cliffyk

The first reference is talking about lateral deflectionof the cable, as in pull down on it lightly and it (the cable) should bend (deflect) 1/2" or so;[/align][/align]The second (FRPP) reference says 1/4" play at the clutch pedal...[/align][/align]Which is what you will end up with by adjusting the cable/firewall adjuster for 1-1/4" to 1-3/8" freeplay before the ToB starts to do serous work. That initial "freeplay" accounts for cable stretch, deflection of the various mechanisms, stiction, and initial loading of the clutch spring.[/align][/align]Neither reference says anything about ToB to spring finger clearance?[/align][/align][/align] [/align][/align]-edit-[/align]Oh, if the cable is adjusted so tight that there is no freeplay (the 1-1/4" to 1-3/8" stated earlier) then the T0b will spin under as much load as created by the cable being too tight, and the ToB will squeal, get hot, and not live long...[/align][/align]However just "kissing" spring fingers under no load is normal and in fact somewhat desireable on some cars to keep the ToB from rattling--hydraulically operatedclutches very often require a bit of a heavier than you'd thinkpreload to keep 'em quiet...[/align]

tbirdscwd

You might want to read over those articles/instructions again. They say nothing about the gap between the TOB and the pressure plate. They are talking about the play in the cable at the clutch fork. They want you to have a little play so that the cable isn't in constant tension and possibly not letting the clutch completely engage when the pedal is released.

Kmoran81

cliffyk- so when the clutch pedal is not depressed then the t/o bearing should just barely be touching the fingers of the pressure plate?

and,

The 1 1/4 - 1 3/8" value u are talking about is, how far I press the pedal down before the clutch starts to disengage? So basically the clutch should start to disengage when the clutch pedal height is about at the same level as the brake pedal? And when its like this, I should not hear the t/o bearing rattling around? cuz thats what was annoying me the most.

-Thx

cliffyk

Yes, when the pedal is not depressed the clutch spring will push the clutch lever/ToB backward to where the ToB is barely touching the spring. That's OK as with a very light/no load on the bearing it will not prematurely wear.[/align][/align]As for the 1-1/4" to 1-3/8" value, it's not "how far before the clutch disengages", but rather how far before you feel the throwout bearing starting to do some work--use your hand, the pedal will press down fairly easily and then you'll feel it START to push in the spring fingers. That distance, from at rest to just starting to do some real work, should be 1-1/4" to 1-3/8". The clutch will usually disengage about 1/2 way from the "starting to do some work" point to the floor.[/align][/align]You do not want the cable too loose as the clutch will drag (as you are aware), but also you do not want it so tight that there is no freeplay and the ToB is under load (or worse, the clutch slips).[/align][/align]I generally found that themonkey-motion OEM semi-automatic plastic quadrant and adjuster left the cable too slack for my tastes with 1-1/2" to sometimes 1-3/4" freeplay.You can adjust it to as little as 5/8" to 1", however it has been my experience that as the clutch heats up this will cause the feel of the clutch pedal to change, which I find quite annoying...[/align][/align]

Kmoran81

Ok so I adjusted it just lie you said. I runs great again but its still noisy. I am beginning to think that it is something other than the t/o bearing. I will try and decribe it as best possible:
remember this is a freshly rebuilt tranny, maybe the builder f'd it up?

-Soft spinning sound, gets worse after the car warms up.
-sound goes away when the clutch pedal is almost all the way down like about 3/4 of the way to the floor. (this is why I think its not the t/o bearing. wouldnt the t/o bearing rattle go away sooner?)
- is louder when at low rpms in all gears
- when it is in neutral and the car is stopped, if I rev the engine the sound rattles faster
- almost sounds as if its coming from under the shifter but I cant be sure

To give you an idea of how loud it is, I filled under the shifter with a rubber mat over the hole, and then compressed insulation into it before putting the boot on and I can still hear it a fair amount.

any ideas?

edit: I removed the dust cover from the tranny and the t/o bearing is always spinning now. Its just barely touching the fingers of the pp.

cliffyk

I agree with you about the ToB, if bad they usually either screech like heck or quiet down as soon as you apply any pressure to 'em.[/align][/align]When the clutch disengages the tranny mainshaft stops spinning pretty quickly, and the mainshafts in our trannys are pretty noisey to begin with--so it could be that the mainshaft bearing are a bit tight and will loosen up in a bit (500 to 1000) miles. If more than that then there's something wrong. In neutral with the clutch out the tranny mainshaft is turning so that sort of fits as well.[/align][/align]Another possibilty that you're not going to like--when you step on the clutch you are loading the crankshaft toward the front of the engine, which often quiets a bad crank thrust bearing. Check the crank for endplay, or just watch it while someone revs the engine (just a bit, not through the roof) under the conditions you describe in which the noise is audible. If the crank moved back to front enoght to see it then you've gat a bad thrust bearing.[/align][/align]

tbirdscwd

My car makes the same sort of noise. At low rpms when you hit the gas is where its really noticeable right? Then it goes away after like 1900rpm? The noise was always there for me, just a little louder after the new clutch install. I don't know what mine is, but I was gonna put a few more hundred on the clutch and see if maybe it just needed to break in a little.

I don't think it has anything to do with your clutch adjustment though. I have re-adjusted my clutch several times and nothing seems to make the noise go away. Mine isn't very loud at all and it only happens in a 300rpm window from 1600-1900 under a load. Sounds like the shifter is vibrating due to the low rpm/load.

cliffyk

One of the things to keep in mind is that our "cars" are essentially 1/2 ton pickup trucks with flashy bodies and somewhat more sophisticated (cough, cough) suspensions. There's a reasonably torquey V-8 coupled to a 360 ft.lb. (rated) tranny, coupled to a pretty beefy (500 ft.lb.+) rear-end through a driveshaft that could keep a small tractor going for 100 years (that's why you can replace it with a much more petite aluminum unit and get some more ponies to the rear wheels.[/align][/align]Because of all of the above it's a pretty clunky. noisy, and upon occasion chucking back and forth experience.[/align][/align]Welcome to the world of late-60's/early 70's muscle cars--the great news is that that's the way they are, right down to the throwback headlight switch!!![/align][/align]------------------------[/align]The only thing that would be better is if the dimmer was on the floor![/align][/align]

Kmoran81

Yea thats exactly what it does. I just wanted to make sure I wasnt hurting anything cause it drives perfect. Thx for the help guys.