Prevent clutch disk sticking to pressure plate/flywheel

[da.bees]

It isn't stuck now,I'm installing new clutch and pressure plate then tractor will sit a few months before started up and operated. Tractor is and will remain under cover entire time but I often see condensation dripping off stuff during Winter months. Once new clutch is aligned and bolted in place it will be over 90 days before clutch pedal can be tied down then a while longer til I start engine and test drive. I'm old and slow.
After I degreased and washed inside bellhousing,flywheel and engine I wiped everything including flywheel with diesel +motor oil+penitrating oil. Clutch/p plate assembly is in house wrapped in wax paper until installed. Should I wipe flywheel and pressure plate with oil mix before assembling or should I clean flywheel with lacquer thinner and do something different to prevent rust gluing disk to plate while sitting? There is no inspection plate where clutch can be accessed. I don't want to mess up clutch and I sure don't want to split this tractor again to unstick clutch.

 

[rustred]

What tractor you working on? Never use any oil products on clutch or flywheel surfaces. Make sure it is cleaned with brakekleen before assembly. I used to also wipe them down with gas. This must be in a metal building if you have condensation dripping. They need to have vents installed at each end. Even a fan if possible.

 

[caterpillar guy]

Sounds like you should leave the clutch till you can run the engine then install it when you put the engine on after it is back together. Then you could run it and tie it open so it doesn't stick. Since you can't get in through an access hole.

 

[showcrop]

It looks like the key point here is the 90 days between bolting pressure plate onto flywheel and being able to tie it down. Just find another way to keep the clutch released during that time. A light oil like WD-40 will burn off a clutch disc in a split second. I hav e inspected discs with oil on them and found that there is no penetration into the disc material.

 

[showcrop]

(quoted from post at 03:05:51 11/05/23) What tractor you working on? Never use any oil products on clutch or flywheel surfaces. Make sure it is cleaned with brakekleen before assembly. I used to also wipe them down with gas. This must be in a metal building if you have condensation dripping. They need to have vents installed at each end. Even a fan if possible.

When your iron in your building is cold and a new air front with warm humid air comes through you are going to have condensation pooling on a concrete floor under your larger iron. I always did in my wood building until I started closing the doors ahead of the humid air and started running a dehumidifier.

 

[NY 986]

Do not oil any surfaces relative to the clutch assembly. Periodic operation of the tractor is the best remedy to sticking clutches. Allow sufficient time for the engine to warm up to dry out the clutch housing if possible. Make sure that moisture can escape. Always do this during a dry stretch of weather.

 

[super99]

Can you wait to install clutch until motor is ready to start before installing?

 

[JIM MN]

super 99 and caterpillar guy have your answer--wait-- no oil-- put clutch together later and use the tractor.. Then when not in use; tie that pedal down.. If condensation is a problem, find a different storage building..

 

[Pete in MD]

Cut a small block of wood to hold down the clutch pedal or tie the clutch pedal down.

 

[Tgrasher]

Why not put pieces of that wax paper between flywheel and clutch plate?

 

[Texasmark]

I have a Korean tractor that has the lock to hold the clutch pedal depressed if one is to sit for a long time. Having seen a picture of a Korean farmer up to his running boards in goo with a service truck pulled up to refuel him I can see why the lock is part of the tractor's design.

 

[Janicholson]

Making the assumption that the engine is bolted in, and therefore the cross shaft and throwout are in place, use a cable or pipe and bungie to push/pull the lever releasing the pressure on the plate. Jim

 

[used red MN]

A. Even though this is a general question I am not sure why you do not tell us the brand and model. I could perhaps see how this could change the answers due to the ..I have done x y x to those tractors for years and bla, bla never had to do this.
B. I would suggest wiping your concoction on the pressure plate as well. That minute amount oil residue will mean nothing to clutch operation, particularly 3 - 4 months from now.
C. In most cases after the clutch is installed and the tractor is bolted back together the throw out bearing and its application mechanism which usually a fork and cross-shaft are also in place. That just leaves the external lever remaining to be installed and then the clutch can be operated or moved to the released position. Whether that is by temporarily assembling the clutch pedal and linkage or by devising a lever that can do this. At that point you can move the clutch to the released position and block it there with whatever means. Some chain and a turnbuckle from a hardware store could do this.
D. If the starter comes in from the back side and is in the upper half of the bell housing you could assemble the clutch in the released position held there by appropriately sized hex nuts with strings on them run up through the starter hole. To do this you would probably need to block the clutch plate to a somewhat centered position with cardboard on its outer edge so it is in place for the assembly of the two tractor halves. If the starter is in the lower half I would not trust the ability of the strings to recover the nuts.

