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but were afraid to ask: 
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Pretty Please - add it to our Events forum(s) and add to the calendar! >> 
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Some of you may remember that, about a month ago, I posted a note about my clutch failing. For some reason, the pushrod from the slave cylinder moved so far forward that the piston popped mostly out, and I lost all hydraulic fluid.
I finally got the engine out today, pulled off the transmission and looked at it. At first, I was surprised that I didn't see any dramatic, obvious failure. On close inspection, however, I noticed that one release lever on the pressure plate was ratting around loose, and it seemed that the small plate which the release bearing pushes on (does it have a name?) was awfully low; that is, close to the flywheel.
A little more fiddling showed that the adjustment nuts for the levers could move. The tab washers, which supposedly keep them in place, were not preventing movement. The adjustment nut for the loosest lever was especially easy to move. So, my current hypothesis is that these have been loosening for some time, and finally the levers' rest position moved far enough toward the flywheel that the slave-cylinder piston popped out.
So, a couple questions....
1. In the picture below, should the plate be as close to the flywheel as it is? (I've never seen one of these new.) In short, does this all make sense to you who have more experience in dealing with Sprite clutches?
2. Since I doubt I can readjust this properly, I'll probably have to buy a new pressure plate. Not sure what to get, though. I have a stock 948 with a ribcase transmission--do I still get the standard 948 clutch?
3. Are there any upgraded clutches available for this engine? This would have to be something practical for the street, not a competition clutch that is full on or full off and needs legs like a linebacker to operate it.
Thanks for your earlier suggestions, by the way. Without them, this project would have been a lot harder.
I finally got the engine out today, pulled off the transmission and looked at it. At first, I was surprised that I didn't see any dramatic, obvious failure. On close inspection, however, I noticed that one release lever on the pressure plate was ratting around loose, and it seemed that the small plate which the release bearing pushes on (does it have a name?) was awfully low; that is, close to the flywheel.
A little more fiddling showed that the adjustment nuts for the levers could move. The tab washers, which supposedly keep them in place, were not preventing movement. The adjustment nut for the loosest lever was especially easy to move. So, my current hypothesis is that these have been loosening for some time, and finally the levers' rest position moved far enough toward the flywheel that the slave-cylinder piston popped out.
So, a couple questions....
1. In the picture below, should the plate be as close to the flywheel as it is? (I've never seen one of these new.) In short, does this all make sense to you who have more experience in dealing with Sprite clutches?
2. Since I doubt I can readjust this properly, I'll probably have to buy a new pressure plate. Not sure what to get, though. I have a stock 948 with a ribcase transmission--do I still get the standard 948 clutch?
3. Are there any upgraded clutches available for this engine? This would have to be something practical for the street, not a competition clutch that is full on or full off and needs legs like a linebacker to operate it.
Thanks for your earlier suggestions, by the way. Without them, this project would have been a lot harder.
