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TR2/3/3A GAskets and spacers/shims

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Dr_Mike

Jedi Hopeful
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Tr3 Engine with TR4 gearbox and later starter ( now)

Starter.
Books show spacer(s) between starter and bell housing, but apparently thus is often omitted. New-old starter looks as though it has only benn engaging halfway join iyts previous existence. But how does one measure , or do I jus forget about it? Spacer here would increase the engagement

Manifold ro head gasket.
Does this need some goop ((s)Hylomat or ?) on it like the rest of the gaskets. Ditto for the manifold to exhaust Joint? The manifold to carb gaskets look as though they should be dry.

And while I am here: since everything else has been weird or faulty I should probably have taken the clutch apart, but too late now. If frozen is there a nontraumatic way to spring it free. It has not been moved in at least twenty years.

Thank you.
 
Hello Dr. Mike

I will leave your first 2 questions to others but on the clutch being frozen. How far are you assembled?
If you have the motor/transmission in the car and the drive train connected you could put it in gear disengage the clutch and try to turn the motor.

On freeing it up.
I installed a motor/transmission in a TR3 only to find the clutch was frozen up. Tried several freeing techniques and ended up removing the motor/transmission and peeling the clutch friction plate from the flywheel with a paint scraper. I could see damage to the friction disc where it connects to the splined section.
I had bump started the car then pressed down on clutch,brake and accelerator at the same time.
Jacked up the rear wheels and tried the same thing with no luck.

David
 
FWIW - I have never found spacers when removing a starter and have never introduced them. No idea if that is a good or bad thing.

I do not use any goop on the gaskets you mention. I love Hylomar but I don't think it would be much help for very long if the exhaust gaskets were not sealing well.

'Trauma' is how you release a frozen clutch. It is a controlled process (there are a couple of techniques) but all involve 'shock & awe' so far as I know. No need to wait to find out (if the hydraulics are set-up) as you can try to turn the engine by hand (crank or wrench) while someone else depresses the clutch pedal with the car in gear.
 
What worked for me was to just drive the car holding the clutch pedal down. Heat and vibration will shake it loose. In my case, I didn't even get out if the driveway before it popped loose. But if that wasn't enough, I would have turned the engine off, shifted to first instead of reverse and continued around the block.
 
I had a fairly stubborn one after the car had been in a church basement for a year. I had to jack up the rear, gearbox in 1st, clutch depressed and rev the engine while my wife abruptly lowered the jack. That did it. Only took a few rains to wash the tire marks off the driveway.
 
thank you all for your ideas. I shall keep reassembling and look forward to the trauma! It will be a month or two yet: the manifolds are going on today, the exhaust lines up, but where on earth did I stash the prop-shaft? I had it a few weeks ago, and it is probably resting snugly in a safe place.
 
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