Sticking Clutch Non Live Drive

[Laurie]

Having repaired the gearbox and put her all back together I fired her up for the first time in two and a half years. In typical Fordson manner she gave a puff of smoke and away she went. Gently eased
her around the yard and everything seemed Ok . Gears engaged Ok including PTO drive and hydraulics all worked.
However the next day I struggled to ger her into gear without a lot of crunching noises and the same with the PTO gear. I fiddled around with the clutch adjustment(even though I was pretty certain it was Ok) and tried again and she seemed Ok but clutch a bit jumpy. Then trouble in getting into gear again.

Before the strip down the clutch had been Ok. It was clear that the clutch had been replaced at some time but I have known the tractor for the last 30 years and she has been very lightly used. The pilot bearing and release bearing were perfectly OK but I did fit a new plate even though the old one looked OK.

I thought that the release bearing hub may have come away from the forks but after splitting the tractor ( so much easier the second time!) everything seemed to be Ok.

It seems that the clutch is sticking and not releasing when the pedal is depressed but I am not sure why. I did notice that on one of the clutch "fingers" the pad that locates with the release bearing is not screwed so far out as it is on the other two fingers.This is exactly how it was when I did the strip down but I wonder if this could be causing some unequal pressure causing the plate to bind on the splines.

There is no oil in the bell housing from the engine or gearbox so that cannot be the problem.

I am tempted to put the old clutch plate back in but any other ideas welcome.

Laurie

[Brian]

Think you have found your problem. The new clutch disc may be thicker and less shiny than the old one and so grips and does not release if one of the levers is not lifting the plate completely away from the disc. All the studs on the fingers should be the same height.

[Laurie]

Brian, thanks for the advice. Made a few adjustments and all seems Ok now.

Laurie