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M46 clutch spring too firm

B

Bricktothefuture

Member
Joined
Aug 11, 2015
Location
Central NH
I've been reading up on clutch springs today - some people recommend removing them, others say that can kill your bearings pretty quickly and make extra noise.

Is there a middle ground? I have an early M46 in my '79 and after a few minutes of stop and go traffic my leg feels like it's going to fall off. Has anyone tried a different size spring, am I missing an adjustment, etc? I've got around 1 inch of free play right now if that matters.
 
That small clutch fork spring isn't the issue. I have encountered 240 clutches that seem very stiff while others are easy to hold the pedal down. I have a feeling it has to do with how thin the disc is. It changes the geometry as the disc wears.
 
2manyturbos said:
That small clutch fork spring isn't the issue. I have encountered 240 clutches that seem very stiff while others are easy to hold the pedal down. I have a feeling it has to do with how thin the disc is. It changes the geometry as the disc wears.
Click to expand...

Makes sense. New clutch 8k miles ago. Just feels like it REALLY pushes back against the pedal.
 
I have been running without a spring for years without an issue - almost 200k now.

The spring added a LOT of additional resistance for me. Removing it made the car much more comfortable to drive.
 
Early cars have 2 return springs. One on the pedal pulling it up and one on the fork pulling the t/o bearing away from the pressure plate. Later cars only have a spring on the pedal and it pushes the pedal down toward the floor.

Considering how much spring pressure there is on the clutch, I don't see how either of those springs could have much of an effect on the pedal pressure. It's more likely that the clutch cable is binding. What type of cable do you have?
 
Took the spring off this AM and drove 30 miles in to work. A few things...

You can immediately feel where the spring was working - the pedal used to bounce all the way back, now what used to be the "free play" is loose/limp until you actually engage the cable. My '79 doesn't have the extra small spring on the pedal for whatever reason.

There's a -slight- reduction in the effort needed to move the pedal.

Harder to shift into 2nd. All new-ish bushings on the shifter and cage.

I swear there was a slight clutch smell the first few times I shifted - things sitting differently without the spring?

The cable in question, installed in August and oiled beforehand - https://www.ipdusa.com/products/7214/101566-clutch-cable-240 It isn't binding, nice and smooth. Just, you know, really firm...

I'll try a few more days but will most likely put it back on. Only a pain in stop and go traffic, which is unfortunately a part of my life again.
 
Go to the gym, the F250 manual transmission service truck I drive is way stiffer than even my Southbend clutch. I used to drive an F450 MT , double disk clutch, and that made my knee hurt.
 
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