Clutch popped. Need repair tips please.

[Ally]

Sighhh.... Full bucket of dirt, tractor in the middle of the driveway and something just popped inside the clutch. Everything normal underneath but I have been having clutch problems for awhile. The pedal is kinda slack which makes me think something's come off inside. I've done a lot of mechanics in my time but never a clutch. I've seen them being done and it doesn't look easy and that's with a car, let alone a compact tractor!
I know this sounds as ridiculous as asking someone how to do a head but any tips, diagrams, info anyone? I'm in Australia so unfortunately I can't just pop down to Valley Parts etc. In fact, most tractor places here have never heard of a mitsi grey market tractor, and the ones who have will blatantly NOT serve you. Hence getting parts is a nightmare.

Cheers all,
Ally.

 

[oosik]

I think you are saying you have a standard gear driven unit. Underneath & possibly external to the clutch housing you might have the end of the shifting fork sticking out. Your clutch pedal goes thru a series of rods and ends in a heavier pointed metal piece at the end that keys into the shifting fork. If your clutch adjustment has loosened up this metal piece could have dropped out of contact with its engagement dimple/slot in the shifting fork. If this is the case, its a simple fix - loosen the set nut on the pointed end piece and adjust so it makes firm contact with the dimple/slot in the shifting fork. You will have to find the right amount of adjustment by trial & error but hopefully this is your only problem. Or the clutch fork could be internal and you might have to remove an inspection plate/cover on the bell housing and make the same adjustments internal. Basically, the correct adjustment is with the clutch fully depressed the gears don't grind when you shift and you do not experience any clutch slippage with the clutch fully out.

My '69 Ford Bronco had this problem a couple times and it always happened mile & miles from any service. A friend who was with me showed me how to do this.

I hope this will fix your clutch - good luck.

 

[skylarkguy]

Sounds to me like your throwout bearing might have given up the ghost. Any strange whirring or squealing noised before it went?

 

[oliver28472]

I agree with skylarkguy, probably in the clutch area rather than transmission. Throwout (release bearing) or clutch fork. Can you shift the gears with the engine off?

 

[Ally]

Hi guys. Sorry about the late reply. I've been away from the computer and I need to destress about the tractor. I've just taken some pics of setup to give you guys some idea of the tractor. In reference to the throwout bearing, if it's the same thing as what we call here the thrust bearing then you guys might be on the money. I've been hearing that thing complain ever since I first got the tractor. I've tuned out to it now but I think it's the high pitched scream in neutral or with clutch pressed. There's a bit of background to my first worries so I think I should fill you all in on that too.
All was going well til one day it seemed that the brakes and the clutch suddenly just almost completely failed at the exact same time. The tractor wasn't under any load that day. I still had a small amount of capability with both but getting it to stop was dangerous as we were using the fel to lift someone high enough to bolt a large shed frame together.
The only thing we could think to do was adjust the two rods that run underneath either side to the wet brakes. This had no effect except to snap one of them - the one connected to the clutch pedal. Anyway I've been driving it since then with very little clutch. I have to stand on it and wait for the revs to drop to put it in gear. Once going, I don't have too much problem.
In answer to, can I change gear with the engine off? The answer is yes.
The other day when I said something popped, that's exactly what it felt like under my foot. Tractor went into gear, I felt/heard the pop, reversed but then couldn't brake or throw it out of gear so as I was approaching the fence fast, I dropped the revs off via the manual lever near the steering wheel.

 

[oliver28472]

Sounds like you are going to have to split it.

 

[Capricious]

Sounds like you are going to have to split it.

While on the subject of splitting, if someone has to do that to fix a problem, what else should be done while the tractor is apart, so that it doesn't need to be split again in the near future?

Throw-out bearing and pressure plate, even if they are "good"? What about seals? Anything else?

 

[skylarkguy]

Yeah, I agree seems like the "pop" you heard was the throwout bearing finally failing completely. Sounds like you were due for a clutch for awhile anyway.

Here is the thread when I did mine. http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/mitsubishi-satoh/217821-time-clutch-mt372d.html?highlight= Frankly splitting the tractor sounds a lot worse than it is in my opinion. Even without the manual you can pretty easily visualize where the 2 halves are and disassemble the correct stuff.

If it were me I would change the pilot bearing/bushing, the throwout bearing, and pressure plate and clutch disk. The flywheel probably needs to be resurfaced. While you are at it you might consider a rear crank seal on the engine if it is leaking, and any other shaft seals on the transmission side.

If you buy 2 (wife and me) open ended round trip tickets from the west coast of the USA to where you are I'll come and give you a hand.:laughing:

 

[oliver28472]

On my 1450, it was having problems with the throwout bearing sticking sometimes on the input shaft. I only ordered a new throwout bearing and pilot bearing. My brother split the tractor and put the parts in while I was at work. He said the clutch, etc. was in good shape. It was a gamble and I was lucky. Have been running it 4-5 years since then.

 

[KubotainNH]

This sounds like what happened to my tractor. Because of mis-adjustment and a bent piece, my throwout bearing pretty much went through a pressure plate finger leaving the clutch in a stuck on state. Below is the thread on my replacement. Breaking the tractor in half sounds more daunting that it really is.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/kubota-owning-operating/114577-sad-day-my-b6100.html