symbiote

Hello guys..it seems that things arent going my way...lol....my clutch got stuck...while driving..i planted the clutch, shifted into gear..and dumped it...guess what..the clutch didnt wanna come up...it was stuck...so anywyas..i pull over..and i bend down..and see what the issue is...it looked as tho the spring wasnt working to bring the clutch back...so i got it to its normal position with my hand...

so here i am stuck 10 km aways from home and its dusk...i call my mechanic..he reckoned he could drive it without the clutch...but he has to be careful so he doesnt break something..he said something about using the engine note..something id love to learn but at that point i really couldnt be pushed...so anyways he took out the return spring i think and the bush around it...what had happened was i think over time it prolli got worn out and i hadnt checked it when i got it...anywyas small issue...im attaching a picture so i can show you guys what it looks like..

if anyone has had this happen to them please advise on why this actually happens..and where this is..i had opened up my workshop manual but there are 2 springs i think that go near the actual clutch rod...i have ordered some parts from cal mustang...once they turn up ill try putting it back myself...if i get stuck ill look you guys up or ill ring up my mechanic...haha..gotta start some place...



http://img186.imageshack.us/my.php?i...sc00900pc8.jpg

http://img299.imageshack.us/img299/67/dsc00901ho1.jpg

http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/1413/dsc00899gz2.jpg

Starfury

If that spring is the spring under the dash (which I believe it is), that's not a return spring, it's an over-center assist spring. The return comes from the clutch itself, and the remaining slack is taken up by the linkage return spring(s) under the car and/or in the engine bay.

One ofthree things happened here:
1) You have a diaphragm style clutch and didn't take the in-dash assist spring out. This can causeexactly the problem you had, where the clutch pedal sticks to the floor while shifting, especially at higher rpm's. If this is the case, you should be fine with the spring removed.

2) Your clutch actually broke internally and isn't providing any return force. If this is the case, no spring is going to bring the clutch pressureplate itself back away from the flywheel. You need a new clutch.

3) Something in your underdash linkage is messed up. This is the one I'm betting on, since you're actually holding the spring in your hand. Normally it takes some doing to get that spring out (I know, I've done it). Look under the dash at the clutch pivot rod that runs through a housingtube above the column. Now look at the other side of that tube (passenger side). There should be a small grey plastic bushing and a pin holding the rod in place on the . If you can't see the rod or a pin, there's your problem. I suspect that the pin snapped causing the clutch pedal to work its way left, out of the housing, which allows the pedal to go past the rubber stop mounted to the column and release tension on the spring, causing it to pop out. This also leaves the clutch pivot out of the housing, allowing it to flop around a little. Next time you stepped on the clutch, warped linkage geometry caused the clutch pedal to bind at the floor.

symbiote

it is the one in the engine bay because the mechanic got in underneath the car and took it out...

Starfury

Ok, well, thatis a return spring, but it's only designed to lift the throwout bearing off the clutch when you let off the pedal. The clutch itself is designed so that it wants to be engaged whenver you're not putting pressure on it, so if it's not engaging when you lift off the pedal, either something's wrong with the clutch, or something's keeping pressure on the clutch fork.

This leads me back to #1. Do you have a diaphragm clutch? I suspect so, and I suspect that if you remove the underdash spring, everything will be fine

Rorin67

I have a #4 suggestion!

First of all - it would really help us if you told us what kind of transmission you are running. Is it a T5? A 4 speed?

Now for the suggestion... If you are running a 4spd, then this problem sounds EXACTLY like the problem I just had. I pushed the clutch to the floor, heard a CLUNK, and the pedal never returned back (luckily I was now stuck in neutral and had enough speed to pull over to the curb and call AAA). It turned out that the fulcrum/pivot point inside the bellhousing, that the clutch fork pivots on, just snapped off. If you can move the part of the clutch fork that's outside of the bellhousing back and forth with your hands (i.e. there's no resistance), then this may be what happed to you. The only way to repair it is to pull then entire transmission and bellhousing and weld up a new one inside the bellhousing. Or, you can do as I am, and just replace all that 40 year old stuff with a newer T5 transmission and bellhowing and a new cable clutch and never have to worry about that darn clutch linkage ever again!

Keep us posted - and best of luck!

symbiote

ah ok ill definately look into that...yes it is a 4 speed manual..