Bad clutch.. or in need of adjustment?

[72BlazerTravis]

My 4 speed (sm465) seems to grab fine in first and second gear. If I get going pretty fast and then pop it in 3rd it slips like crazy. It only has a 305 pushing it. Also the clutch doesn't engage until its almost all the way out.

Sound like a bad clutch or do you think it might need adjusting?

TIA

 

[ZonkRat]

Adjust linkage till you have little slack when released.If this doesn't help prob need to replace it.Quality kits bout 200$ most places and most have new pilot and throwout bearing.Have flywheel surfaced too.it's worth the effort. /forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif

 

[72BlazerTravis]

I really don't want to have to get my clutch replaced. It would have to sit for like 6 months. I flat out don't have the cash to replace a clutch right now.

 

[kennyw]

</font><blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr />
I really don't want to have to get my clutch replaced. It would have to sit for like 6 months. I flat out don't have the cash to replace a clutch right now.

[/ QUOTE ]

Just keep driving it till it wont go anymore.

That extra hassle of being towed home from who knows where, let alone the extra expense of completely destroying every part you might have been able to save if you just fixed it months before... you wont mind spending twice as much later will you?

Really if you need to do it cheap go to the wrecking yard and get used parts that are in good condition. You will probably only spend $25-50 that way and get by without destroying your flywheel, transmission, or other items. May last 1-2 years, maybe 20. But you pushing what you have now till it is toast is not the way to go.

 

[70~K5]

Back in '75 on PFC pay in the army I threw a new disc in my '69 Mach 1 and sanded the flywheel and pressure plate to get me by till I could do it right. And it lasted for 3 years of hard driving. /forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif

 

[ZonkRat]

It's a lot of work to pull and check.Slipping in upper gears almost always means it's worn to rivets and wearing flywheel.Take a chance of replacing flywheel and all later or mabey lucky and just need clutch disk now.Been there Done that. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif /forums/images/graemlins/truck.gif /forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif

 

[m j]

clutches are cheap if yu can do the labour yourself.
maybe not a good idea if you havent done a few as the 465 and TC are real heavy

 

[Grim-Reaper]

Yeah I'm with kenny:
Drive it till it won't go no more. That usualy happens in the middle of rush hour traffic and causes a 10 mile back up and 7-8 other wrecks with 5 or 6 people getting injured as a result and risk your life sitting in the middle of a freeway while waiting for that $120 tow home after burning the clutch down to the rivits and destroying a $100 fly wheel that could be resufaced for $20 now. The resulting heat the burns out the seals in both the back of the engine and front of the transmission. Bakes the grease out of the pilot bearing and gauls the input shaft on the tranny. Bake out the throw out and the resulting damaged clutch fork. Yep it's cheaper to drive it till it's a $600 repair and a $120 tow than it is to replace the parts that right now would cost $200 and what ever it cost to have the fly wheel resurfaced.
You should do the same with brakes and drive it till you cant stop and rearend somebody and put a 5 year old in the hospital that was in the mini van that you slam into the back of when the wheel seals blow out from being over extended. /forums/images/graemlins/rotfl.gif
It's always more costly to wait. Find the money or park it till you got it. One of us will thank you later for not being caught in another traffic jam because somebody couldn't be bothered to keep up their vehicle. If it's to expensive to maintain then sell it and get a bicycle and a bus pass.
Sorry to be so cynical about it but owning a vehicle also includes upkeep and your lack of up keep can (and does) effect others. 80% of brake downs are avoidable with general maintance.