[Fot] Clutch not working after Winter storage

[TeriAnn J. Wakeman]

On 5/21/12 7:47 AM, George Harmuth wrote:
> Not race related but definitely Triumph. This weekend we were getting my
> son's 72 MK4 Spit out of storage from the winter. The car was running fine
> before we parked it in a shed in November. Went through the usual check it
> out routine, started up OK. When he put it gear, luckily reverse, it jumped
> right in, clutch not disengaging. I poked around a bit I and while the
> clutch master cylinder was full, the fluid was black. I figured we lost a
> seal and since the master was of unknown age and condition we changed it
> and the slave (same reason). Bled the system well and confirmed the the
> actuator rod / Throw out bearing arm was moving (at least 1/2 inch looking
> around slave into bell housing) when he pressed the pedal. The clutch is
> still not disengaging. We jacked up the car and confirmed that it's staying
> engaged. Tried rocking the wheels back and forth, see is somehow the disk
> could be broken free but nothing.

Black brake fluid & only a half inch of rod movement doesn't sound good 
but it could be a problem I saw in my old Ford tractor when it sat too 
long in moist weather. Sometimes the flywheel & clutch disc stick 
together when sitting unused for a few months.

If you have the space start the car in gear and once it is going push in 
the clutch and hit the brakes hard.  If it is a disc stuck to the 
flywheel one or two tries of this and the bond should break loose.

Teriann