squirebill

Don....if I remember correctly the 6.5 hp Briggs I was working on I don't think had a compression release...but I did the leakdown test as suggested for a compression release engine. A 12 hp Kohler I worked on awhile ago had the compression release. It's been awhile but I know there was a notch on the exhaust cam lobe at the low point and a tab of a centrifugal weight fit into this notch. The weight was spring loaded and was out of the notch and locked there by another centrifugal weight when the engine was stopped or at low rpm. So this tab would hold the exhaust valve open or partially open during the compression stroke. Once started and rpms come up, the centrifugal weights shift and the tab on the one is pulled/pushed into the notch on the cam lobe. It's been a while so I'm a little foggy on this. Now that I think about this I think you could still do a compression test on this engine but you had to spin it in the opposite direction.

Guess while I was typing my post, Don posted his. Note another leak point past the head gasket and into the cooling system. Guess should also look for leaks past head gasket at block/head surfaces.

Have you heard this one. I do some work on small engines with pull starts from time to time. It seems lately a lot of these engines have a compression release built in to make them easier to pull start but this also makes it difficult to do a compression test. What they do now is set the engine at TDC on compression stroke and pump air thru the spark plug hole. I did this on a 6.5 Briggs that wouldn't run. WAs getting 30 psi with regular compression test. My compression tester has a hose that screws into the spark plug hole andt the gage plugs into the hose with a standard air hose quick disconnect set up. Popped the gage off and plugged in the hose from my small pancake compressor. Brought the pressure up slowly to about 20 psi. By listening at the carb, muffler and crankcase oil fill can determine if you have an intake valve leak, an exhaust valve leak, or a piston ring/ cylinder problem. Worked good. Fixed rings and now running like a champ. Since I had the head off I lapped the valves anyway but it sure identified the real problem quick. Read where others modify a spark plug by breaking out the porcelin and threading in a male air hose fitting so they could connect their air hose.

Maybe do the compression test again but squirt a bit of engine oil into the spark plug hole. Try to angle it so the oil ends up in the piston cylinder rather than squirting it straight down onto the valves. Do the compression test. If value comes up, probably have a problem with the rings and the oil sealed it off a bit. If no improvement on the compression value, probably a valve problem.

Dave72dt....In my far off past had a 1950 Plymouth, called it" the Chariot", so have a Plymouth P15 to P25 manual that talks about adjusting the fingers on a Borg and Beck clutch in the "clutch" section of the manual. Uses a fixture "C-585". I sure don't have one of them. Does anyone know the basic principal of this fixture. Is it something that could be "mocked up" using a good flat surface and some "C" or "F' clamps?. I checked the clutch from the truck pretty close and saw the clutch finger eye bolt end and the adjusting nut. The nut was staked into the slot on the end of the eye bolt. Figured it was done during manufacture and intended to not be messed with. Anyhow, I have a 9' disc and pressure plate assy from who knows what to play around with. Maybe I can figure something out. Hate to pull that trans again but gotta do what ya gotta do.

Scruffy49, thanks for the information...I had seen references to early and late production 49's and wondered what that was all about...now I know. Pulled the clutch and disc out to inspect the thickness of the friction discs. My B1B series manual list them (new) as each being .133" thick. Mine measure .125" so good to go. After closer inspection of the disc to verify Merle's comment above that the center hub was longer on one side than the other thought I noticed the center hub was not "square" with the disc. Put it on a flat surface, made some measurements and sure enough the disc had a .164" wobble to it. By spinning it on my homemade clutch alignment shaft, knocking it this way and that, I was able to get it to spin "true" within .010-.015". Installed disc, clutch, throwout bearing, new return spring from True Value,transmission, and hand brake. Adjusted the clutch pedal free play...best I could get with adjustment all the way at one end is 3" free play at the pedal. With clutch depressed, engine not running, was able to shift trans into all gears. Started the engine with trans in neutral and clutch pedal up (at present have to remote start it from under the hood). With engine running and hand brake off, there was no rotation of the drive shaft yoke (Note the drive shaft is not connected). Depressed clutch and shifted to first with a little grind, same with 2nd, 3rd, and reverse. A grind in each one of the gears but not near as bad as my first post. Did notice the throwout bearing that seemed good when I spun it in my hand was making the "whishing" sound when the clutch was depressed at maybe 600 rpm. So, that's where I'm at right now. Seems the wobble in the disc was causing the disc to drag more than it is now but the 3" pedal free play is still a concern. Just seems like if I could depress the clutch farther than I can now, because the floor is in the way, it would release farther and all would be well.

Thanks again Merle....it's a 1949!!!!

Obviously from the above posts this works OK. I had thought about doing it to my B1B but somewhere in my far past thought that when you changed the polarity on a DC motor it changed the direction the motor turned. I was concerned my starter would turn in the opposite direction...thought it would "unstart" the truck. Learn something new everyday.

Scruffy49...Thanks for your input. My throwout bearing is in pretty good shape...a little surface rust on the exterior but spins freely and quietly. Tomorrow I intend to reinstall clutch, trans, and drive shaft and see what happens. Will advise. Scruffy49...see you have a 49B1B. I'm not 100% sure if mine is a 1948 or a 1949. Would you happen to know how I could tell? Would it be by the serial number? Note, I do not have the original engine in the truck so if it depends on the engine number I guess I'm stooped. Any thoughts.

