3 speed clutch linkage adjustment?? :(

[Speedracer800]

Hoping someone here can help me.. 351W with 3-speed trans and 1" body lift.

Noticed the shifter having a tough time engaging any gear from neutral and grinding while going into reverse. I crawled under and noticed that the push rod leading to the fork that engages the throwout bearing was backed way off and not allowing the clutch to engage when depressing the pedal.

Not a difficult fix I thought, but after looking here at topics related to this I saw something about a return spring that attaches from the fork to the frame to help pull the fork back to disengage the clutch. My Bronco has no spring like that..so now I'm panicking! So I ordered the spring from Graveyard and it came today but it seems way to long. I would have to adjust the rod to nearly the longest position possible without it coming right off the ends of the threads in order to get enough length in it to even attach the spring.

Plus I have no play in the pedal. There is a little "slop" right up at the top but not the 1-1.5" of "play" that seems to be spec before feeling the the throwout bearing being engaged. I adjusted the rubber eccentric bushing that the pedal rests on and the pedal never touches it, unless I pull up on the pedal. It's as if it needs some type of spring to bring the pedal back all the way to the top position.

I hope some of this rambling is making sense?? It looks like the previous owner lengthened some linkage to account for the body lift.. ? Could that be the issue?? I am just worried about adjusting this thing so I don't have the fork constantly putting pressure on the throwout bearing wearing the clutch.

I attached a couple pictures.. not sure if they will help or not. :?

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Maybe there is an entire adjustment process that I am missing??

 

[blubuckaroo]

That spring is needed to keep pressure off the throw-out bearing when the pedal isn't depressed. Mine came with a really long "wild end" that had to be bent to hook onto the frame.
There should be a hole for the spring on the clutch lever and a hole on the frame.
You'll need to cut and bend it to fit your application.

 

[Speedracer800]

Yeah.. I see the holes in the frame and on the clutch fork lever but I didn't realize the spring had to be bent or adjusted to fit..

What about the pedal position itself. My pedal does not come all the way back up to the rubber stop. Regardless of where I position the rubber stop.

Also, How much tension should be on that spring??

Thanks for your reply and help.. I appreciate it VERY much man..

 

[blubuckaroo]

That spring is just there to pull the pedal up against the stop, and the lever off the throw-out bearing. Get a second person in the car to observe the pedal while you put tension on the spring. I'm usually a little conservative and bend it a bit long first, then shorten it as needed.

 

[Speedracer800]

That spring is just there to pull the pedal up against the stop, and the lever off the throw-out bearing. Get a second person in the car to observe the pedal while you put tension on the spring. I'm usually a little conservative and bend it a bit long first, then shorten it as needed.

Yes, we tried that and can never get the pedal up against the stop. Without yanking up on it from inside the cab. My concern is that with the body lift someone modified the rod leading from the pedal down through the floor. I wonder if it was lengthened make up for the body lift and either made too long or not long enough..?? I feel like without getting the pedal in the correct position against the stop, I'll never get anything else in the right adjustment.. ?

 

[blubuckaroo]

Yes, we tried that and can never get the pedal up against the stop. Without yanking up on it from inside the cab. My concern is that with the body lift someone modified the rod leading from the pedal down through the floor. I wonder if it was lengthened make up for the body lift and either made too long or not long enough..?? I feel like without getting the pedal in the correct position against the stop, I'll never get anything else in the right adjustment.. ?

It should be easy to tell if the clutch rod is too long or short. If you pull the adjuster away from the clutch fork, the pedal should rise to the bump stop.
I hope I don't get in trouble for plagiarism by posting Tom's catalog photos.:-X

 

[Speedracer800]

It should be easy to tell if the clutch rod is too long or short. If you pull the adjuster away from the clutch fork, the pedal should rise to the bump stop.
I hope I don't get in trouble for plagiarism by posting Tom's catalog photos.:-X

I just ordered an adjustable link from WH.. Hopefully that will help. I think the PO did not make it long enough to accommodate the body lift.

Thanks for the help!

 

[70_Steve]

I just ordered an adjustable link from WH.. Hopefully that will help. I think the PO did not make it long enough to accommodate the body lift.

Thanks for the help!

I was able to use the stock clutch rod with my 1" body lift. When I went to a 2" body lift I ran out of adjustment, so had to go to a longer rod.

 

[Speedracer800]

I can't quite seem to get the clutch engagement point right. No matter what I do adjusting the rod that contacts the fork, the clutch doesn't engage until the pedal is near the top. Is there something that can be done with the clutch rod that passes through the floor? I tried to make it fit perfectly with the pedal adjusted correctly first. I have the wh adjustable rod because of my 1" body lift. I guess I just don't quite understand what effect adjusting the length of this rod will have in relation to the issue I'm trying to correct. ??

 

[Speedracer800]

Also, FYI the clutch and all parts are new as this bronco is a fresh restoration. Thanks again for the help guys!

 

[JAFO]

When you push on the pedal, it pushes the adjustment rod towards the rear of the vehicle (the rod that meets the fork lever), pushing the clutch fork towards the rear, which means that fork is pivoting in and pushing in on the throwout bearing, disengaging the clutch. As you let out the pedal the adjustment rod is moving towards the front of the truck, letting the pressure plate engage the clutch disc and squeeze it against the flywheel and you go.

So, if you make the adjustment rod shorter, that means you will need to push the clutch pedal farther towards the floor before the fork starts moving the pressure plate. and so with the adjustment rod shorter the pressure plate should start engaging the clutch disc sooner as you are letting off the pedal. You will have more free play in the pedal.

Said another way, if you increase the length of the adjustment rod, you could make it so long that the fork would be touching the pressure plate and if able, you could make the rod long enough that the pressure plate is starting to disengage the clutch disc, basically you'd be riding the clutch. No pedal free play. And you'd be letting the clutch pedal all the way out to go.

So, shorten the rod so that you have more pedal play.
I think I said that all correct.
And I think either rod would be the same. The shorter the rod, the more pedal free play you will have.

What I would do is loosen things so I was sure that the clutch fork was free to move away from the pressure plate. Then get the spring onto the fork rod. Then work at getting the amount of pedal free play I wanted.

 

[DirtDonk]

Just as a side discussion here, is this a later model engine by any chance? if so, was the second bolt, or one of the conversion brackets utilized where the engine side transfer bar anchor bolts?

Just wondering if a single bolt on a later model engine (the hole is not there like on earlier models) is allowing your linkage to flex too much?

Paul

 

[Speedracer800]

Thanks for the help.. I got it figured out. Must not be a newer engine because it's mounted tight and flex isn't the problem. I just needed to shorten the rod passing through the floor and I think I finally found the sweet spot. Thanks again for the help! This forum has been such a big help for me in getting my Bronco dialed in since the renovation.

 

[DirtDonk]

Good deal. Now you can dial it in for all aspects too. Like setting that upper bumpstop eccentric so that the pedal is the proper height compared to the brake pedal, and all of that.
Nice to have a properly working clutch, eh?

Paul

 

[Speedracer800]

No doubt! I was surprised how much difference a little bit of adjustment made.. So glad it's dialed in. On to the next little issue.