TR2/3/3A Clutch rattle/clack-!957 TR-3

While returning from a car show today I was downshifting from 3rd to 2nd at about 4k RPM.{My TR, after being overhauled and passed through 2 owners, has about 7k since a complete overhaul some 15 years ago.It has a upgraded engine, 87mm, Isky cam, Mallory ignition, aluminum flywheel and headers. The transmission is a stock all synchro overdrive unit.} I heard a large rattle/clacking from the transmission area. I stopped and started back up again. At lower RPM's the shifts were smooth and quiet. While giving it a little more power, downshift once again resulted in a clacking and rattle. I then drove several miles home with no re-occurrence of the noise.
I know nothing of how the car was driven during the 15 years since it had a complete overhaul during the 7k miles.

I have all the paperwork on the car, when it was overhauled and, it did receive a new clutch in 1988.

Could this be a bad throw-out bearing?

Dick Vinal

Yeh sure could be a throw out bearing. I would see if I could move the shifter shifter/fork shaft by hand back and forth to see if the pin sheared, but again it is difficult to tell especially if the fork temporally locked up again, but really to check that area out good the trans has to come out, but again make sure--- because the noise could be something loose making a noise that sounds like it is coming from the bell housing.
steve

Thanks Steve,

I am removing the housing today. the noise was to loud to be something loose. The shifter moves freely and shifts to all gears, at low RPM's while driving. The higher RPM's produce the clack.

Dick

I once removed the trans only to find out there was a chipped tooth on the large gear in the differential, and again sometimes it is so hard to tell in that area with a noise. Well good luck and I am sure you will find it as you stay after it.

Well I removed the gearbox yesterday and had a big surprise waiting for me, I'm surprised it didn't take the whole gearbox out. First, all the pressure plate bolts had gashes out of the top of the bolt.Second, some of the bolts could be turned by hand. Third, the bell housing had fresh gashes inside. Forth, you could put your fingers into the disc and move it back and forth. Lastly, when I removed the bolts the pressure plate came off in two pieces! The spotwelds had rusted apart.

The mystery is with the pressure plate still semi bolted on and no loose parts found inside the bellhousing, how did the bolts and bellhousing get gashes in them? None of the pieces, other then the bolts, showed signs of hitting anything.

Dick

Can you post photos?. Would help to see what you have.

David

Perhaps someone exploded a clutch then put it back together crappy with some still crappy parts and then sold it.

That sounds very scary. I'm not so familiar with the (original) spring clutch as I have a diaphragm (TR6 style) clutch in my TR3. But I know of no spot welds in the cover (pressure plate). Mine was held together by rivets. Maybe some came apart and got chewed up into small enough pieces that they are now embedded in the clutch? But if the cover plate was in two pieces, I would expect it would not put any pressure on the disc, and the car would not move on it's power... Perhaps it didn't come apart until you took it apart?

The piece causing the gouges could have fallen out when you removed the trans? Was the little plate that closes the lower front of the bell housing in place?
Bob

Bob,
The plate was in place as I removed it right away to see what fell out? After ordering the wrong clutch, I discovered that my 57 TR-3 has a TR-4A transmission; wondered why I could downshift into 1st, without a crunch. The pressure plate is 1" in diameter smaller and had three dowels while the TR-3 plate, 1" wider only had two dowels.

Did it by chance sound like this?

https://youtu.be/FywQFnsCkqY

Chris Stratman
TR3