Morris Minor Owners Club

We have just acquired a 1955 Morris Minor Split Screen and we seem to have a problem with the clutch. There is no adjustment left on the threaded bar that operates the clutch plates from the clutch pedal. When driving, it is very easy to crash the gears and it is often hard to pull out of gear when driving. Is this a problem with just the clutch or, is the gearbox syncro suspect?

Any advice appreciated before we take Betty to the garage.

Thank you

From what you describe the car requires a new clutch.

You should be able to depress the clutch pedal by 3/4" before the clutch starts to free.

The synchro should have no bearing on the ability to move the gear lever either into or out of gear.
The synchro's are there to get the gears to match each others rotational speed.

Does the clutch slip when going uphill? When you say "no adjustment left" which end of the threaded bar are you talking about?

Hi, the clutch does not slip going up hill or pulling away. The adjusting lock nut at the end of the threaded bar is at the end of the threads at the rear end of the gearbox.

The clutch when driven is very stiff and jerky when pulling away in low gears.

Needs a new clutch. Be carful where you take it for repair.

Okay, thank you for all your help.

i'd look inside the gearbox first. there should be a rubber bung on the passenger side of the car/gearbox that you can remove and look inside. check that the thrust bearing hasn't move from the fork/arm. this happened to me when the clips weren't put in correctly. it would be a gearbox out job still, but might cost you a little less.

The way its adjusted, you would think that the clutch would be slipping like mad.

paul 300358 wrote: ↑Tue Oct 22, 2019 6:22 pm The way its adjusted, you would think that the clutch would be slipping like mad.

Not sure why. It would appear that the clutch is not disengaging properly/sufficiently, not a case of not engaging fully when the pedal is released

I'd check all the linkages for wear first, when I took ours appart they were all massively worn.

oliver90owner wrote: ↑Tue Oct 22, 2019 7:49 pm

paul 300358 wrote: ↑Tue Oct 22, 2019 6:22 pm The way its adjusted, you would think that the clutch would be slipping like mad.

Not sure why. It would appear that the clutch is not disengaging properly/sufficiently, not a case of not engaging fully when the pedal is released

With the clutch adjustment fully tightened up to the end of the connecting rod, I wouldn't expect to have any drive at all. It should be like the pedal is fully pressed.