Did get a chance to checkout the woodruff key today. It is there and in good shape, not offset or sheared. With all the information you folks have provided I think I'm convinced I have all the right parts for my application. Will just assemble it up again and also connect up the drive shaft and see if it shifts any differently.

Will remove the pedal adjustment clevis to insure the woodruff key is there and not sheared....but not today...will advise. Thanks all.

Clutch pedal return spring is attached. Brake pedal return spring is not attached. Brake pedal is in place. All other brake components: master cyl, wheel cyls, shoes,hoses, and hardlines have been removed to be replaced in near future,once I get the engine, transmission and rear axle operating properly. That's why I don't have the driveshaft hooked up. With no brakes, if I put it in gear and it starts to go, can't stop it except with hand brake. Guess will have to bight the bullet and tie the truck off to a tree and hook up the driveline. Bob, thanks for the information that all bearings and sleeves are same up to 2-1/2 ton except fluid drive. Would you happen to know the difference between the fluid drive bearing/sleeve and the regular bearing sleeve. Maybe I have a fluid drive bearing/sleeve assy.and it is causing me the hard shifts. Like I said earlier, my bearing/sleeve looks just like the photos posted so far. Thanks to all for all responses.

Don't think so. Before I pulled the trans this last time, I looked up from the bottom with a flashlight and the shift forks were against the sleeve ears. All seemed good. Gotta say my bearing and sleeve look a lot like yours but maybe more of your bearing is visible around the outside of the sleeve housing. My retaining spring is a little stretched. Where did you get your new one?

Wasn't able to check it before disassembly because couldn't get the engine with trans connected to turn at all using the flywheel. Clutch pedal could be pushed down and would come back up but couldn't shift any gears. If I remember right seemed to be locked in a gear (I think second) but definitely not neutral First I thought the engine was seized. Removed the trans and was able to turn the engine using the flywheel. Was able to get the engine running without the trans. Took the top cover off the trans and saw the shift bars were pretty well rusted. Freed them and was able to shift them using the shift lever. The transmission case was half filled with water and I could see the lower cluster gears were pretty well rusted. Disassembled the trans, got everything cleaned up, located and installed a used cluster gear, reassembled, lubed and buttoned it up. Was able to turn the input shaft and shift thru all gears using the shift lever. Seemed good to go. I initially had the pedal adjustment at the middle. Started engine and could get into all gears with grinding. Adjusted pedal all to one side i.e. the front jack screw is all the way in and the rear jack screw is all the way out. Started engine and once again, clashing gears. Pushing on clutch pedal seems to have little or no effect. Just for giggles, adjusted the pedal full the other way, no change. Note that this was all done with the drive shaft disconnected. Once again, removed the trans and clutch. Using a pry bar checked that each of the clutch fingers was free to move and return. Reistalled clutch and disc making sure disc was oriented properly (flywheel side towards flywheel). Slid throwout bearing and sleeve assembly into place and this brought me to my first post of the forum. Note further, I think I must have an after market throwout bearing and sleeve assembly. Looks like a sealed bearing where the inner race of the bearing is actually part of the sleeve rather than a separate bearing that is pressed on the sleeve.

Merle, please try to explain to me the difference you see between the sleeves of the 1/2, 3/4 ton trucks and the larger trucks. As I said, I have an 11 in. clutch and maybe it is for a larger truck that needs a different sleeve than I currently have. Does the sleeve for the larger truck look longer than the one for the 1/2,3/4 ton sleeve? Note that in my previous posts I was referring to the sleeve with the bearing mounted to it as the throwout bearing. Based on your post I now understand they should be referenced as two distinct items.

Merle, thanks for your very quick response. When I installed the clutch and disc, the side of the disc marked "Flywheel Side" was installed toward the flywheel. Checked it twice. I'm wondering if I have the correct throwout bearing assy. The distance from the face of the bearing (that would contact the clutch fingers) to the face of the ears (that would be contacted by the shift fork) is 1-3/8 inches. Seems like if this distance was longer, my problem would go away. Does anyone know if there is different throwout bearings for different size clutches? This clutch is 11 inch diameter. I think the standard B1B clutch is 10 inch. How about different throwout bearings of "fluid drive" vs. regular transmission?

Working on a B1B with 3 speed floor shift. Had the transmission out because it was seized. Freed it up and seemed the shift bars on the top cover were the problem. Was able to turn the input shaft and shift thru all gears. Truck had sat a number of years so I pulled the clutch assembly and the disc for inspection. All seemed OK so I reassembled. When I started the engine and tried to shift through the gears there was grinding getting into all gears. Seemed the clutch was not disengaging. Note that I did not have the drive shaft connected but was putting slight drag on the output shaft using the hand brake. When in neutral with the engine running could get the driveshaft yoke to stop rotating by applying the hand brake. In order for me to get the throw-out bearing to just contact the clutch release fingers, I am at the extreme end of the pedal adjustment. When the clutch pedal is depressed, the clutch fingers are only depressed maybe another 1/4 inch or so. Does this seem normal? I'm wondering/hoping that because I don't have the driveline tied in, that is why I'm getting the grinding shifts (stuff inside the transmission too free to spin and causing hard shifts). Any thoughts? I'm a newbie here so if this is already covered somewhere else in the forum let me know.

Might not apply but just for information: in the mid-70s had a 65 chevy Malibu where one of the rear brakes would lock up and skid on the pavementwhen coming to a stop. Pulled the drum on that side and all looked good. Pulled the drum on the other side and it was coated with axle oil. Replaced axle seals. Point I'm trying to make is the "bad" brake might be on the other side.