Adjusting the clutch on a DongFeng

[matthoffman33]

Hi, I've had a few clutch problems in the past but was able to resolve it by adjusting the release fingers back to 2.5 mm from the TOB and it's worked fine. In the past 2 years I've adjusted them maybe 3 or 4 times. The last time I adjusted them I finally bought some 16mm cone wrenches so I can tighten the lock nut nice and tight to avoid having to adjust again. I also put some blue threadlock on them to keep them in place. After putting the tractor back together I went to try and blow some snow and right was able to engage the PTO but barely able to get it in gear. By the time I backed out of the shed and wanted to stop there was nothing left to the clutch. I could push it down and it felt different, like there was nothing there. I checked the linkage externally and it seems fine, internally the fingers had moved when I pushed in the clutch but when I brought the tractor back inside after trying it outside they were much more than the 2.5 mm I had them set to. So my question is, what would cause them to not return to the 2.5 mm position?

 

[greg_g]

Let me get this straight. To achieve the 2.5mm gap, you're adjusting the individual fingers? Moving them toward the throwout bearing?

//greg//

 

[matthoffman33]

Let me get this straight. To achieve the 2.5mm gap, you're adjusting the individual fingers? Moving them toward the throwout bearing?

//greg//

Yes, that's what I did. By the way you asked that I'm thinking I shouldn't have?

 

[greg_g]

Definitely incorrect. You should be adjusting at the clutch release pull rod. That's the threaded piece that connects the clutch pedal with the clutch release lever sticking out the side of the bell housing. Once set up with proper gaps and tolerances, the clutch fingers should seldom if ever be touched again. The desired gap between the finger tips and the throwout bearing face is obtaining by moving the bearing, not the fingers. That is accomplished by adjusting the length of the clutch pull rod that connects the bottom of the clutch pedal with the clutch release lever sticking out the side of the bell housing. Adjusting at the threaded segment of that rod is what moves the (throwout) bearing carrier closer to or farther away from the clutch finger tips.

By altering finger height, you've almost certainly thrown the clutchpack itself out of whack. They're anchored to the forward main drive pressure plate. Prior to installation, finger height is set to a spec distance from the flywheel. The only time the fingers themselves should be adjusted is to compensate for friction disc surface loss. Given that adjusting the main drive clutch necessarily moves the fingers, you have to follow that up by adjusting the pull rod to regain the finger/bearing gap

Assuming your procedure has resulted in a premature demise of the main drive friction disc, you'll have to pull the clutchpack anyway. It's always good to start over fresh, and this time you can follow it up with the correct gap procedure.

//greg//

 

[matthoffman33]

Definitely incorrect. You should be adjusting at the clutch release pull rod. That's the threaded piece that connects the clutch pedal with the clutch release lever sticking out the side of the bell housing. Once set up with proper gaps and tolerances, the clutch fingers should seldom if ever be touched again. The desired gap between the finger tips and the throwout bearing face is obtaining by moving the bearing, not the fingers. That is accomplished by adjusting the length of the clutch pull rod that connects the bottom of the clutch pedal with the clutch release lever sticking out the side of the bell housing. Adjusting at the threaded segment of that rod is what moves the (throwout) bearing carrier closer to or farther away from the clutch finger tips.

By altering finger height, you've almost certainly thrown the clutchpack itself out of whack. They're anchored to the forward main drive pressure plate. Prior to installation, finger height is set to a spec distance from the flywheel. The only time the fingers themselves should be adjusted is to compensate for friction disc surface loss. Given that adjusting the main drive clutch necessarily moves the fingers, you have to follow that up by adjusting the pull rod to regain the finger/bearing gap

Assuming your procedure has resulted in a premature demise of the main drive friction disc, you'll have to pull the clutchpack anyway. It's always good to start over fresh, and this time you can follow it up with the correct gap procedure.

//greg//

10-4, Thanks for the help!!