Clutch pedal has a grinding feel to it

[gordandmichele]

1966 289 4-speed.

Replaced the clutch, pilot bearing and machined the flywheel in August 2009. Mechanic said throwout bearing was fine and didn't need replacing. Everything was OK last fall, until I put it on the road this spring.

When I push the clutch right to the floor, I feel a kind of grinding vibration in the pedal. No noise, just a feel. When I let the clutch out a bit, it goes away, then returns when I let it out a bit more, then disappears when the clutch is fully engaged. So, starting at the floor, it's grind, calm, grind, then calm the rest of the way out.

I have no problem shifting whatsoever. No stiffness, no gear grinding, nothing.

Also, the clutch seems to be fully disengaged in the "calm" area before the pedal gets to the floor. That is, I don't have to push the pedal all the way down to shift gears.

The car is perfectly driveable, but the feel really bothers me and it doesn't seem right that the clutch should be fully disengaged before the pedal hits the floor. It's about 3 inches away.

Any thoughts?

 

[2+2GT]

Also, the clutch seems to be fully disengaged in the "calm" area before the pedal gets to the floor. That is, I don't have to push the pedal all the way down to shift gears.

The car is perfectly driveable, but the feel really bothers me and it doesn't seem right that the clutch should be fully disengaged before the pedal hits the floor. It's about 3 inches away.

Any thoughts?

Whatever else may be going on, this 3" of disengagement above the carpet is normal.

 

[horseballz]

You shouldn't have to push the pedal to the floor to fully release, that should be fine as long as you have a little bit of "top play". If no "top play" you should adjust the clutch. For the couple bucks savings, with the expense/labor/aggravation of a clutch job, I would NEVER skip the throwout bearing, good condition or not. Just my $.02.
Gene

 

[D.Hearne]

You're feeling the throwout bearing rolling on the clutch fingers. Unless you hear noise, don't worry about it. I would though, do a complete inspection of all the clutch linkage bushings and rods to see if there's any wear that needs to be corrected. And don't forget the pedal hanger bushings either, these are pot metal and don't last forever

 

[Rusty67]

You're feeling the throwout bearing rolling on the clutch fingers. Unless you hear noise, don't worry about it. I would though, do a complete inspection of all the clutch linkage bushings and rods to see if there's any wear that needs to be corrected. And don't forget the pedal hanger bushings either, these are pot metal and don't last forever

Looks like D beat me to it. I would look at the pedal hangar bushings and such to see if there is anything wrong there. Open tracker makes some roller bearing stuff for the z-bar linkage that is suppose to smooth it all out.

 

[gordandmichele]

More information....

After a lot of testing and trial and error, it seems that this condition only occurs after the car has been driven for a while and everything is warmed up. When the car is cold, all seems completely normal. Does that confirm anyone's suspicions, or does it lead in a different direction?

 

[D.Hearne]

After a lot of testing and trial and error, it seems that this condition only occurs after the car has been driven for a while and everything is warmed up. When the car is cold, all seems completely normal. Does that confirm anyone's suspicions, or does it lead in a different direction?

My suggestions still stand. You've got a mechanical linkage here, letting your foot feel the vibrations of the throwout bearing engaging the pressure plate fingers. You don't get this in newer cars as they either use a cable or hydraulic setup to perform this function. If you're not hearing the obvious noises of a bearing going bad, don't worry about it. And don't drive with your foot on the clutch pedal. Your foot should only be on the pedal when you use it to shift gears. Welcome to the world of old cars.