'67 Series 2a Clutch Wear - Possible Cause

[GMorbey]

I have just acquired this "new for me" '67 2a 109. I knew the clutch was bad, so I picked it up using a U-Haul trailer and brought it back to North Vancouver. I decided to just pull the gear box back 20 centimeters inspect and remove the clutch. The previous owner had said the clutch was fine and the vehicle drove normally just a few days before, so why I wondered if the clutch was suffering from a rear main or gear box input shaft oil leak. What I found was a clogged drain, a very rusty (but dry) clutch cover, a completely worn out clutch disc (right down to the rivets), a very rusty flywheel, and a caked on mass of burnt clutch dust inside the bell housing - about 5mm thick. It did not appear wet near the bottom (assuming that's where oil would have gone), but it had coated everything in there pretty consistently. Brake Cleaner removed most of it with little effort. So I'm thinking that I do not have a rear main seal leak or a transmission input shaft leak. I also verified that the vehicle has the 9.5" clutch. I have a few questions at this point...
1. Should I change the throw out bearing? It does not appear to make any noise.
2. If yes, is this behind a small cover in the bell housing, and if this is removed, will it drain gear box hydraulic fluid?
3. The clutch cover appears to have a steel triangular shaped central hub that mates with a similar size disc on the input shaft. This would be metal/metal contact in operation. Should this be lubricated when assembling?
4. Unrelated, there are no reverse lights. Where is the reverse light switch located? I see no electrical connections on the gear box.
Any input would be appreciated...
Geoff.

[siiirhd88]

Congrats on the new to you 109!

1- The throw out or release bearing on a 2A is quite robust and likely won't require replacement. Its bearing is lubricated by the trans gear oil and if the bearing is OK I wouldn't change it.
2- If you remove the release bearing housing the transmission gear oil will leak out. Removing the housing reveals the input shaft bearing and front mainshaft bearing.
3- The similar disc that mates with the triangle shaped surface on the clutch cover is the face of the throw out bearing. This should spin freely and rides on he triangle shaped disc when the clutch is depressed. The face should not be lubricated
4- Reverse lights in the U.S. were required on imported cars beginning in 1968 and trucks a bit later. There was a switch actuated by the shift rods on top of the transmission near the bellhousing. You can add your own reverse lights actuated by a pull or toggle switch but local rules might require a dash light indicator to remind you the reverse lamps are lit.

See the pics at the link showing the release bearing bits at: https://littlegreenlandy.com/2016/10...arbox-strip-1/

It sounds like your clutch had been slipping for a while. This can be caused by several reasons including: clutch linkage free play out of adjustment, worn springs in the clutch cover, foot resting on the clutch pedal for an extended time, oil or water on the clutch disc, sticking release bearing mechanism, etc.

The 2A has release bearing mechanism with a "U" shaped fork that pivots forward on a shaft to move the bearing surface onto the triangle shaped clutch cover boss. The shaft pivot surfaces can stick, and there is a pin that secures the shaft to the shaft and arm that connects to the slave cylinder. This pin can break either jamming the shaft or preventing it from moving the throw out bearing.

Note that not all 2A clutch covers used the triangle shaped boss.

Bob

[GMorbey]

That's great information... Thanks Bob. I do believe that the clutch was out of adjustment at every point (pedal, master and slave). There was no free play at any point. I'm in the process of removing all that and giving it a thorough clean, inspection and rebuild, then I'll follow the manual on putting it back together, which gives me a chance to install missing items and ensure everything is properly adjusted. I'm also going to reconfigure the cab with bucket seats and three point belts as my wife (a physio) doesn't want to drive in it without adequate protection for back/neck - so I'll have brand new bench seats to sell. As for back-up lights, I may just install some off roading lights with an illuminated toggle. The last thing I need to do is check over the disc brake conversion. While it was done a while ago, my understanding was that it never quite worked well with the servo assist. I found that the vacuum was installed to carburetor air intake rather than intake manifold, so I'm going to do a check on that whole system too. I also need to find out if they had used DOT5 or DOT3 brake fluid. I'm thinking the latter because of colour, but I used DOT5 in my classic MG, and its purple colour has changed and looks very much like DOT3.
Geoff.