Bent clutch fork pin. How did this happen?

[Jason]

Suddenly today I was having occasional problems putting the car in gear. The clutch wasn't quite disengaging all the way. So I started looking for what could be wrong and found....

55511

Any idea how that happened? Am I correct that I have to remove the transmission to replace the clutch fork?

I tried looking inside the bell housing with a snake camera and didn't notice anything that looked scary. This is the best picture I could get of the throwout bearing.

55512

[dn010]

Looks like the slave cylinder might not be installed correctly causing the pin to be misaligned. The hole in the pin is now worn too large for the fork and it’s sitting sideways. Did a bolt come loose from the slave cylinder?


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[PJ Grady Inc.]

Suddenly today I was having occasional problems putting the car in gear. The clutch wasn't quite disengaging all the way. So I started looking for what could be wrong and found....

55511

Any idea how that happened? Am I correct that I have to remove the transmission to replace the clutch fork?

I tried looking inside the bell housing with a snake camera and didn't notice anything that looked scary. This is the best picture I could get of the throwout bearing.

55512
Yes you would have to R&R the transaxle to service the fork. It looks like the T/O bearing is out of position causing the fork to twist. This normally only can happen if the bearing comes out of position while installing the transmission. We always pull the fork pin into the slave cylinder and lock in position with a tiewrap to avoid that possibilty when installing a transaxle. Did you have a noisy throw out bearing before this happened? If the transmission has not recently been removed my guess is catrastophic failure of the bearing which could mean the clutch tube is also damaged. If that's the case you will also need to split the cases. The fork and tube are listed as NLA at DMCH but we have availability should you need one or both along with anything related.
Rob Grady

[Jason]

Well, here is what I found...
55535555375553855539

The throwout bearing was about 5 years / 30K miles old. There doesn't seem to be enough bits there to make a working one.

The transmission itself seems ok.

[Josh]

That is a strange failure. Good to hear your transmission itself appears to be OK.
Looks like you also need to do the rear main seal.

[Nicholas R]

Looks like you also need to do the rear main seal.

Seconded!

I would imagine you'll be able to get away with a new throw-out bearing if you can sort out the clutch fork. If the pin on the fork is bent or wallowed out, you'll probably need to come up with a way to fix/replace it.

[Josh]

I believe Ed is manufacturing clutch forks for a reasonable price.

[PJ Grady Inc.]

Well, here is what I found...
55535555375553855539

The throwout bearing was about 5 years / 30K miles old. There doesn't seem to be enough bits there to make a working one.

The transmission itself seems ok.

First total failure of a UN1 T/O bearing I've ever seen and at 30K miles since install! Did you do a full clutch at that time or just replace the bearing? That must have been making an awful racket before it let go...no? Hard to see past all the gear oil but it looks like you were lucky with little collateral damage apparent.
Rob

[ed uding]

we have the new clutch forks in production, in 8 weeks we shoot have a good stock for all delorean dealers.

www.delorean.eu

I believe Ed is manufacturing clutch forks for a reasonable price.

[Jason]

First total failure of a UN1 T/O bearing I've ever seen and at 30K miles since install! Did you do a full clutch at that time or just replace the bearing? That must have been making an awful racket before it let go...no? Hard to see past all the gear oil but it looks like you were lucky with little collateral damage apparent.
Rob

It was a full clutch replacement. It didn't need it, but I had everything apart because I was rebuilding the engine and figured I should just replace it all. And there were no strange noises. The only reason I knew something was wrong is that it got a little hard to shift into first and reverse, and there was a slight feel of engine vibration in the clutch pedal that wasn't there before.

[Jason]

Looks like you also need to do the rear main seal.

That goop is all gear oil. Despite having the seal replaced and the input shaft sleeved that transmission likes to leak from the input shaft. I've kind of given up on it for now. Other than making the inside of the bell housing look nasty and some occasional drips on the garage floor it doesn't seem to be causing any problems.

[dn010]

With that amount of oil all around I am surprised none has gotten onto your clutch disc!

[PJ Grady Inc.]

That goop is all gear oil. Despite having the seal replaced and the input shaft sleeved that transmission likes to leak from the input shaft. I've kind of given up on it for now. Other than making the inside of the bell housing look nasty and some occasional drips on the garage floor it doesn't seem to be causing any problems.

The input shaft rarely leaks oil and when it does a proper size sleeve should take care of any grooving. While the transmission is out you really should try to fix that leak. Perhaps that took out your throwout bearing as I've never seen one fail at the 30K mark. You may need to replace the primary shaft to solve the leak or try another sleeve. Did you fit a new NOS seal when the sleeve was installed?
Rob

[Bitsyncmaster]

Not related to the original problem but I saw a photo of a boot over the clutch fork opening. I don't think I have that boot. So is it important?

