Clutch pressure plate set up

[cadetchris]

For some unknown reason I decided to completely dismantle my clutch cover to check all the springs and give it a good clean out. In doing that, I now need to set the height of the springs and thus clearance between clutch plates.

I’ve attached a picture showing the measurement I Am after, as I know people call every different part of the clutch something different.

image.jpg (1.95 MiB) Viewed 1219 times

[philthehill]

You need to reset the height of the fingers.

To do that you need to adjust the three finger link nuts which are staked to stop then coming undone.
#Normally you would use a finger height setting tool, see below:-

clutch tool.jpg (317.1 KiB) Viewed 1200 times

You can set the fingers without the tool but you do need to have the flywheel off and placed on a bench.
Fit the center plate to the flywheel, fit the clutch cover and tighten the cover bolts. Remove the carbon thrust plate, check the height of the fingers, the three should be of equal height.
The three finger links should just protrude through the staked nuts. See photo below:-

clutch plate 2 (2).jpg (169.39 KiB) Viewed 1191 times

I know that you have a 1098cc clutch cover but the fingers are set using the same process.
It looks as if you have overtightened the finger link nuts
Once you have the three fingers the same height refit the carbon thrust pad and stake the finger link nuts.
The clutch should be ready for fitting

[cadetchris]

As easy as that, do I need to set the a certain clearance between the flywheel and the plate in the clutch cover?
For example, if the clutch is too tight, might it not be able to disengage?

[RobThomas]

From memory, that isn't how it is done. You set it on a very flat plate and adjust the screws to bring the thrust plate to a set height and perfectly level. Not done it, only read about it a while ago.

[RobThomas]

Capture.PNG (33.31 KiB) Viewed 1177 times

Correct gauge plate fitted, adjust thrust plate to sit parallel and at same height as central stub. Without the correct gauge plate you are a bit stuffed. Manual says that just using the driven plate is not ideal since you don't know for certain that it is flat and parallel, however, it may be the only option.

[RobThomas]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9QNaapZ-B_k

[philthehill]

Rob
The thrust plate is not the datum point - it is the top of fingers that are the datum point.
In a perfect world the Sykes Pickavant tool would be used to set the height of the fingers but unless you have the special tool(s) you have to make the best of what you have which is as I described.
With the Sykes Pickavant tool there are specific spacers which replace the driven plate, a height gauge is placed over the center pillar and the pressure plate is then held down on the dummy flywheel plate with the clamp. The height gauge is rotated and used to set the height of the fingers.
When I started in the garage trade clutch pressure plates were stripped, repaired, individual parts replaced and driven plates had new Ferodo plates riveted to them. Back then I used the Sykes Pickavant clutch setting tool quite frequently.
Here is one currently for sale on 'e' bay:-

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VINTAGE-PICK ... SwA89d~kgc

The moral of this story is do not strip anything that you cannot put back together correctly.

Phil

[RobThomas]

I guess the biggest problem will be to work out what height to set the fingers at. Presumably the thrust ring is identical on all 3 corners? If so, you could run a DTI to even out the heights quite easily. If not....oh boy.

That Apkoway set was the one I had my eye on. Too expensive at the moment. Furloughed until October.

[cadetchris]

Just for a side note to avert the thoughts of “he’s screwed now” I do have another clutch cover, so I can use that and also thinking about it as reference to set this clutch plate.

[philthehill]

I would use that other clutch cover as a comparator when setting up the finger height of the out of adjustment cover.