 

[showcrop]

(quoted from post at 09:32:26 11/05/23) Making the assumption that the engine is bolted in, and therefore the cross shaft and throwout are in place, use a cable or pipe and bungie to push/pull the lever releasing the pressure on the plate. Jim

I didn't assume like most others did that it is all put together. Dabees didn't want to write a book, but I will give him credit for having a reason for his situation and a fair amount of intelligence, and not just tell him to do something obvious.

 

[caterpillar guy]

So how do all you guys plan to hold a clutch by the linkage if the engine is on blocks or a stand while he assembles the rest of the engine while the crank is in with the clutch on the flywheel. With no engine on none of the linkage is going to work unless there is something new here I have not heard of before in all the clutches I have seen and worked on. The pressure plate will be tight on the flywheel setting on the blocks. With no access hole he can't put a wood block in the pressure plate to hold it back and still get it out after installation. Guys need to read the whole post again.

 

[da.bees]

Thank you to all who took time to opine. Forgive me for not getting into overall details of project but the question comes down to how much if any oil film does it take before clutch suffers more than can be tolerated. On the other hand I fear simply asking if oiling a new pressure plate at installation is a good or poor idea would make me look like a bigger fool than the way I chose. Since I'm unable to follow the consensus of doing the job in a few days as it's conventionally done,I'll apply oil then wipe away as much as possible without using solvent and trust it does the job. Part of reasoning behind this decision is in the 50s I witnessed many cars,trucks and tractors with oil soaked clutches from rear main leaks. If vehicle got to point it wouldn't pull,a short term solution was put the front bumper against a tree and slip clutch to burn oil off. Sure wish I had videos of that and a few other home remedies at the time. In my pea size brain it seems one of those tree pushing secissons burned off more oil than I would apply in this case. In hindsight I wounder if the county oiled some of those roads or if cars kept them oiled. Thanks again for participating ,now back to regular program.

 

[showcrop]

(quoted from post at 00:44:42 11/06/23) Thank you to all who took time to opine. Forgive me for not getting into overall details of project but the question comes down to how much if any oil film does it take before clutch suffers more than can be tolerated. On the other hand I fear simply asking if oiling a new pressure plate at installation is a good or poor idea would make me look like a bigger fool than the way I chose. Since I'm unable to follow the consensus of doing the job in a few days as it's conventionally done,I'll apply oil then wipe away as much as possible without using solvent and trust it does the job. Part of reasoning behind this decision is in the 50s I witnessed many cars,trucks and tractors with oil soaked clutches from rear main leaks. If vehicle got to point it wouldn't pull,a short term solution was put the front bumper against a tree and slip clutch to burn oil off. Sure wish I had videos of that and a few other home remedies at the time. In my pea size brain it seems one of those tree pushing secissons burned off more oil than I would apply in this case. In hindsight I wounder if the county oiled some of those roads or if cars kept them oiled. Thanks again for participating ,now back to regular program.

Good Plan!!

 

[BarnyardEngineering]

I have NEVER had or seen a clutch that stuck in only a few months. Most of the tractors here will sit until March or April of next year now, not turning a wheel. I may eat these words, but I am confident that they will all fire right up in the spring and not a single clutch will be stuck.

For sure DO NOT oil the friction surfaces. If you read back that sentence carefully, you will understand why... Key words to concentrate on are oil, and friction.

 

[Fixingfarmer]

It shouldnt get stuck waiting that long thats essentially just a summer. So if I happen to have the engine out on the stand its easy to rebuild the clutch with it sitting vertical everything stacks on top of the flywheel really nice and I do that last after rest of the block is done its my favorite way to do it. green flavor has measurement tools to get it adjusted during a full rebuild before putting it in the only thing left is pedal free play. Blocks come with a new complete clutch usually. Since hes talking bell housing Im assuming red or at least new generation green. If you wanted to put a dab of oil on the operating levers wherever they pivot knock yourself out