Hey all. I am the not-proud re-owner of my own brown 244dl.

I bought it back from my friend mainly because the JY fuel pump I replaced the leaky fuel pump with died. (Don't buy fuel pumps from the JY. 1st was DOA but noisy, 2nd lasted a week, then started seizing up).

The only hangup to selling the car I have is that the clutch drags. It's not bad, but I make sure to always downshift to 1st when stopping. I've adjusted the cable way way out, and I can feel the cable bottom out before the pedal does. The firewall isn't split either.

Can anyone else think of legitimate or at least common reasons a clutch will drag? Maybe the PO had the clutch replaced (He didn't know when it was replaced) and the throwout bearing wasn't and now it's gummed up? Maybe the pressure plate fingers are weak?

I think it *may* be worse when the car isn't level. Which seems weird to me. I replaced the engine and trans mounts, and noticed it had an auto trans mount on it (square) instead of the round M/T M46 mount. I hoped that might have something to do with it, but it doesn't seem to matter.

There is also a rubber bushing around the edge of where the fork goes through the bellhousing. I wonder if it's thick enough and/or the clutch is worn enough that the bushing is hanging up the fork and keeping the clutch from disengaging all the way. If I remove this, is it easy to get back in? Is it necessary to keep water, etc out of the bellhousing? If not, I'll pull it out and see if it stops being a problem. I hope that it's just there to keep vibrations from transferring from the bellhousing to the fork or something like that.


Anyway, I'm hoping for an easy or simple fix so that people don't hear the word "clutch" and change their minds.

Just the latest stats on the car, the clutch is an unknown age, and the engine is the original (presumably) B23F. 230-ish thousand miles on it.

Cheers

Are the clutch cable, fork and pedal assembly moving freely?

THe only adjustment to the cable is to have a couple of mm of free play in the cable at rest.

Dan

If you are lacking a clutch return spring, try hooking up a bungee cord to see if it makes a difference.
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1980 245 Canadian B21A with SU carb but electronic ignition and M46 trans in Brampton, Ont.

"The firewall isn't split either."

Are you sure? It can be easy to miss... I've missed it. A nearby Volvo only repair shop (with 30+ year certified mechanics) missed it...

It's not the firewall, it the plate, and it's not very visible with the cable installed.. You will need an assistant to push on the clutch while you watch from under the hood...

If it cracks on the bottom side of the cable, you might not be able to see it at all.



--
-Matt I ♥ my ♂

It's possible the pilot bearing in the crankshaft is causing the input shaft to continue spinning (not what you'd like to hear). The boot in the bellhousing is not absolutely necessary but not likely to be holding the fork back. -- Dave

Is there any way this could happen intermittently? The clutch doesn't always drag. It's intermittent and unpredictable, but it seems to happen more going up or down hill (stopped or in heavy traffic). It's only a problem when shifting to 1st and reverse.

Thanks for the reply.

Sometimes the clutch arm will develop a crack in it inside the bell housing boot where it's hard to see. It causes the arm to act kind of "springy" where it feels like it's adjusted properly when there's no pressure on the pedal, but when you press down on the pedal the arm bends and doesn't fully disengage the clutch.