Groaning Overunning Clutch - 42CL

[kajun]

Folks:

Been a long time since I rebuilt the OR Clutch on one of my cubs. It groans horribly when clutching and 80 % of time does not overrun. This is Woods unit.

When I pull it down , I will be inspecting ratchet , drive hex ,and bushings .For what should I be looking on these parts ? I'm cheap ,as you guys know , and I want to avoid replacing something that still has useful life .

Any and all guidance would be appreciated .

kajun

[Matt Kirsch]

Groaning generally indicates dry bearings.

[kajun]

Thanks , Matt .

Spindle is well greased . Are there bearings outside the spindle about which I should know ?

Obliged

[challenger]

There are brass bushings that the hex drive free-wheels in during the overrunning phase. Most likely they are dry and vibrating. The pulley has an oil hole on the top side at the hub that should periodically receive a few drops of oil to lube the bushings. Woods cautions against over oiling since it may contribute to the clutch slipping, which can then ruin the clutch. The heart of the overrunning clutch is the cogs on the two mating surfaces of the clutch. If they start to jump out of engagement under load, the clutch goes down very quickly. Make sure the cog teeth mate squarely and engage fully when hand placed together. A large diameter coil wire spring keeps the cogs engaged under load and must be in good shape. The spring is not expensive if there is any doubt about its condition. I would think the bushings and seals should not be too expensive if they also need replacing. However, Woods tends to be on the pricey side for most of their parts.

[Matt Kirsch]

Just because you pumped grease in does not mean it's getting where it needs to go. You'll find out for sure what's going on when you get it apart.

[kajun]

Thanks , challenger and Matt.

challenger , I appreciate the thorough description of the working parts of the system and the engineering . I used to call Woods directly in the pre-internet era and your description of integrity of system lines up with what I was told years ago by a Woods engineer.

Matt , when I pulled the OR clutch apart last evening I found the ratchet and drive hex badly in need of lubrication . This is 8-10 year old spindle [ bought new ] and the ratchet cap [pn 3333 ] has no pipe plug for lubrication . Challenger , I'm going to look for that oil hole . I didn't see it last night .

Deeply obliged to you both for the guidance.

Kajun

[Scrivet]

....... and the ratchet cap [pn 3333 ] has no pipe plug for lubrication . Challenger , I'm going to look for that oil hole . I didn't see it last night .........

1/8" pipe plugs were only on the early (older) spindles. Most have the small oil hole already mentioned. There's a picture at the end of this thread. The hole you are looking for is at about 11:30 (in the last pic) on the bolt flange.http://www.farmallcub.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=61472&p=504305&hilit=Woods+spindle+clutch#p504305

[kajun]

Warm thanks to Matt Kirsch , challenger and now scrivet.

When I pulled down the OR Clutch , just as Matt said , I found it very dry , Cleaned all components up ,per challenger's suggestion I proved ratchet cap [pn 3333 ] and ratchet properly interlocked , and then I oiled all components properly . OR Clutch now works like a charm and I am deeply indebted to you three for the help.

Three points in parting:

1. Seems to me that the critical points needing lubrication are where the carrier bushings [ pn 3175 ] mate with drive hex .
2. Yes , scrivet and challenger , there is an oil hole on the ratchet cap . But the hole doesn't go all way through ratchet cap into clutch chamber. I assume ,therefore , that the oil hole ports internally to the ratchet-cap bushing [ upper ].
3. I can't see how that will get much , if any oil , to lower bushing . Thoughts ?

kajun

[Scrivet]

Don't know where the other end of the hole is, haven't had one apart to investigate.

You have probably seen this about lubricating the clutch in the manual, but just in case.....

Oil only occasionally and just enough to keep a film of oil on internal parts. Excess oil will prevent ratchet teeth from fully engaging, resulting in premature failure.

[kajun]

Obliged to you , Scrivet.