Gearbox Clutch CVs - Re-installing clutch
HarryMann: The main rules, for a smooth non-sticky clutch are:-
a) Ensure everything clean on flywheel and pressure plate mating face and dowels not bent or damaged.
b) Carefully clean spigot shaft(gbox input shaft) splines, old grease/debris and any corrosion. LIGHTLY grease splines with assembly compound or MOS2. Slide friction plate along splines and ensure it runs freely, if not, relieve male spline with careful deburring on visible (bright) high-spots (fine stone or file), re-clean thoroughly, lube as above.
c) Centre the friction plate by eye or alignment tool, torque down cover plate over it gradually and sequentially (as with any multiple bolted assembly).
d) Ensure operating fork pivot rotates freely in bearings (often doesn't with seized bushes). Inspect operating forks and arms for burrs and flats on faces contacting release bearing, stone down and re-shape if required, LIGHTLY grease. Ensure release bearing runs freely and is secured correctly to operating arms., renew if rough.
e) Ensure spigot bearing in flywheel is greased correctly, and spigot surface is in acceptable condition, clean and lightly lubed (not heavily pitted nor burred from being knocked around, a very exposed part prone to damage) Removing spigot shaft bearing
f) When re-fitting gearbox, attempt at all costs to slide spigot shaft into clutch centre plate as gently and perfectly aligned as possible. Standing back and judging gearbox angle before continuing always worthwhile, and rotating drive-flanges as you go to get spline alignement.
Then, if the flywheel face is not cracked or blued/heat-waved (have it lightly surface ground, not turned, if it is), you should have a smoothly operating and powerful clutch for many thousands of miles...
NB. But all will be wasted time and effort if the crank-seal or g-box seal leaks. When replacing crank seal, ensure the flywheel boss that it runs on is not heavily grooved, pitted or worn excessively. To some extent can be refurbed by accurate grinding (same time as flywheel face resurfaced) or DIY with emery tape, if no other option - clean and polish up as much as possible. Lightly pre-lube all seal lip. OEM crank seals are recommended, they normally have a double or triple lipped seal.
Tip: Don't forget that emery paper/cloth, wet and dry paper, is usually carborundum grit based, however fine. In softer metals this can leave embedded carborundum debris. On lightly pitted sufaces of harder metals (spigot shaft bearing surface) ditto... clean, clean and clean again after using this stuff - very useful stuff, but potentially leads to premature wear otherwise.
