clutch failure??

[Big Mike's Motor Pool]

have any of you guys ever had a clutch let loose in your truck?? i think i did mine in last night. it was a bit weird though. the pedal always let out a bit high. i was pulling stuck trucks out at one of the local mudholes just before the clutch (i think the clutch anyway) gave out. i pull out mud trucks alot, and i wasnt beating it when doing so. its just weird because there wasnt any slippiing or smell, i was on the way out and got to a hard pack surface and went to unlock my selectros for the ride home, i get back in the truck and the clutch just didnt seem to work, the trans would grind and then go into gear and the truck wold take off with clutch pedal pusded down. at this point i was just going to start it in gear and creep home. when i tried this it went like 2 feet and all movement in gear ceased.
is this normally how a clutch in these trucks give out, all of the sudden like that?? or is it possible i have trans issues??

 

[jwaller]

me thinks you have something else going on.

 

[devilman96]

Ya could have broken a throw out finger or two off. When this happens first they will not disenguage then as they totally give way they don't enguage at all.

Pull your inspection cover and look for metal parts. Even still its very difficult to actually "see" broken fingers with out taking the tranny out.

If this be the case replace it with the newer style 3 finger clutches. Their stronger and the disk last longer.

 

[acetomatoco]

It is time to look at the clutch thru the inspection hole, and take the top off the tranny and drain the tranny to see if any chunks come out... and shame on you for realizing that the pedal was high and not adjusting the linkage... no tools other than an open end wrench for the locknut on the clevis...

 

[M543A2]

This is the kind of failure indicative of a center torn out of a clutch disc. If it were a tranny problem and the clutch was OK, the clutch would still have stopped motion.
Regards Marti

 

[Big Mike's Motor Pool]

thanks guys, i'll prolly just pull the trans instead of checkin the inspection cover. it is going to have to come out anyway so might as well get right to it. i'll post back up with my findings. prolly wont be for a while though, im getting everthing in order for a trip to florida with my mud truck for muddfest and prolly wont drop out the trans untill i get back.
devilman, thanks for the info about the differences in strenght of the different clutches, i was wondering what the difference was

 

[Big Mike's Motor Pool]

well, i was able to get a basically brand new clutch 4 free from a friend of mine who has been buying stuff from GL through his towing business. the clutch is a 4 finger model but the price is right and when i say its brand new, i mean the dics pads have some spots on them that still look un worn and there wasnt any black grimy dust on it when we took it out of the motor and trans it was in.
im hoping to get some pics of it tomorrow when i go back to finish it, but right now my truck is about 6 foot off the ground on portable jacks which is making this job a whole lot easier. i pulled the trans out and found that the clutch center had infact exploded. there was a handful of springs in there and the disc was in a few pieces. the throw out bearing is still intact but so worn out if you drop it it will prolly come apart. like i said im going to get some pics tomorrow of it up in the air cause thats somthing you dont see everyday, but in the meantime here is a pic of me and captain rpm at the diesel pump with my truck on the towbar behind his 813

 

[Recovry4x4]

Wow! Glad it's nothing more than a clutch. Those noghttime pics are just awesome!

 

[Big Mike's Motor Pool]

haha we travel under the cloak of darkness case we're to lazy to do it during the day

 

[Big Mike's Motor Pool]

well, the clutch is back in and it business as usual goin down the road. its way different than before, it used to let out all the way at the top, now it lets out about an inch from the floor. im prolly going to adjust it si it grabs at half way . heres some pics of whats left of the disc and the truck hangin in the air. its funny, the new disc didnt look much thicker on the pads than the old one, but the pedal difference is unbeleiveable.

 

[ARMYMAN30YearsPlus]

I thought that towbar looked unique in the night shots that is so cool where did you get it? Clutch pedal adjustment is a big issue in all the motorpools that still have trucks with manual transmissions. Glad you got it back together and posted the pictures. Amazing what friction in the wrong place will do to a clutch.

 

[Big Mike's Motor Pool]

I thought that towbar looked unique in the night shots that is so cool where did you get it?

i actually aquired that when i was about 16 years old. a kid i was in school with gave me a chevy and we used that bar to get the truck to my house. he told me to hang on to the towbar until he handed me the title. i never got the title and he never asked about the bars so after 10 years of storage on it im callin squatters right LOL

 

[emr]

Any pics more pics of that tow bar, im a tow bar freek, and would love to se em, Thanks and nice work , Love those wheel lifts!!!!
Randy

 

[Big Mike's Motor Pool]

i'll try and grab some pics of it next time im out in the yard

 

[OPCOM]

I was mostly impressed by the lift, and by the ripped up clutch. A lift like that would sure save my aching back.

 

[Big Mike's Motor Pool]

I was mostly impressed by the lift, and by the ripped up clutch. A lift like that would sure save my aching back.

i know what you mean, i think a clutch replacement would have taken me almost a month at home. my truck wont fit in my shop and its cold here and i would have had to do the whole job in the dirt with witht he cold winds of winter blowing at me