clutch fork question

[mpanten]

Dumb question but I will ask it anyway. I recently switched from an internal hydraulic throwout bearing to a slave set up. My question is do i need a return spring on the fork to keep the throwout bearing at the proper clearence ?

[Excaliber]

Opinions on this tend to vary, but in MY opinion yes you should. You need a little bit of clearance so the throw out bearing is not resting on the clutch cover fingers, and thus continually in motion, while at cruising speed. This is the same reason many people say, "Don't ride the clutch." If the clutch is tight ALL the time (no spring) you won't have to, it will automatically "ride the clutch" anyway!

...put a spring in it.

[kris-kincaid]

It won't stay tight all the time with no spring, there will be a bit of slop in it. I've never installed a spring on any cars I built. I figure the clutch will self adjust with no spring.

Originally Posted by Excaliber

Opinions on this tend to vary, but in MY opinion yes you should. You need a little bit of clearance so the throw out bearing is not resting on the clutch cover fingers, and thus continually in motion, while at cruising speed. This is the same reason many people say, "Don't ride the clutch." If the clutch is tight ALL the time (no spring) you won't have to, it will automatically "ride the clutch" anyway!

...put a spring in it.

[mpanten]

thank you, I thought i might be doing something wrong because I couldnt get the throwout bearign to quit spinning no matter how many times i adjusted it.

[PANAVIA]

Have you measured the input shaft and the ID of the bearing >?

[Larry Spillman]

If your slave cylinder is set up correctly it will give you a bit of freeplay between fork and throw out bearing if it isnt you will ride bearing all the time and it can over heat bearing in time.

[Michael C Henry]

A conventional external slave and clutch throwout arm has a spring pulling the arm and push rod forward and returning the slave cylinder piston to it's bottom. The fork should have a clip that tries to locate the arm against the pivot in the bell housing. The throwout bearing has clips on it that attach it tightly to the arm. The spring on the slave cylinder and arm is usually just enough to return the slave cylinder to a compressed position and pull the throwout bearing away from the clutch pressure plate fingers when the clutch pedal pedal is released.
I'm a stickler about keeping the clutch adjusted to ensure free travel. Over the years I've lost two throw out bearings ruining the pressure plate fingers with them. Last year I went around and a around, adjusting. Everytime I went for a ride I had no free travel . I thought the clutch disc was wearing. I thought that my spring was surely pulling the slave cylinder back. I finally was out of adjustment. I made another adjustable push rod with more adjustment potential. I replaced the clutch disc( moving up to a full 12" disc). The problem turned out to be the slave cylinder was all crappy inside. I ended up replacing it with a new slave cylinder that has a tighter better fitting boot and bright smooth finish. I think my new slave cylinder also has another 1/4" of travel potential.