Saving a clutch disc.....old school method?

[karls59tr]

I have a clutch disc in my garage that looks like it dosn't have much wear but it is somewhat oil soaked. I've heard that an old school method to restore the disc was to soak it in gasoline. .Anyone heard of this?

 

[Guest]

Yep, soak it in gas, light it on fire then throw it in the trash after the fire goes out. It's illegal to throw oil in the trash.

While that will wash some off, it also drives the oil further in the disc. Don't worry, that oil will come back out once it gets hot. Clutches are too hard to change. Turn it in as a core on a new one.

 

[FordFiesta]

Brings up an interesting question: Are we in enough of an economic depression to bring back all the automotive tricks that got our parents and grandparents through the '30s?

Another version of the clutch disk (or brake shoe) re-use trick was to burn off the oil with a torch. In the '30s it probably would've been a gasoline hand torch, but a carefully modulated oxy-acetylene torch might work also. Waaaay-too much bother for the cost of a clutch disc, even now......

 

[cheseroo]

My favorite trick (which I've yet had opportunity to try but probably will if I continue to do this Lemons racing) is to use bacon as temporary bearing shells. It comes with it's own built-in lubricant! On a road trip and got a rod knock? Bacon is the answer my friend.

 

[poolboy]

I used the oil soaked leather tongue of my shoe once on an old mini minor for a rod bearing. Got about 150 miles out of it.

 

[PatGalvin]

Wow, you guys are old!

 

[TR3driver]

Karl, if a new disc is too much, try having your old disc re-lined. I've done that several times in the past, with good results every time. The cost is usually 1/4 or less, and all they re-use are the castings. There is a potential for the splines to wear, but they don't, usually.

I've tried various methods of cleaning up friction surfaces (like the torch, gasoline, etc.) Always, if you let it cool and then heat it again (like it gets hot in use), more oil comes out. Repeat enough times, and the friction material starts to fail.

The most amusing attempt was when a buddy of mine put his MGA brake shoes into the ultrasonic solvent bath where we both worked. The solvent cleaned the friction material well enough, but it also dissolved the bonding! Good thing too that no one else knew what he had done, as the contaminated solvent ruined several thousand parts the next day :laugh:

Rich, I'm pretty sure the bacon trick is in addition to the bearing shells, not in place of them. Actually, I've only heard of it in relation to Model T Fords, which had babbit instead of shells. I've done some screwball things, but I wouldn't want to try that in a TR!

I've also heard of a Model T that actually ran (though not well) with a piece of maple for one of the pistons! It knocked really bad, but did run.

 

[hondo402000]

using an oil soaked clutch disc would be the same as using brake fluid soaked brake pads or shoes, not as dangerous but not a good Idea

Hondo

 

[Roger]

The "soak in gas" cure doesn't work, as noted above, but lighting a fire underneath it an letting the oil dribble out onto the fire used to work in the old asbestos-lined days. The trick was not to let to get too hot, I remember.
Maybe you could do the same with a gas torch?

 

[waltesefalcon]

Just get it re-lined I'm with Randall on this one, I've never had a problem with a re-lined clutch disc.

 

[cheseroo]

Thread hijack - Yes, I think we all can agree the best course of action is renewing instead of immolating. I'm still curious to hear of other old school fixes that one can apply today when they are broken down miles from anywhere. If I'm broken down in the middle of the desert with an oil soaked clutch and the choice is a $500 tow bill plus perhaps a big motel bill because after a few weeks TRF tells you they are out of stock OR a couple hours on my back on a temporary fix so that I can get home, you can help by finding the marshmallows.

 

[FordFiesta]

In the old days when flywheel housings had removable inspection plates, it was sometimes possible to drop some fine sand into the clutch to increase friction. I've heard of talcum powder to absorb oil as well. Kitty litter might suffice.

Another old trick was to stand on the brakes and slip the clutch enough to (theoretically) burn the oil off. I did try this once or twice and it sorta-worked for a (very) short time.

Increasing the vacuum inside the engine by adding a jury-rigged PCV might send less oil through the rear main bearing and keep the clutch from slipping, as would making sure that there's a very large hole in the bottom of the flywheel housing for excess oil to run out of.

Best practice is to fix the clutch before the long trip - or throw a spare disk (and hydraulic system rebuild kits!) in the trunk. Never hurts to have an emergency-Frisbee.