My car will be due for a new clutch kit in the near future.

The major problem is getting in first gear or reverse. I often have to engage 4th gear and then switch rapidly to first gear. Sometime it is hopeless that it is better to stop the engine and put it in gear before starting.

I feel the clutch disk is sticking to the flywheel or pressure plate. It may be soaked with thick greasy dirt which is causing all this. The clutch cable is adjusted to a minimum play at the pedal so it is not the problem.

I am thinking of injecting a spray of break cleaner through the release arm opening using a one foot long delivery tube. I want to spray as deep as I can. I can get the tube between the pressure plate strips near the bearing after removing the rubber square block.

Has anybody done something like that ?

Since I have been helped quite a bit lately I should resume what happened with my 1982 clutch problem.

I had the clutch kit installed last month. The car had run less than 70k miles with this clutch kit which was a Volvo brand. The problem showed as if the clutch disk was sticking to the flywheel or pressure plate due to ( in my mind ) dirt or oil fumes deposits.

I found the clutch disk, the pressure plate and flywheel perfectly dry and clean with no groove marks on either part. Virtually no sign of wear of the fiber disk which is almost the thickness of the new one. The clutch cable was also in good shape but was replaced with a new one anyway.

The pressure plate release fingers were so worn that the realese bearing was about to go right through. I must admit the clutch return spring was not the proper one for a while and was not pulling back the cable completely. The release bearing was touching the pressure plate fingers for a while.

The clutch arm fork was the main problem. Due to wear its ball joint at the other end was pushed through the sheet metal spherical cavity. The clutch pedal was getting very hard to push and the release bearing was pushing sideway because of that. Along with the weak cable spring this ruined the pressure plate. I suspect the mechanic failed to lubricate /inspect for sign of wear at the fork ball joint 3 years ago.

Fortunately I had a used spare clutch fork on hand so the mechanic could complete the repair.

Lessons learned from this : Make sure the return spring does its job, inspect the fork arm ball joint for excessive wear when installing a new clutch.

I plan to keep a spare clutch fork on hand because the one just installed is a little worn. Do I have to buy at Volvo dealer ?

Anybody know of reproduction fork ?

Sorry for the long post and thanks for previous replies.

http://www.brickboard.com/RWD/index.htm?id=1571915&show_all=1

I didn't receive Marten's email. But figure you may be closer and find the drive worth it.
--
1980 245 Canadian B21A with SU carb, M46 trans, 3:31 dif, in Brampton, Ont.

This is the classic symptom of a clutch that's out of adjustment and is not fully releasing. That is, the disk is not lifting completely off the flywheel. When you try to engauge a gear you are wearing out the sync rings.

In 1967, at the beginning of my career as an home mechanic, my 1961 Corvair Loadside pickup truck had oil on the clutch that was causing grabbing. I had access to the top of the bellhousing by removing a panel in the bed. I plugged some holes in the lower part of the bellhousing and filled it with parts cleaner. Then proceeded to "exercise" the clutch. It kinda sounded like a washing machine with a big agitator.

It was an imaginative approach and fortunately didn't do any damage, but also didn't work.

I must say that replacing the clutch in that Corvair was a LOT easier than my later experience replacing one in a 240.

Regards,

Tatra Mike
Seattle, WA

1985 244 "Alfsen" (wife's car - the good one)
1984 245 "Buster" (the kid's car, now sold)
1985 245 "Cosmo" (parts car, sold off for move to WA)
1985 245 "Daisy" (back seat down, full of tools, the work truck)
1985 245 "Earl (CA vehicle 'retirement' program)

I have not tried your idea as I think there is not much room do much of any thing in there.
The problem may be more with a rusty or gummy set of shaft splines and/or of the clutch disc itself.

These areas are under everything and anything less than a torrent of cleaning obtained by a pressure washer!

I want say I have extended the spray tubes that come on the cans at least that far to squirt the liquid.

I stripped about a half inch of the insulation off some 14 or 12 gauge solid copper wire.

I insert the spray tubes into these short sleeves, one after another, to as long as I need.

You might give that a SHOT, pun intended!
Phil

I would sugest adjusting the clutch cable.Given the amount of stress the clutch asembly handles, I've never seen anythng stick till it's broken.
Maybe the clutch foork is giving way, I heard of it but not personally experienced it.

Spraying stuff in there isn't going to work. Probably the disc is hanging up on the input shaft splines or the pressure plate diaphragm spring is distorted and not fully releasing with the travel. It won't be the disc on the flywheel or plate except that the plate is failing. You need a new clutch.
Could be the lever is bending, but they crack before long so then you'll know.