Clutch judder

[aqua-marina]

Just read a piece in I think practical classics where readers need help
Chap with a marina had written in to say that his clutch was juddering and had been recently changed, there advice was that there must be oil contamination on the plate,
I find some of there answers misleading and frustrating

[david painter]

That is quite possible, due to the rear Scroll leaking that was a very common problem when the cars were new. I personally would be looking for a distorted and cracked flywheel, due to heat soak from the last clutch. As this may have been slipping and would also asking were both the cover and the centre plate changed or just the centre plate. I would also have a good look at engine and gearbox mountings, for oil contamination splits and perishing all could cause clutch judder. I also think to give advice in sections of magazines like Practical Classics must be very difficult just based on what a reader has written in with as the problem is not in front of them when asked to provide an opinion. An example has happened at work today a customer has phoned me to say his engine management light is on, on his car followed by what is wrong with it?? I had to explain that many things could trigger the light and it would need its fault memory read by computer. He subsequently brought it in I found is was showing weak mixtures, Smoke tested it and found the vacuum pipe to the fuel filter was split under the car, never seen that fault before. What I am saying is there is no substitute for logical diagnosis which can only be done with car in front of you!
Dave

[Marinanut]

One thing I did notice, during my years of pulling Mk1 and Mk2 Marinas to bits, is that the engine mounts and the gearbox mount are arranged rather unfortunately to allow the engine and gearbox to rotate roughly around the centreline of the crankshaft, so when they get a bit weak that whole lot wobbles about. There are ST engine steady bars available. The Mk3/Ital has a different arrangement of engine mount on the 1.7/2.0 and I've never had the teeth-loosening clutch judder on the Ital that I had on my Mk1 1.3....