Heavy Clutch in T85

Clutch, transmission, rear axle

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gte619n
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Heavy Clutch in T85

Post by gte619n »

Hey guys,

I've got a three-on-the-tree Borg with the overdrive in my 1970. The clutch is really heavy and makes it sort of a pain to drive. It feels to me like the engagement probably could be adjusted a bit, as it only engages more towards the floor, but even then I'm not sure it would be enough to make it enjoyable.

What are my options? Where's the easiest place to start WRT engagement?

Thanks!
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farmallmta
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Re: Heavy Clutch in T85

Post by farmallmta »

Clutch linkage pivot points need to be within factory specs for alignment, wear, lubrication. Replace nylon bushings at all pivot points and grease as necessary. Various points can have metal-to-metal contact wear, so resurfacing to specs may be required.

AFTER the above has been taken care of, the adjustment rod needs to be set so that about 3/4" of the first travel yields no clutch engagement, then further downward pressure results in relatively easy clutch operation.

Some causes for hard clutch pedal include lack of lubrication, metal contact points wear, misalignment, galled transmission input shaft impeding normal movement of the throwout bearing (although this is very unusual), faulty throwout bearing.

The factory specified three finger Long-style clutch is optimal for this setup. Precision clutches by Zoom are readily available through NAPA, Summit and Jegs. The diaphram clutches available from O'Reilly's and Autozone give marginally easier pressure, but at the price of reduced clamping force at road speed
gte619n
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Re: Heavy Clutch in T85

Post by gte619n »

Okay I'll get on it. Thanks for the info. Glad to know it's an easily fixable problem.
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