Clutch seized, again.

[Philip]

Hi everyone, long time no speak, hope you are all ok.
Last year my clutch seized after only a short time sitting. I tried everything to unseize it. Eventually I gave up and paid a garage to remove the gearbox and free it off. Why didn't I do this myself? I was in the process of moving out of my house after breaking up with my ex.

I have just gone to start the Marina now to keep the clutch free and it has seized again. The clutch was new when it was restored. The garage that freed it off when removing it commented that they could not believe how seized it was at the time. They are a respected classic car garage and they said they had never seen anything like it. Well Its happened again despite regular running to keep the damn thing free. I am completely fed up with it to be honest. I am completely losing interest in it. I am at a crossroads. Do I sell as it is?? I do not have time to take the gearbox out myself, or the inclination if I am honest. I certainly cannot afford to in my present state of finances so, answers on a postcard.
This last year has been one thing after another and quite frankly, I'm utterly sick of it. Sorry for the rant but that's how I feel at the moment.

[maestego]

run it hot and ask a mate to tow you,you put your car in first gearbox and it may unseized but befor doing this put quite few sand bag in the boot first as you get grip on the road as marina's are abit light at the back....
try that first it save time and your headake..that wot i did when i picked up my marina clutch was very stuck fast,crowbar needed with mine

[balmy]

Both mine do it occasionally. Two ways I use-start in gear with clutch in-sometimes the jerking as car moves frees it.
Or warm it up clutch in-jab into reverse! Never fails........

Though someone said they used this method on a shoddy box and exploded it......

[1972TCCOUPE]

The only way that worked with mine was to jack it up onto axle stands,start up and let it warm up ticking over in fourth.Take it up to about about 3000 revs,then clutch down and stamp on the brake and yank on the handbrake at the same time.
Hope it works for you!

Glen

[PHUQ]

One on my Dad's tractor used to seize regularly, he'd do Balmy's second suggestion and it usually did the trick- did make tow starting it when the starter wouldn't play ball and the clutch was stuck though

[balmy]

The only way that worked with mine was to jack it up onto axle stands,start up and let it warm up ticking over in fourth.Take it up to about about 3000 revs,then clutch down and stamp on the brake and yank on the handbrake at the same time.
Hope it works for you!

Glen

That's the sensible way!

[maestego]

that was seized,tryed many was and couldn't do any hoo flaming water getting in and found out heater pipe did that.
14 years of not been used,just started up only should of seen the brake's had none

[MarinaCoupe]

I can recommend the jack it up and warm it through method.

However most recently, I let the engine tickover and warm through on the drive. Switch off, then I keep the clutch pedal down and just start it in gear a drive and change gear matching revs using the synchros. You can go up and down the gearbox with a bit of practice. When you want to stop just knock it out of gear and then brake. Kill the engine and reselect first, to pull away just start the engine and away you go. It usually takes two to three miles and suddenly the revs will rise as the clutch frees off.



Chris
www.marinacoupe.co.uk
Sent from iPhone

[maestego]

there you go take you pick in the method you want to take,give it go you never know first try may unfree it

[JoshWard]

Jack it up and letting it warm up has worked well for me

No point selling it with a stuck clutch anyway

[JubileeNut]

Philip, you do more damage to a car by just moving it around a little to keep the engine warm and moving.
If you start a car at this time of year it is best to take it out on a good run and warm the whole car up.
With all this damp weather condensation is everywhere and just starting up a car and moving a small distance will not do it any good. It will just cause condensation when it cools if not properly warm.

I have heard of cases where a car is moved a short distance out on to a forecourt a few time a week and over a few months the petrol in the bores seeped past the rings over time and was enough to thin the oil down, this then washed the muck off the inside of the engine and blocked the oil strainer causing a seized engine. Expensive!

All I can say is drive it!! Or you will end up stripping it down and doing work which could be avoided.
Get it in a dry garage or dehumidify the garage. Sounds expensive but saves a lot of messing.

I have not had my clutch seize over the time mine has been restored (3 years) not saying it won't happen but when mine goes out it does about 20 to 30 miles or more. I also make sure it does a range of speed to get oil up to the top of the engine. (Oil pressure is always up before the engine fires as well) Mainly due to petrol evaporation so I have to crank a while to get good fuel.

Be brave and free it off and take it out for a blast

[locost_bryan]

Novice question .

What causes the clutch to stick ?

Does the lining "bond" to the flywheel, or does the clutch plate spline sieze to the input shaft (the slidy bit stop sliding)? Or a bit of both ? Or something else altogether ?

[Kiwi Ute]

Novice question .

What causes the clutch to stick ?

Does the lining "bond" to the flywheel, or does the clutch plate spline sieze to the input shaft (the slidy bit stop sliding)? Or a bit of both ? Or something else altogether ?

Yeah, mostly the lining on the clutch -plate 'bonds' to the fly-wheel and/or pressure plate.

In the 'old days' guys would use a length of wood to hold the clutch-pedal in to prevent this.

Dunno how long a hydraulic set-up would last and keep the plate off the fly-wheel though...

[MarinaCoupe]

As Kiwi Ute says in damp conditions the moisture bonds the plate to the clutch face and in the worst cases to the pressure plate face as well.

The clutch plate material is a mixture of organic fibres, metal strands and the binder that holds it all together.

It happens on most older cars to a greater or lesser extent, a modern car clutch use a different mix of ingredients and the problem is almost unheard of.




Chris
www.marinacoupe.co.uk
Sent from iPhone

[Kilroy]

I have recently freed up one seized clutch plate, and watched a friend free another.
In both cases we had no idea that the clutch was going to be a problem until the vehicle was running and put into first gear.
I am proud to say that in both cases, the gear was engaged successfully, and the vehicle began moving - rather than immediately stalling.
After recovering from the initial shock, the vehicle was started in first, and driven around the block until the plate freed up.
My one took two laps of the block - changing gear quite happily by matching revs - prepared to biff it into neutral if a stop was needed - but it wasn't.
I kept holding the clutch pedal down with my left foot - while hitting gas and brake together with the right.
If I think about it - two laps of the block would be about the time it took to really warm it up - so doing that first - just in neutral - would no doubt speed up the process.

I am of the same opinion about running engines just for the sake of it. I once heard that it takes 12 miles to completely dispel all moisture from a cold engine.
If that is the case, then there is little point in running it at all unless going somewhere.
Better to place a 60 watt lamp under the sump and leave it on...