Clutch

[Peter Douglas W]

I am wondering about the function of the springs in a clutch plate. What happens when the clutch is incorrectly mounted i.e. back to front. This is possible we have tried it out on an old engine. Hence the markings on the plate. Or has anybody driven a car with the clutch plate mounted incorrectly. I know the linkage must be adjusted.

[Alec]

Peter,

it just won't work as the side that should face the gearbox will foul the flywheel if mounted back to front.
The function of the springs in the plate is to soften the effect of engaging the clutch as shock absorber.

Alec

[Peter Douglas W]

I have driven a car with the clutch back to front so I know you can drive with it. Perhaps not perfectly but you can drive. I did over 1000Km before we found out that it had been installed by a garage back to front.

[Alec]

Hello Peter,

I would say you were lucky, it is just not possible on most cars.

Alec

[Peter Douglas W]

Alec
Maybe but with a Triumph you can do everything.

[johnnydog]

I am wondering about the function of the springs in a clutch plate. What happens when the clutch is incorrectly mounted i.e. back to front. This is possible we have tried it out on an old engine. Hence the markings on the plate. Or has anybody driven a car with the clutch plate mounted incorrectly. I know the linkage must be adjusted.

Why would you want to? I'm not really sure of what or why you are asking this Peter.
If assembled incorrectly, you surely would be wanting to rectify the problem asap? At least not by going back to the same garage.....

[Peter Douglas W]

A follow up to the clutch business.
What is the overall length of a Crank + flywheel? What are the crank lengths for the short nose and long nose cranks?
My spare crank is now in the engine so I cannot measure the lengths.
A garage man is tring to tell me the flywheel petrudes further out depending on which crank is used. If this is true ( I don*t believe) I wonder how Triumph managed to get over this problem without enormous expense of changed G/B Clutch etc.etc.

[Alec]

Hello Peter,

it's such along time ago that I changed the crank in my engine for a cross drilled crank that i don't remember if that is short or long, but also seem to remember that it needed the correct flywheel to match?
Why they changed it is also a mystery?

Alec

[Peter Douglas W]

Yes they are a matched pair. Triumph had problems with the long life of their clutches so they had to change the flywheel.
Amongst other things, I need the info to stop a competent garage, giving my car as a learning tool to youngsters. They keep on looking for the Triumph USB connection to its computer.
So help! the measurments please.

[Alec]

Hello Peter,

I'm sorry I have no dimensions available, so I can't assist.

Alec