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Subject:mystery of the dragging clutch
From:Robert Harris
Date:Thu, 15 Jun 2006 16:58:39 -0400

OK Three Investigators... (did anybody else love those books as a
kid?  like Hardy Boys but way better)

Mystery is, the clutch in my 1984 Westy drags slightly ever since I swapped
in a fresh rebuilt transaxle a while back.  Just enough that it grinds
going into to reverse gear, and at idle you can always hear a "clunk" as
the slack is taken out of the drivetrain when you slip it into gear (even
w/ the clutch pedal mashed to the floor).  Clear symptoms of clutch not
fully disengaging.  Before the transaxle swap everything was working smooth
as butter.  The hydraulics are all properly bled and in good order.  Clutch
kit was almost new at the time of the swap, so I reused it.  What else
would you focus on to solve this?

If I accidentally installed the clutch disc backwards when I was swapping
the transaxle, would that explain it or would the bus just be
undriveable?  Hope this isn't it, but I was in a hurry at the time.

I know the little nubbin/ball/whatever on the end of my new transaxle's
external clutch actuator lever (you know the point that the clutch slave
assembly pushes on to disengage the clutch) in quite worn on this tranny:
it's supposed to be a little ball and it's worn very flat... at least 1/8"
of metal is worn away.  Would this make any difference or should the
hydraulics be able to compensate?

Other brainstorms?

thanks guys
Robert H
84 Westy - EJ22

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