VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND EARLIER 1937-1945 Frozen Clutch

Strange deal. The '38 doesn't get driven as much since I got the '53 however the last time I had it out, about three weeks ago, everything was fine. I was going to get it out this morning but the clutch won't disengage. The clutch pedal moves just fine and feels normal but the clutch won't disengage. I started the car in neutral like I always do but when I tried to put it in gear all it did was grind. With the engine off it shifts into all the gears. I crawled under the car the best I could & smacked around the bell housing with a ball peen but it didn't free up. What do I look for?

Tiny

My '40 did that once years ago when it sat while I was on a nine month deployment. The clutch disc was stuck to the fly wheel. I put it in gear, set the emergency brake, held my foot on the brakes and tapped the starter and it broke loose. If you can see the throw out bearing and clutch pressure plate by dropping the flywheel cover I would do that first to make sure something isn't mechanically wrong.

Put it in first or reverse while it's not running and then rock the car forwards and backwards to see if that breaks something free. Not necessarily harshly, just some good back and forth movement. Maybe do it a bit in each gear.

That usually works, have also put in gear, key off and hit the starter.

Tiny

a. Jack the car up so you can get to the clutch mechanism.

b. Get a piece of 2 x 4 and wedge it against the seat so that the clutch pedal is in and stays that whilst you are under the car.

c. Remove the cover.

d. Using a thin slot style screwdriver (putty knife may work) and a medium sized hammer (Look in the trunk) tap the screwdriver between the clutch disc and the pressure plate or flywheel.

e. Turn the engine with the starter (don't crank with the ignition on) so that different areas can be reached by the screwdriver.

f. The disc will break loose pretty soon.

g. Drive that critter often enough so this doesn't happen again.

I hope this solution works for you. It has for me.

Best,

Charlie

Thanks guys (you too Charlie ). I tried rocking it yesterday but don't have enough lead in my britches to do it by myself. My son will stop by this morning to lend a hand. If rocking it doesn't work my next step is to so what Mike & Jonses recommend. It that doesn't work it'll be time to crawl under the car I guess. It just seems odd that nothing was amiss three weeks ago when I drove it to town and now it's frozen.

3 weeks does seem a little short to rust that bad. As others have suggested rocking the car while in gear and pedal depressed or starting in gear clutch depressed generally frees that up.
Tony

Tony,

Nothing rusts in South Central Kansas. You have the site mixed up with the northeastern U.S. where stuff rusts right before your eyes.

What Tiny is experiuencing is merely a sticking of the fabric or other stickable material to the metal pressure plate or the flywheel.

Because this sticking is, perhaps, all around the clutch face, it is very strong and rocking, etc is not enough force to unstick it. When that is experienced then my method, although a last resort for unsticking it, is foolproof.

Tiny,

If you choose to change the clutch face out so that you have a disc that isn't as prone to sticking, I think I have one. Free to you and postage paid,

Change out is simple on a 38:

a. Remove the bolts, pull off the linkage, split the U-Joint,

b. Rock the car (transmission and clutch mechanism will fall out on the ground). Piece o-cake!

Best,

Charlie

Great solution and description Charlie! One of your best and you didn't even recommend WD40 be applied lol...

I could almost see this happening if put away hot. Feathering the clutch to get Sweetie tucked tight into a corner with some back and forth and then shutting it off hot. Surprised we haven't heard more of this.

It must be more than the clutch. We pulled the cover and were able to get a putty knife between the flywheel and clutch disc. No love, the clutch still won't release. There must be something that's failed other than the clutch disc. The fellow who own's the shop that did the restoration is stopping by this afternoon to give a look. We'll see what he finds.

Okay, Tiny,

The cause will be interesting. Keep us posted.

Best,

Charlie

Sounds like it broke a spring in the pressure plate, and won’t release. I have also seen the disc come apart and have a piece wedge in and make it to thick.

Wellsir, it's not frozen any longer. I was using the starter motor to move the car into position to load it on the trailer to take it to the shop. I got almost to the trailer and with a pop, it unfroze and now works normally. I drove it around for a while, slipping the clutch some to wear off what made it freeze in the first place, then drove it back into the garage. Beats me.

I had that problem sometimes after long winter sleep. As answered by other pals, the clutch dkisk stucks on the flywheel. My idea was to let the motor run without gear to warm up. Than shut down, put in gear and start at a moment when the street is free of traffic and you can leave. Drive in 1st gear, and press pedal (ok, nothing will happen, because the clutch disk stucks on flywheel), ok, but press the pedal and give some speed up impulses with right foot and the warmed up motor will try to speed up and will release the stucking clutch disk and everything is ok. To prevent my car from that stucking I made a stick of wood which I put between pressed clutch pedal and seat so the clutch pedal is pressed over the winter month and the released clutch disk cannot glue and stick again and since years never had that problem again. Found solution, problem gone…

Stefan from germany