The Triumph 2000/2500/2.5 Register Forum

Am half way through the gearbox change in my '77 2500 (the old one came out this arfternoon) but had some trouble trying to align the new clutch friction plate as when the clutch alignment tool was inserted into the flywheel spigot bushing, there was noticeable play in the bushing (not between the tool and the bushing but between the bushing and the flywheel - i.e. if I gently moved the alignment tool I could see the bushing move too).

It doesn't seem to want to come out of the flywheel so it's obviously not super loose but before I splash out on $50 express international delivery to get a $5 part to Australia, I just wanted to check that this is definitely not normal and that the bush should be a very tight fit in the flywheel?

A picture of the potentially offending bushing is attached for your viewing pleasure.

It should be just tight in the end of the crank...... Have you tried pushing it back in?

Tony.

Locktite ? Just a couple of drops.
Tony.

Good idea

Tony.

I haven't tried tapping it back in as it looks as it's in the right place (i.e. flush with the face of the flywheel). Just to confirm - the bush sits in the flywheel, not the crank. Or is my tired brain (it's 4am here - the joys of a new baby) making things up?

Hi there,I'm sure the bush should sit flush or thereabouts. If you want to dab in some loctite,you should remove and clean the bush and the hole with brake and clutch cleaner, or thinners.
Now ,to remove the bush in one piece...........you may already know this, but I'll rabbit on anyway
If you can find a bit of round wooden dowel the same diameter as the bush I D.,try for fit, not too tight, then take out the dowel, fill the bush with grease. Now,insert the dowel rod, obviously it won't go far due to the grease, strike the end of the dowel to push it into the bushing.This causes a hydraulic effect which should(always has for me)push out the bush as you strike the dowel.
Hopefully now you will need the thinners etc.,glue up and refit.
Now go give the baby a big cuddle, get some sleep and start afresh!!!
Best of luck,
Bill.

wild bill wrote: ↑

Thu Apr 05, 2018 7:56 pm

Now ,to remove the bush in one piece...........you may already know this, but I'll rabbit on anyway
If you can find a bit of round wooden dowel the same diameter as the bush I D.,try for fit, not too tight, then take out the dowel, fill the bush with grease. Now,insert the dowel rod, obviously it won't go far due to the grease, strike the end of the dowel to push it into the bushing.This causes a hydraulic effect which should(always has for me)push out the bush as you strike the dowel.
Hopefully now you will need the thinners etc.,glue up and refit.
Best of luck,
Bill.

Having just replaced the clutch and spigot bush on my 'S'....
The spigot bush was noticeably oval, so I decided to replace it. The original bush itself was quite a slack fit in the flywheel (as another one was in a spare flywheel I had). I ordered a replacement from Chris Witor, and that was quite a tight fit, and had to be tapped in using the old bush as a drift. It certainly won't rotate in the flywheel.
As for getting the old bush out - there is a lip on the clutch side of the flywheel which stops the bush from coming out. Bill's method won't work on the Triumph flywheel because of this, so the flywheel has to be removed, which is a simple enough job.
Assuming CW's bushes are the correct tolerance fit, then no other method to retain it in position is needed.

Cheers johnnydog - that was my understanding of the fitment of the bushing so good to see I'm heading in the right direction. I have the bushing on order and the 'box is already out so hopefully fitting the new one will be a relatively simple affair.

I have a cut off input shaft for centring the clutch which is noticeably loose in the bushing - what was the fit like with the new bushing just out of interest? Is it quite snug?

Also, did you have any trouble with the flywheel bolts? I have an impact wrench for loosening so there shouldn't be any problems there - did you just reuse the old ones?

PS Cheers everyone else for the replies too.

I have a plastic clutch plate centralising tool. It slotted in the spigot bush ok - to be honest I can't recall whether it was a comfortable or slack fit, but it certainly wasn't a tight fit.
I have a cordless impact wrench, but on this occasion, I simply fastened a longish bolt to the engine back plate, and used a strong flat bladed screwdriver in the flywheel teeth ( ring gear) using the bolt as a stop for the screwdriver and then just undid the four bolts with a long bar and socket. They are not particularly tight (50 ft lbs from memory).
Once I had changed the spigot bush, I refitted the flywheel using the same bolts and torqued them using the same method - using the long bolt as a stop for the screwdriver in the ring gear. The bolts can be reused in my opinion - they are not stretch bolts, so it shouldn't be a problem.

There is presumably an acceptable tolerance range for the input/crank shaft sideways movement?
Whatever it is, why does it matter whether it is at crank to bush or bush to input shaft, or a bit of each?

If you could get inside the assembled unit, how much wobble would be acceptable? How would the clutch, or the gearbox, know which bit of the bush was causing it?