I'm trying to help out a friend who is having a lot of problems with the clutch slipping on his car. He has gone through all of the adjustments in the Model T service book, but it still slips when going up a hill. He thinks the clutch spring may be weak or that he should replace the clutch disks. Can the clutch spring be replaced without having to pull the engine to get access to the transmission? What about the clutch disks? I've never had to do any transmission work on my T so I can't give him an answer.
You could probably replace the spring without yanking the engine, (you would need to remove the hog's head & the rear end, then it's whether or not the old spring would pass out the back of the engine, I'm guesing it will.), but the discs require a full tear down.
Intead of yanking the rear end you could probably also remove all the engine mounting bolts and scoot the engine ae
Please ignore the last sentence, "Instead of...."
I thought I deleted that.
How much pressure should the spring have?
In answer to your question regarding what the strength of the clutch spring should be? According to George King, if you are using the original clutch discs, 85 to 90 lbs. If using the Turbo 400 clutch, 100 lbs.
I sent my fourth bearing and drive plate along with the clutch spring to George King III (of Connecticutt Antique Engine Renovators: www.enginerestoration.com) in order to re-babbit my fourth bearing and properly fit the newly babbited bearing to the drive plate shaft. While he had it, he tested the original clutch spring and told me it tested at 70 lbs., which was weak. That, if I was using the original stock clutch plate configuration (which I am), the spring needed to be 85 or 90 lbs. If I was using the Turbo 400 clutch (which I am not), the spring needed to be a 100 lb. spring. Of course I authorized him to replace my original weak spring with a 90 lb. spring. Jim Patrick
I think 2 inches of compression should be at least 90 lbs.
My friend said that he was told that his Model T has the "400" clutch. Thanks for all the good information. I'll pass it along to him and hopefully he can get it working. It sounds like he might want to first try putting in a new spring and see if that solves it. Then pull the motor if it doesn't.
I think you are right David. It sounds like he may be using an original spring for that turbo 400 clutch and if it is weak like mine was, it doesn't have near the strength to do the job. Jim Patrick
If the Turbo 400 clutch has been slipping for any length of time it is probably shot. Now you have to pull the engine. Then remove the engine from the engine pan. Then remove the clutch discs (you don't have to remove the transmission from the crankshaft).
Great time to yank that rotten Turbo 400 business out and install an original Ford clutch set and a new clutch spring. After that you will not have any more problems.
Royce. For once, I wish you'd get off the fence. LOL! Jim Patrick
How many times a year does this happen when the guy does not tell everyone on the Model T Forum? I bet there are 5 times as many failed Turbo 400 / Watts / Jack Rabbitt clutches that we never hear about. As it is there are a lot of them being discussed here, meaning there are a large number we don't hear about.
Here's a car on the trouble trailer at the Tyler tour last fall with a burned out Watts clutch.
I would like to see a picture of a burned out Watts clutch pack.
Rick