engine and drivetrain Clutch Replacement

[jim57759]

Lost the clutch over the weekend.  Last time I had it replaced I thought my long-time mechanic said he put in a tii clutch (car is a 75 '02).  Is this possible, and if so, is that recommended?  I am not a mechanic and haven't been able to find an experienced '02 mechanic in the area.  My friend is service manager at local Ford garage and I plan to ask him if he will do it.  Would Blunt be the best source for parts?  I would like to get parts myself, to make sure we get what is needed without too much hassle.  I seem to recall thoughout bearing replacement when doing clutch.  Any advice or suggestions would be appreciated.  Thanks in advance.  Jim

['76mintgrün'02]

Are you sure it is not a hydraulic issue?  Is your brake fluid reservoir staying full?  

 

My clutch master and slave cylinders both leaked when I bought my car.  (Blunt set me up with new ones). 

 

I have not had to replace a clutch yet, so I am of no help with your actual questions.  Sorry. 

 

 

 

 

(I do have family in South Dakota though!  ... not helpful, I know)

[jgerock]

If your car still has the original-for-75 flywheel and clutch, it should be a 215mm assembly.  A larger 228mm flywheel and clutch were fitted to earlier 2002's and the tii's.

 

+1 on inspecting the hydraulic components and hoses first. 

[Chamoix]

Make sure you get the little plastic clutch alignment tool. Bummer to have everything apart then have to wait for one to arrive. Lots of people have them hanging around in their garage or basement. Maybe you can borrow one, but they are cheap and I'm almost certain that whoever you order the new clutch from will have one. Oh, and while you are there replace the rubber trans mount if it is old or original. I think one for a 320 is used for an upgrade because it is stronger.

[Hans]

As above, what makes you sure its the clutch that went?

[peterschop]

I think you need to clarify what you mean by "lost the clutch". Is the clutch slipping when you let the pedal up or does the pedal go all the way to floor and you can't get it in gear? Did the brake fluid level go down below the clutch line take off? If the car has the tii clutch, your flywheel was changed out for the larger 228mm flywheel. Don't forget to replace the throw out bearing with the clutch.

[gaius]

i agree with Mintgrun, Hans, and Peterschop. it could be a simple thing, you should explain went out.

[jim57759]

Fluid level was down, but after fluid was added, still have difficulty shifting and engaging gears properly.  I had lost all of the pedal, but some is back now.  Won't know if clutch and flywheel were actually upgraded.  Blunt has both but I won't know until/unless I have it torn apart.  Is it possible that the system now needs bleeding?  Clutch was never slipping.  Lost the pedal and it was not engaging or allowing me to shift properly.  

[BillWilliams]

Find out why your fluid level went down, fix that then bleed that baby.

[M3M3]

sounds like a bad clutch master or slave cyl to me.  the fluid went somewhere...check the system for where it is.

 

or get under the car and see if slave is working when clutch pedal is pushed.

[peterschop]

+1 on what BillW and Marshall said.

 

No reason to change clutch at this point. From inside car, stick a pencil down into the pedal box by the pedals and see if it comes out wet. If so, the clutch master is leaking.

[gaius]

Find out why your fluid level went down, fix that then bleed that baby.

 

thats the fix 

['76mintgrün'02]

If you are one who suffers from the 'while you are in there' disease (like me) you might consider replacing both cylinders for good measure and piece of mind, as well as installing a pedal box rebuild kit.  As I mentioned above, BOTH mine were leaking and the pedal box was shot, so it seemed natural to fix it all at once.  None of it was difficult and I doubt your box is as rusty as mine was.  I hope you do not find rust under the pedal nubs, as this is where the mission really starts to creep.  If your problem has been a leaking clutch master, now is a good time to inspect that section of your floor.  Hopefully you are not in for stripping sound deadening off of the floors, to hammer out metal to weld in as patches... like I did, but give all that a visual once over 'while you are in there.'

[jim57759]

Thanks to all for your thoughtful comments!  Found a garage here in the Black Hills who is willing to do a thorough inspection for the cause of the fluid loss, and then I will proceed to get what I need from Blunt and get her back on the road.  I will post a comment when completed in case anyone is interested on how close they came with their analysis.  Jim

[jim57759]

As several of you helpfully suggested, I didn't have to replace the clutch.  I didn't have to replace anything expensive, just the hose between the reservoir and the master.  The clutch only needed bleeding and I am on my.  Could have fixed that one myself, but I found a mechanic who doesn't replace parts that aren't broke and actually likes working on my car.  Thanks again for steering me in the right direction.  Think I'll take the money I saved and get the front air dam painted!