[Jason]

The input shaft rarely leaks oil and when it does a proper size sleeve should take care of any grooving. While the transmission is out you really should try to fix that leak. Perhaps that took out your throwout bearing as I've never seen one fail at the 30K mark. You may need to replace the primary shaft to solve the leak or try another sleeve. Did you fit a new NOS seal when the sleeve was installed?
Rob

I guess you don't remember as its been a long time, but you did the sleeve and seal. The transmission is the rebuilt one that you installed for me something like 12 years ago, that started leaking like crazy from the input shaft a week after you installed it. You took it back right away and did the sleeve and seal, but that lasted maybe 3 to 6 months before it started leaking a little again. I never got around to either bugging you or dealing with it myself, so it's been like that for the last 100K miles. For others reading this, I want to make it clear that this is in no way a complaint about Rob. His service has always been great, and he's always where I send people who ask me where they can get work done on their car. When the initial leak happened without my having to even ask he fixed it quickly and at no cost, including replacing the brand new clutch because gear oil had gotten all over it. Rob hasn't worked on my car recently, but that's only because I've gotten more knowledgeable (or arguably just braver) and I do everything myself these days.

I think either I had a bad clutch kit, or I put something together wrong last time. The failed bearing looks somewhere different from the new one I just installed, and the clutch plate was worn down almost to the rivets. I don't drive the car particularly hard, so it shouldn't be like that at only 30k miles. The clutch and bearing you put in lasted 60K miles even with the leak, and the only reason they were replaced was because I had the engine out for a rebuild. I probably should have tried to fix the input shaft leak then but there was so much else going on I forgot about it.

I already reinstalled the transmission. I have to do the clutch on my other car, and didn't want to risk messing something up in the DeLorean transmission and ending up without a working car. I recently installed a lift in my garage, and with that and a transmission jack removing and installing the transmission was super easy. Now that I know how easy it is to remove the transmission I'll probably pull it again soon to try to fix the leak.

[PJ Grady Inc.]

Not related to the original problem but I saw a photo of a boot over the clutch fork opening. I don't think I have that boot. So is it important?

It is a shield to help keep excessive amounts of water out of the bellhousing. The most likely issue would be the grease would wash away from the clutch fork pivot which will cause a squeak every time you apply the clutch. It's not a big problem but the noise may be annoying to some. Next time you put a clutch in you should replace any missing shields/boots or leaking seals including the grease cup seal for the fork. It is listed as NLA but we supply one with every clutch kit.
Rob

[PJ Grady Inc.]

I guess you don't remember as its been a long time, but you did the sleeve and seal. The transmission is the rebuilt one that you installed for me something like 12 years ago, that started leaking like crazy from the input shaft a week after you installed it. You took it back right away and did the sleeve and seal, but that lasted maybe 3 to 6 months before it started leaking a little again. I never got around to either bugging you or dealing with it myself, so it's been like that for the last 100K miles. For others reading this, I want to make it clear that this is in no way a complaint about Rob. His service has always been great, and he's always where I send people who ask me where they can get work done on their car. When the initial leak happened without my having to even ask he fixed it quickly and at no cost, including replacing the brand new clutch because gear oil had gotten all over it. Rob hasn't worked on my car recently, but that's only because I've gotten more knowledgeable (or arguably just braver) and I do everything myself these days.

I think either I had a bad clutch kit, or I put something together wrong last time. The failed bearing looks somewhere different from the new one I just installed, and the clutch plate was worn down almost to the rivets. I don't drive the car particularly hard, so it shouldn't be like that at only 30k miles. The clutch and bearing you put in lasted 60K miles even with the leak, and the only reason they were replaced was because I had the engine out for a rebuild. I probably should have tried to fix the input shaft leak then but there was so much else going on I forgot about it.

I already reinstalled the transmission. I have to do the clutch on my other car, and didn't want to risk messing something up in the DeLorean transmission and ending up without a working car. I recently installed a lift in my garage, and with that and a transmission jack removing and installing the transmission was super easy. Now that I know how easy it is to remove the transmission I'll probably pull it again soon to try to fix the leak.

You are right....I pulled your file. We do a lot of transmission work and I forgot about that one! We replaced the unit in late '04 and the rework in '05. I only recall sleeving two primary shafts over the years and that was the first one. Let me know what you find if you pull it down and we will work it out.
Rob

[Bitsyncmaster]

It is a shield to help keep excessive amounts of water out of the bellhousing. The most likely issue would be the grease would wash away from the clutch fork pivot which will cause a squeak every time you apply the clutch. It's not a big problem but the noise may be annoying to some. Next time you put a clutch in you should replace any missing shields/boots or leaking seals including the grease cup seal for the fork. It is listed as NLA but we supply one with every clutch kit.
Rob

Thanks. I am replacing my clutch soon so I will get the seals.