1930 T/6 Clutch Slippage

[Moosh]

Hi,

I have a 1930 T/6 which I'm carrying out a minimal restoration on to put it back on the road.
At first the clutch was slipping completely, with barely the sound of the clutch rubbing when pressing the kick start.
I took the flywheel assembly off and checked the thrust bearing was in place and that all the parts of the hub are free to move under the pressure of the springs. I then refitted the flywheel, and things are much better. The kick start now turns the engine over, but there is still too much slip. The clutch cable has plenty of slack in it.
What's the next thing to do? Do I need to dismantle the flywheel, and are there replaceable corks in side?

Cheers.

[Doug]

Moosh,

Make sure that the clutch release arm is not holding the clutch partially released, do not base an assumption solely on a slack cable. If the flywheel has been lapped too far into the crankshaft taper, a thicker than normal thrust washer fitted, or the ring that the clutch cam release sits on has been reposition on the crankcase spigot; any or all of these may cause the clutch cam to be bottomed out. You should be able to grab the end of the clutch cam release arm and rattle it about slightly. This can be a bit tricky on an T/S6 model, due to the routing of the clutch cable and the primary chain guard.

Yes there are (or should be) cork inserts fitted to the flywheel disk. These can be worn, but that should not normally have a dramatic effect on the clutch action. 

Probably the second thing to check is the springs, all present and of the correct length and rate.

There could be problems with the carrier sleeve fir on the flywheel hub and the bearing bore in the sprocket, but these usually manifest themselves as problems with the clutch dragging (excess clearance allows the clutch plate to tip and rub.)

Also any oil and grease from the bearing that has found its way out on to the corks (or alternately Ferodo) will inhibit grip. Normally the grease is directed away by a slinger, but over zealous application of the grease gun could have overwhelmed it.

-Doug

[eddie]

Moosh,
              The S6 and T6 primary chaincase has an inspection cover on the bottom (just aft of where the clutch cable enters). If you remove this, you should be able to check whether the release arm is pinched by the weight of the clutch springs. If it is, then check that the arm is fully returning and not hitting the inside of the case. Next, check to see if the arm is returning to the bottom of the ramps - if it is, then you may have to machine a small amount from the back of the release assembly to establish some free play when everything is re-assembled (but only do this as a last resort).
          Regards,
                       Eddie.

[Moosh]

Thanks for the advice.
I had a brainwave and put the flywheel on without the operating cam and bearing fitted to see how it was then. It was the same. I then realised the adjusting nut can be done up much more than it was, and that the adjusting cage slides inside the grease coves if the V grooves are lined up. It's now much better. I'm going to see if I can get some new springs off the Douglas club as well.

Cheers.