Why so hard to shift gears

[GopherHill]

Remember to use respiratory protection. No blowing with an air hose. Wash out with brake cleaner or such.

 

[Mullaney]

Many thanks for those pictures, and for everyone’s advice, much appreciated. I took the bell housing off the clutch, intending to clean the friction surfaces with brake cleaner. But I can’t really see what’s going on inside the cover, can’t see any interface to be cleaned (with or without pressing clutch pedal). Around the perimeter I can see black crumbly material, like charcoal, presumably the edges of the friction disk? Three pictures attached.

.
I have to agree with the guys... That looks to me like your clutch disk has popped off the rivets on the metal piece that is attached to the input shaft of the transmission. In other words, the piece between the flywheel and pressure plate sure looks "completely shot" to me.

Definitely DO NOT breathe the dust - and hey, no licking the flywheel either!

Removing the transmission tunnel will make this job a lot easier. Down from the top is easier that coming up off the ground to turn bolts...

 

[GopherHill]

How did the clutch job come out? Any big issues?