Morris Minor Owners Club

Hi everyone,
Have a reoccurring nightmare with my car that needs a long term solution was wondering if anyone has had experience with this and can off any advice.

My clutch friction plate gets stuck to the flywheel when the car has been sitting for a while and the only way i can get it freed is to separate engine and box remove pressure plate and release it by hand. Once i get to it. It takes the smallest of nudges to release but no amount of rocking it in gear or jamming it in gear while running or getting the engine hot will release it.

I have been told it gets stuck because of moisture. I dont know how to keep moisture out of the bell housing theres no air gaps etc for water to get in and its not rusty in there. Im at a loss for ideas and whipping the engine out every year is getting a bit tedious...

Used to be a common fault with Landrovers which weren't in regular use. Standard solution was to rig a piece of wood between the depressed pedal and steering wheel to keep flywheel & plate separated.

Thanks for the reply i did think about doing this but my concern was the system being under pressure for long periods of time. My car was only un used for 3 months between working fine and being stuck

My Honda XL250 motorbike does it, I now put a small clamp over the handlebar to keep the clutch lever pulled in when I put the bike away.
Even after it has only stood for a day in the car park at work, it can still stick and I have to be careful which direction I am aimed at before I go for a gear

I would try the wood prop solution and see how you get on.

Phil

Moisture will get into the bell housing and cause the clutch driven plate to stick to the flywheel and pressure plate.

There does not have to be large openings to atmosphere, it will even get in through the jiggle pin hole. The mass of cold metal which is the flywheel will attract cold air which will hold moisture and the rest is history.

The only way to reduce the chances of sticking is to put the gearbox in gear, press down the clutch pedal and rotate the engine either on the starting handle or on the starter.

Doing the above keeps the friction surfaces free of rust so reducing the chances of the clutch sticking.

The above must be done on a regular basis - at least once a week.

allhough prevention is better ,as above. No need to separate engine and box (Usually) Start engine and let it idle until hot,switch off engage first gear,press and hold clutch down and turn engine over on starter, car will be pushed forwards on starter once engine fire up and starts to drive the car forwards the clutch will separate. You obviously need space in front,Sometimes just getting engine hot and then holding clutch down with a spar from seat to pedal and leaving a while will cause the same separation,but the above method works 99% of the time.

lukedauvergne wrote: ↑Fri May 17, 2019 3:18 pm ......but my concern was the system being under pressure for long periods of time.

Understandable concern about clutch springs being left in permanently compressed state for long periods, but they can cope. Think of engine valve springs, some of which randomly suffer unrelieved compression when the engine is stopped until it's next used.

Reading this post yesterday I started to worry. I haven’t use my pickup for well over a year, and the van for a good few months, so today set about freeing the suspected stuck clutches. Panic over, both vehicles started, and no clutch issues. I must have have fitted special super duper plates!!
I’ll check them again next year!!

Les
You must have a nice dry garage

Phil

I think I must have. A good friend of mine built the garage, using Thermalite blocks inside, brick outside, cavity in between.