth doing anyway. Best to drain the gearbox oil first but take the plug out and let it drain whilst undoing all the other stuff and it's no time lost.
The only drawback can be the gearbox floor cover which can be as much as a pain as taking off a front panel, but if the screws come out easily, then you're laughing. (Quickest gearbox I've had out was just over an hour, but 1/3rd of the floor screws were missing)

Although if you're lucky like Cam and have lifting equipment, then engine out is a doddle

threaded bolt that connects to the clutch pedal mecanism, i tightened up the nut on the end so it was not so loose and it stoped the judder.

Best not to drive far like that otherwise you'll need a new clutch cover and/or release lever. It is designed to run with clearance so without any play in it it will be turning itself to swarf fairly quickly.

Does it judder, rattle or pulse? And does it get worse when you depress the clutch? I have just replaced my clutch as one of pressure plate springs broke and was eating my thrust washer. It was fine until I pushed the clutch down, but then it got a bit noisy
Also does it vibrate along with engine speed - if it doesn't then it is unlikely to be the internals and the engine can stay where it is

If you have to remove it, I vote for engine and box, the convenience of putting it all back together on the floor and not the engine bay makes up for the extra work (although one of my cars currently only has 1 hockey stick).
John