Clutch questions

[jradley]

Hi,

 

Car is a 1.8k SS with lightened flywheel..

 

The CRB has been noisy since I got the car 4yrs & 10k miles ago. At least, I suspect it is the CRB - it has a ticking and whirring sound most noticeable after releasing the clutch pedal when pulling away in 1st. Oddly it is quiet when the pedal is pushed down though and it is normally only heard when pulling away from a standstill and sometimes after changing into 2nd - it only lasts a few seconds then fades away. A bit odd though as I would expect a noisy CRB to be most noticeable when the clutch pedal is down

 

Anyhow, on the last 200 miles of a 700 mile tour of wales I noticed some difficulty sometimes changing gear. Initially I suspected maybe cable stretch, but also noticed the whirring sound from CRB has become a much louder whine.

 

Here's my questions:

 

Does a lightened flywheel use the same clutch as an oridnary one ?

 

With 30k miles on the clock but no apparent clutch slipping problems, should I change the plate and cover too ? I guess what I'm asking here is what is the life expectancy of a clutch (road use only, not tracked or raced).

 

If I'm going to change the spigot bearing, do I need to remove the flywheel. Assuming I do change the spigot bearing, do I need a new sleeve too ?

 

Any idea why the CRB is quiet when the clutch pedal is pressed but momentarily noisy after pulling away - that one has me baffled ?

 

Cheers,

 

John

 

 

[Bob L]

Just done this job, sounds more like a spigot bearing issue to me but I’m no expert. I changed the clutch / plate / spigot bearing and sleeve. Not a difficult job just time consuming. Used an AP Racing clutch and plate on a lightened flywheel. You don’t need to remove the flywheel to change the spigot bearing and sleeve. Plenty of threads on this within the archives.

Changed the CRB and attached the extra springs to pre-load before Christmas, should have done the other bits at the same time ☹️

Will you be doing this yourself?

 

[John Vine]

If it is the CRB, you'll need to replace it. While you're at it, I strongly recommend you increase the pre-load as Bob L says. Loads of info on this here, here, and here. If you want a copy of my LF article, BM me.

 

JV

[jradley]

Hi,

 

Many thanks for the replies. got some follwoup queries....

 

Bob - re the AP racing clutch - is that becasue you have to use that one with the lightened flywheel or just a preference ? If it's a preference, how does that clutch differ from the standard one ? Bearing in mind the car is road use only I don't really want a clutch that has a feel to it as though it has teeth !

 

I am still debating with myself whether or not I just do the CRB (in which case I may leave the engine in the car and just shunt it forward, or pull it right out and do the grot traps, replace mounts, do the entire clutch and spiggot while I'm at it.

 

Still got lots to research re the CRB and preload too.

 

Yes I'm going to be doing this myself, with hopefully some help from some local 7'ers who have done the job before, if I can coerce them with the offer of food and liquid refreshemnt.

 

Cheers,

 

John

[John Vine]

John, YHM.

 

JV

[Bob L]

Hi John,

 

I already had the lightened flywheel. Used the AP clutch (obtainable from CC and many other outlets) as a straight replacement for the std Rover item. These are not cheap but managed to obtain a 2nd hand item with 1K miles on it for a reasonable sum from a fellow BC member. My concerns were it might be a bit fierce or require the legs of a kangaroo to operate but to be honest I find the difference negligible.

This issues you are experiencing were very similar to my own. Mines road use only with 25K miles. I also hoped it was just the CRB so shunted the engine forward and changed that one item. Also did load springs as suggested by John Vine (thanks for the article John and subsequent mails on the subject). However, the removed CRB appeared in very reasonable condition and didn’t cure the problem

 

So, a couple of months later I bought an engine crane (they are now reasonably priced and as I didn’t want to rush the job, thought it might break even with hiring costs. It didn’t but at least I have a tangible asset and every other sevener seems to own one). The downside is these take up a lot of room in the garage. Then the parts:

Clutch

Clutch plate

Clutch cable

Spigot bearing x 2 (cheap item, bought 2 in case a made a hash of the replacement)

SB Sleeve x2 (as above)

Engine mounts (surprised how much difference this made after the change)

Gearbox mount

Some more silicon hoses / selection of Mikalor clamps

Exhaust manifold gasket

Water rail gasket

Grey high temp silicone sealant for water rail gasket (Halfords)

Spare exhaust studs (not needed in the end)

 

While all was out I probably should have changed the thermostat….but didn’t. I did dismantle / clean the starter and replaced the live feed from the battery (Halfords std item and just a couple of quid).

 

There are lots of tips on spigot bearing removal and replacement. I used a Dremel and grinding stone to get the old one out (took but a few minutes). Replacement was straight forward but everything must be square when tapping home. I won’t bog down this thread with details but can go into more separately if you need to discuss.

 

As and aside I only changed the CRB by sliding the engine forward as I thought this was the problem and far less hassle than taking the engine out. In truth, full engine removal only takes about another hour as there is only electrical plugs and throttle cable left to remove. So I wish, with hindsight, I had done this job once and changed all the bits I’ve listed in one go (plus the CRB). The clutch I removed seemed in very good condition with plenty of friction material left – just didn’t want to risk another removal should I still have problems on reconnection!

 

Good luck, Bob