Hey guys, yes I need some help from the Flathead Gods!! I have a 32 Ford with a 1936 Ford Flathead engine and trans. in it and having a trans. issue. Car starts fine but wont go into gear? Grinds bad. If you turn car off and re-start in gear like 2nd all ok drives and shifts fine, drop into neutral and grinding again and wont go back into gear? I have adjusted the clutch pedal many times and no better?? What can I be missing? Any and all help would be great guys, Thanks!!! -Mike
Is this a new build or has the problem just surfaced? Can you shift from neutral to second or high without grinding? My first thought is bad pilot bearing. New clutch disc could require a little run in before it has enough clearance when disengaged. Can you confirm adequate clutch disc gap when disengaged by measuring through the inspection hole in the top of the bellhousing? Does clutch disc slide freely on the input shaft splines? Worn clutch release components from linkage, release bearing, or pressure plate fingers would also cause this problem. Someone else will have to comment on compatibility of '32 pedal travel vs. '36 clutch requirements(new build only).
I'd go along with the pilot bushing/bearing sticking. In the past I've seen several clutch disks that were installed backwards and the springs caught on the flywheel bolts and did the same thing. I've also pulled out a couple that someone else put in and let the trans hang by the input shaft bending the disk at the hub with the transmission weight. I'm thinking those chattered quite a bit when were brought in to the shop I worked in to be repaired.
I've heard that aftermarket clutch discs can be too tight on the input shaft splines and doesn't allow the disc to slide causing it to keep spinning... was the trans hard to install on the motor? Sent from my SM-N900P using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Thanks for the replies! The engine is a used, maybe an old rebuild that's been sitting for at least 10 years. Before I installed it I removed the shifter tower and drained , cleaned and refilled with fresh lube. I spun the engine over by hand with gears spinning to get lubed up good. I never took the inspection cover off to look or lube? I will pull toe board out and open inspection cover off to have a look. There is a grease fitting in there that needs to be lubed, right?? The trans. and engine all went in as one piece and I never had them apart.
You say you've adjusted the clutch pedal many times but so solution. Have you adjusted it enough? Have you peeked in through the top cover and seen the pressure plate releasing the disk?
Farmall Dan has it. If that roadster was here, I'd say: "Remove the transmission, but tell me when it's ready to slide out. Careful inspection of everything from clutch splines (YES, slide it on and off the splines!) Inspect the bushings at the T.O. brg shaft, and the T.O. brg., also the sleeve on the trans front bearing retainer. If there is a gouge in the T.O. brg sleeve, it will tilt the bearing when disengaged, and 'confuse' the pressure plate with the uneven surface. A .040" gouge multiplies as it gets to the surface of the bearing. Seen a few of these. Look for oil, out of the front sleeve as well as rear main engine seal on the clutch lining! When you remove the pressure plate, DO examine the pilot bearing. If you don't have a Ford spline to check it with, borrow a 17mm drill bit. (use the smooth shank as a gauge; the diameter in thousandths is .669". Any doubt, replace it with a sealed bearing. Some guys like bronze bushings, but hot as it gets in there, I prefer the bearing. NO faults. It'd be a perfect world if we could just see all the way back in there without removing anything. But it's not.
The Jalopy Journal
