John Deere 920 clutch problem

[JC920]

Hey guys, brand new here and hope I am on the correct form (I'm not sure if a 70 model tractor is "vintage") anyhow. I have been passed down my grandfathers old john deere 920 German made tractor. The clutch was completely gone in it, motor would run but it wouldn't move. So, I thought I would start tinker with it and try to get it back in working order, ive never done any major tractor work before. I have purchased a remanufactured pressure plate assembly with new PTO disc and the drive shaft disc. As I was removing the old pressure plate the clutch disc fell out and I was not able to catch the orientation that it was installed. I wasn't that worried about it until i couldn't find the orientation in the manual or online. I just put the protrusion side of the center splined area toward the flywheel, it seemed to be able to seat against the flywheel without getting into the pilot bearing. I installed the pressure plate assembly to the flywheel and torqued it to 40 ft lb. After that i used a depth gauge to adjust the 3 leavers on the pp so that the resting position was 37mm from the pto disc facing. That seemed very tight to me as i couldn't depress them with my hand to disengage the clutch but it was what the service manual had in it. I put the tractor back together and adjusted the clutch pedal as tight as it would go and with the clutch depressed the throwout bearing doesn't even touch the clutch fingers. Does anyone have a clue what i did wrong? any suggestions on how to fix the problem. I will be breaking the tractor back apart tomorrow to see if i can figure anything out. thanks in advance for any feedback I can get.

 

[Tx Jim]

Welcome to TBN
I wonder if reman PP fingers were adjusted correctly from factory? There's a special gauge that JD dealer technicians utilize to check the adjustment of the fingers.

 

[JC920]

Tx Jim what kind of gauge is it? The only thing to check would be spring tension and travel distance. I hope I didn't mess up by adjusting them. The reman shop is close to my work so I may take it back Monday and have him reset it. The service manual says to use a depth gauge in the service manual. It also says the pp needs to be in the flywheel when adjusting.

 

[Zebrafive]

How does your 37mm from the PTO disc facing equate to the flywheel ?
The JD tool measures finger height in relation to the flywheel with a new clutch disc installed.
That measurement should be 2.012" which is a lot more than 37mm.

 

[JC920]

How does your 37mm from the PTO disc facing equate to the flywheel ?
The JD tool measures finger height in relation to the flywheel with a new clutch disc installed.
That measurement should be 2.012" which is a lot more than 37mm.

Zebrafive, thanks for the response. Exactly how is this measurement taken. Is this from fingers to flywheel facing that the drive disc sits on? Or, is it the height from finger to the outside edge of the flywheel where the pressure plate is attached at?

 

[JC920]

update on this zebra. I have split the tractor back apart and have realized it cannot be from the flywheel facing for the drive clutch. it must be from the flywheel ring that the pressure plate sits against. Of coarse there is not way to get an accurate measurement of this with a depth gauge. I let the depth gauge sit on the flywheel ring and put a small ruler perpendicular of the gauge down to the fingers and it is really close to two inches. I'm still not sure if this is the measurement i am suppose to be taking. Hopefully it will give you more insight on my situation.

 

[Zebrafive]

Do a google search for JD227 image. This tool is like a bridge. It has two legs that sit on the flywheel and a "drop down" near the center that you put over the pressure plate finger.

 

[jd110]

JD227 is the tool if equipped with a single stage clutch. It sounds as if the tractor has a 2 stage clutch. The adjustment is entirely different. There were a couple of different methods depending on the model, but I always use the same on these early utility tractors with 2 stage clutch. I back off the nuts on the finger until it is at it's lowest position. Then turn the nut down until finger just starts to raise, and then an additional 2 1/2 turns, then jam the 2 nuts together. That is for the first adjusting bolt. Then measure the height of that finger and adjust the other 2 to match.

 

[JC920]

JD227 is the tool if equipped with a single stage clutch. It sounds as if the tractor has a 2 stage clutch. The adjustment is entirely different. There were a couple of different methods depending on the model, but I always use the same on these early utility tractors with 2 stage clutch. I back off the nuts on the finger until it is at it's lowest position. Then turn the nut down until finger just starts to raise, and then an additional 2 1/2 turns, then jam the 2 nuts together. That is for the first adjusting bolt. Then measure the height of that finger and adjust the other 2 to match.

JD110 you are correct, this is a dual stage clutch. I wound up taking the flywheel off and taking it to the clutch shop along with the clutch disc and pressure plate. They set the finger height for me. It wound up being 48 mm off of the PTO clutch disc rather than the manual's 37mm. I did get the tractor back together after work and the throwout bearing is now making contact with the clutch fingers and engaging the clutch, but I have about 2 inches of free pedal. I'll have to make the pedal adjustments tomorrow using the threaded adjustment. Thanks for the input guys!!!