<VV> Slipping Clutch Problem and Solution

[Darrin Hartzler]

Apologies for cross posting (from CC Forum), but I thought this was 
interesting and I usually don't have much to add here.

I spent the weekend pulling the motor on my $300 early sedan. 

It worked fine in first and second, but would slip quite a bit in third 
(never got to fourth). I figured that the clutch disc was wet or 
something, but the odd behavior had me puzzled. 

I did see a hole in the bottom of the bell housing from a solid contact at 
some point in the past...figured I would swap this out while I was in 
there. 

Note: this is a Texas car stranded in Maryland...and had sat for eight 
years since moved from TX...beautiful no rust car with original roman red 
paint, 75k miles and a good 95hp replacement motor in her. 

Turns out that chunks of aluminum from the 50 cent piece-sized hole in the 
bottom of the bell housing had popped up and lodged in the fingers of the 
pressure plate in two spots while the clutch was depressed...the chunks 
wedged themselves good in place and it caused slipping at higher RPMs 
because those two fingers never "relaxed". I pried them out with a 
screwdriver...each one took off like a shot from the PP...quite exciting. 
I think one of them got a bird on the ricochet! 

Will never get to the point where I have seen everything....but getting 
closer. 

Darrin Hartzler
Bethesda, MD