Clutch/ drive train judder

[Rich K]

Hi,

I am experiencing clutch / drive train judder on my 2 litre 7 when pulling away from rest in 1st gear. This only seems to happen when the engine etc has warmed up after a run and not when starting off from cold. I put a new complete clutch kit in not that long ago as I was swapping the gearbox. At the same time I found the needle roller pilot bearing was breaking up so bought and installed a new one. The supplier only had the phosphor bronze bush type so this was bought and installed. The gearbox mounting bush is in good order and I am fairly certain the two engine mount rubbers are also ok. Any ideas.

[seven]

Oil contamination on the clutch linings can contribute to drive line judder, which can come about from the rear crank seal leaking. Is there any signs of oil drips on the bell housing? Other problems can come from premature clutch component failure or the clutch it self is sticking on the spigot shaft splines.
I am sure someone else will come along with some better news for you

[Rich K]

Hi, thanks for your quick reply. I fitted a new crank shaft rear oil seal when I fitted the clutch. There is no sign of oil leaking. The clutch was a new old stock item which I think was a Borg and Beck so should be good quality. I lubricated the spigot shaft splines per the guidelines supplied with the clutch.
Rich.

[seven]

Sounds like you have done the job right Rich.
I had a Mercedes 250 and this too suffered from bad clutch judder and after removing the box and clutch it was deemed to be in good working order. Once It was back in the car and warmed up the judder was back. In the end I got fairly frustrated with the car and slipped the clutch for a short period of time and to my amazement the judder had gone, this technique lasted for a week, then the judder came back. So I did the clutch slip again this time letting it slip for quite a while. The judder all but stopped
I am not suggesting you do this with your car, it was just something I did with the Mercedes and it seemed to help.
My money may be with component failure as this is not unheard of.
Hopefully you will get it sorted an inexpensive way
Peter

[FI Spyder]

One time I came off the ferry from Port Angeles I had to slip the clutch with revs higher than normal as I was stopped for lots of pedestrians strolling by on a summer's eve, the incline was steep and cars were bunched up behind me leaving customs and I didn't want to stall out. The clutch gave out a loud squeal. Shortly after that I had clutch judder unless I took off at practically idle rpm (thank goodness for FI as it struggled to compensate). Whether the slip of the clutch had anything to do with it or not I don't know, it might be coincidence. That winter I replaced the clutch. There was no oil on it from rear motor seal (I replaced it any ways), There was plenty of clutch disc material left so it wasn't worn. The only thing I could come up with was the lining was glazed but I wasn't going to deglaze it and then have to do it again because it didn't solve the problem. I had the new clutch sitting there so I put it in. The roller bearing was like new so I reused it. I broke the smooth flywheel surface with some emery cloth sanding radially. Everything worked fine after that. Whether braking the glaze would have worked I'll never know and I can live with that.

[Rich K]

Hi,
Thanks for your comments. I will try slipping the clutch to try and remove any glaze. Failing that I think I will have to drop the gearbox off and take a look at the clutch components.
Rich.

[Hasbeen]

I had a catchiness in the 7s clutch after fitting a complete new system. It was only mild, & was most noticeable when leaving home, with a cold car.

I have a gravel driveway, leading onto a bitumen road, all flat. When gently taking off from the gravel you could feel a slight jerkiness in the clutch take up, & feel the wheels spin a slight amount 3 or 4 times for a split second each time. It was not really very noticeable when taking off harder on bitumen.

It was only slight, & a of the few people I had drive the thing, only about half noticed it.

It proved to be a catchiness in the thrust bearing. It felt as if one ball may have had a lump of weld spatter on it, when working it out of the car. I can't recall if I checked it before fitting, & did not open it up to check it further.

A new thrust race fixed the problem.

Hasbeen

[Rich K]

Thanks for that advice. I also think the thrust bearing might be to blame. It was a new old stock clutch kit and I didn't really pay much attention to the bearing when I fitted the clutch. Maybe should have checked it before fitting. I do sometimes get a slight squeal from the bearing when it's cold. Rich.