dropped my engine and transmission in the cradle toreplace the clutch bearing - it was totally sheared off - in two pieces, 2/3 of the bearings were missing! anyway, the clutch fork had to be moved with a hammer to allow the bearing to come off - but the bearing could be jiggled by hand. why is the clutch fork stuck and what can i do about it?

jon

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Im the original owner of a white 84 2M4 purchased Dec 10, 1983. "It is better to remain quiet and have people think you are a fool, than to speak and remove all doubt" - Abe Lincoln

The shaft on the top where it goes thru the bushing likes to rust. It is best to remove the shaft at each trans repair and sand and reoil it.

I had a similar problem with my coupe, but it was caused by the throw out bearing being totally seized to the shaft and had screwed up the clutch forks by grinding the edges of the bearing assembly into the forks themselves. The previous owner had a clutch job done on the car a couple years ago. All I can say is that it was a job that was totally botched. Replaced clutch master cyclinder banjo was installed upside down so it was bent. Three of the four tranny bracket bolts where missing so the whole thing sagged and destroyed a CV boot against the cradle. Not to mention the throw out bearing that appeared to even not be the correct bearing. From the looks of it the whole thing was spinning not just the bearings themselves and it just cooked it self from the friction.

I ended up just swapping out the tranny since I am not certain that clutch forks are still available or not. Anyone know for certain?

I'd pull the fork out too and replace the fork bushing as well as the throwout bearing. Check the fork fingers for wear and if in doubt, replace the fork. Yeah it will cost a few bucks, but do you want to drop the engine again? As for getting the fork out, I use a short lenght of I think 3/4" electrical tubing that I cut lenghtwaise which let it fit around the fork shaft outside the bellhousing. I then tapped it down untill the bushing dropped on the shaft into the housing. Good luck

thanks guys! i dont think that my clutchfork is worn. although i will check it out carefully again. a national chain did a clutch job many years ago (but only about 40000 miles) and i think that they reused the bearing as i only had 30000 miles on it then - i was REALLY hard on the car when it was new! there was NO grease in the bearing and there were only about 1/3 of the ball bearings themselves still in the races. the bearing had seized up completely and had sheared off in the middle and was spinning on itself - hence the squeeling noises that could be heard a mile away (well almost). thanks again for the tips and i will be sure to check out the clutch fork bearing in the trans housing. actually dropping the cradle wasnt as hard as i feared - i used a hoist hooked up to a beam nailed to the rafters and supported by two posts in my garage and lifted the back of the car up high enough to clear the motor assembly. now that it is out, i just might put in a 4.9 from a caddy that is available nearby - now thats an idea, an 84 sleeper
jon

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Im the original owner of a white 84 2M4 purchased Dec 10, 1983. "It is better to remain quiet and have people think you are a fool, than to speak and remove all doubt" - Abe Lincoln