Kevin Posted October 21, 2020 Report Posted October 21, 2020 I put in a new clutch plate and through out bearing , and used the old pressure plate in my attempt to get my truck back on the road after 30 + YEARS of garage storage. The differential I got from a old Plymouth worked fine after swithig out the small gears as suggested but I can't get it in first gear without it grinding .I tried to adjust the clutch but did not help. I don't remember having this problem when I parked the truck years ago . Would appreciate any advice on what to look for. Quote
Merle Coggins Posted October 21, 2020 Report Posted October 21, 2020 Are you sure the clutch is releasing? Try putting it into 1st gear, then start it with the clutch depressed. Hopefully it won’t lunge forward while cranking. If that is successful, put it into neutral and release the clutch pedal. Now try again to go into first, but this time wait 5-10 seconds after depressing the clutch pedal. 1st gear doesn’t have synchronizes, so it is common to get a little grinding when the gears are still spinning. Try putting it into 2nd first, to get the gears to stop spinning, then drop back down into 1st. Quote
Dave72dt Posted October 21, 2020 Report Posted October 21, 2020 Is it possible the disc was installed backwards? How long has it been since installed and what was the condition of the flywheel and pressure plate surfaces? Clutch pedal free play is set at ? and pedal travel feel is consistent? Quote
Kevin Posted October 22, 2020 Author Report Posted October 22, 2020 Thanks, I will try these.i adjusted the clutch pedal as far as it would go and the clutch engaged more to the top of the travel, but made no difference in the grinding. I did no greasing of the through out bearing as it came pre greased . Could this be an issue an issue . Is the pressure plate adjustable? Quote
Dave72dt Posted October 22, 2020 Report Posted October 22, 2020 Throw out brg will not cause your problem unless it's improperly adjusted. We're really trying to determine if the clutch disc is actually releasing and not hanging up on the splines or rubbing against the flywheel or pressure plate enough to cause the trans input shaft to turn. You may need a helper to verify the disc is released. You don't need to have it running to do that. Jack up one rear wheel, use a jack stand, place the trans in gear and have someone push the pedal down, try to turn the wheel that's jacked up. If you can, it's probably released and you can check the trans fluid level and type. 1 Quote
52b3b Joe Posted October 22, 2020 Report Posted October 22, 2020 I had a similar issue with my truck. My truck was fine, but in the matter of one trip, the clutch started acting the same as yours. I was at a car show and couldn't get it in gear without severe grinding or shutting the engine off to put it in gear. I adjusted the clutch at the show to the point where it would slip enough to keep the truck stopped, but still not enough to go into gear. When I pulled the clutch out, I found that one of the pressure plate springs had broke. I sent it out for a rebuild and all is good again. 1 Quote
CO54 Posted October 22, 2020 Report Posted October 22, 2020 5 hours ago, 52b3b Joe said: I had a similar issue with my truck. My truck was fine, but in the matter of one trip, the clutch started acting the same as yours. I was at a car show and couldn't get it in gear without severe grinding or shutting the engine off to put it in gear. I adjusted the clutch at the show to the point where it would slip enough to keep the truck stopped, but still not enough to go into gear. When I pulled the clutch out, I found that one of the pressure plate springs had broke. I sent it out for a rebuild and all is good again. It wasn't on one of these old trucks, but I just witnessed a broken spring on the flex plate 2 months ago. My step boys have an 87 Dodge with a 4 speed in it. They had the same problem where they couldn't get into any gear without grinding. They pulled the clutch inspection cover and the spring was laying in the bottom. Then it took them 4 attempts to get the correct clutch, but that's another story. Quote
RCrombie Posted October 22, 2020 Report Posted October 22, 2020 You say the truck has been sitting for many years. Sometimes you can have a bit of surface rust develop which causes the disc to stick to the pressure plate or flywheel, and it will cause these symptoms. Pulling the truck in a lower gear with the clutch depressed will usually free it up, and you’re good to go after that. Quote
TFC Posted October 23, 2020 Report Posted October 23, 2020 Had this issue with my 52 B3B, ended up that the throw-out bearing carrier ears were heavily worn where it contacted the fork, clutch shop built them up by welding and resurface, no more issues. Quote
Kevin Posted October 24, 2020 Author Report Posted October 24, 2020 Thanks everyone,I will explore all of these suggestions to determine the problem.hope to get back out on the road soon. Quote
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