Looking at the remains, I found that the portion of the graphite block that was inside the carrier was still in place but was full of cracks and had turned inside the carrier. The part of the block that had been outside the carrier had been reduced to small pieces and distributed around the inside of the bell housing. pieces were essentially oil free. There was no evidence of grease inside the cavity of the carrier. I don't think it was ever soaked in oil or had any grease put in. I guess that whoever installed it assumed it needed no grease when there was no fitting. I'm surprised it lasted as long as it did. No part number in the carrier, so I assume it was aftermarket.
The fingers were still in excellent shape but appeared to be set too low. They measured a little less than an inch, about the dimension some sources other than everyone on this site recommends. The condition of the pressure plate and disk were excellent so I decided to do some careful cross checking of the 1-1/4" finger to cover dimension against the dimensions in the IH service manuals. Setting them at 1-1/4 left too much distance to the surface of the flywheel. The lock nuts were also pretty high on the adjusting studs. I've run into the lock nut situation before as have others that have commented in previous discussions. I finally readjusted to 1-1/8" from the cover, which was still somewhat over spec from the flywheel. The lock nuts looked a lot better this way too.
This leaves some questions to ponder: Is the 1-1/4" we have been stating excessive? Was it correct with genuine original Rockford clutches but not correct for currently available replacements? Did I use the wrong dimension for distance from the flywheel? Did I just run into something oddball in my specific clutch?
I haven't finished putting the tractor back together yet, so haven't had a chance to test it set this way. Free play adjusted easily and the pedal seems to feel fine.
- Exploded Throwout Bearing
- Exploded Throwout Bearing
