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EFV-8 Club Forum / General Ford Discussion / 1939 ford clutch problem, need some thoughts

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Posted By Discussion Topic: 1939 ford clutch problem, need some thoughts -- page: 1 2     40 Coupe 01-10-2011 @ 5:27 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 1674 Joined: Oct 2009 regarding your clutch problem and fix, there is no nut on the adjustment of the clutch. I would remove the floor mat and the transmission cover and the throwout inspection cover on the top of the transmission if possible adjust the clutch linkage until the clutch pedal has 3/4 to 1" of free movement until the throwout bearing touches the pressure plate fingers. This is the proper adjustment. If your coil was rebuilt by Skip he will stand behind the rebuild. He etches a code into the coil housing that can be seen only after removing the coil from the distributor. TomO 01-09-2011 @ 11:33 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 7250 Joined: Oct 2009 If you have "vapor lock" you will not see two streams of gas in the horn of the carburetor when you press the accelerator pedal. If you have vapor lock, check your fuel pump output pressure for a minimum of 2 lbs. Replace the fuel pump if the pressure is lower. If the pressure is OK, check for vacuum leaks in the supply line or a plugged supply line. Hook ups for electric fuel pumps often introduce vacuum leaks with the hose connections. If you see the streams, check your spark, It should be blue in color, make a cracking sound and be at least 1/2" long at idle. Weak spark can be caused by low voltage to the coil, weak condenser or weak coil. Tom 39 Ken 01-07-2011 @ 4:21 AM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 380 Joined: Oct 2009 Super and Kube gave you the best advice. 98% of the "vapor lock" problems are solved by having Skip rebuild the coil AND replacing the condenser. Go to NAPA and pick up an IH-200 condenser and replace your old condenser with that. Ken kubes40 01-06-2011 @ 7:39 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 3395 Joined: Oct 2009 Supereal offered you great advice in regard to so called vapor lock. Yes, after you waited 15 minutes the car started. that's long enough for the coil to cool down. next time it happens, don;t wait but quickly swap out the coil. My money says it'll start right up. greginski 01-06-2011 @ 5:19 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 30 Joined: May 2010 re: coil and vapor lock funny you should mention skip haney. i am positive that i bought or he rebuilt my coil about 15 years ago. could not forget his town, punta gorda. i am sure it is not the coil but good old fuel vaporizing. happened this summer and rescued myself by waiting 15 minutes and then pouring water over a towel over the carb. supereal 01-06-2011 @ 2:34 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 6819 Joined: Oct 2009 Good to hear you solved your problem. The problem with "vapor lock" is, more often than not, caused by an old ignition coil. The old coils falter when they get hot, as the combination of the old dilectric separating the windings and the increased resistance due to the heat, shows up as bucking or missing, and eventually shutdown. If your coil has not been rebuilt, contact Skip Haney. His e-mail is skip@fordsrus.com, or you can send your coil, with a check for $83 to Skip Haney, 12168 Azure Ct., Punta Gorda FL 33955. We have a box of old coils that we have bought at swap meets for use as cores. We usually try them out just to see if they work. Most start OK, then fade and die when they warm up. "Vapor lock" was a term attached to Fords almost since they began. Unless you have a weak fuel pump, or a partially clogged fuel line, it is a safe bet it is time to send your coil to Skip. greginski 01-06-2011 @ 11:29 AM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 30 Joined: May 2010 Problem solved!!!!!! The problem wasn't this or that but the most basic simple thing i could have done, adjust the rod!! For whatever reason, i assumed that the rod was fully extended, not. It had another 5/8" of adjustment available. Pushed that out, tightened the lock nut, done. Shifts as smooth as silk. Next time i'll start at the beginning instead of trying to reinvent the wheel. thanks everyone for their replies. Now if someone could only tell me what to do about vapor lock on 90degree days. supereal 01-06-2011 @ 10:30 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 6819 Joined: Oct 2009 It is very rare to have a problem with the fingers of a pressure plate. I've seen pressure plate springs that have broken or are out of place, but that usually shows up as a sudden failure. As this problem is described as happening since the car was obtained, it is more likely that wear isn't a factor. I agree with Mike that any wear in the linkage is amplified, as I mentioned in my earlier post. There is a considerable difference in the length of the release arm on the shaft between different years, and an arm that is too long prevents full release of the clutch by restricting travel of the release fork. TomO 01-06-2011 @ 8:38 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 7250 Joined: Oct 2009 I agree with Mike that the problem is probably wear in the linkage or the release fingers. You said in your first post that you have always had a problem with grinding and then in your second post, you say that you have confidence in the expert that replaced the clutch. IMHO if he had replaced all of the worn parts when he replaced the clutch, it would have worked correctly all of these years and still work after replacing the floor mat. Look for play in the cross shaft bushings when someone presses on the clutch pedal. Any movement other than rotational could be causing your problem. Also look for play in the clutch pedal bushings and in the release arm hole. Any of these can cause your problem. Tom Johns46coupe 01-05-2011 @ 8:43 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 68 Joined: Apr 2010 I would get under the car and have someone depress the clutch pedal slowly to see how far it has to go until you see the clutch release shaft start to move. I would think it is as kubes describes. I had a similar problem that turned out to be worn linkage, bushings, etc. Replaced all the linkage and it was fine. John

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