Clutch adjustment on my B

[Texas Tony]

I believe that for every job there is a tool (or tools) that will help you out. I laid on the shop floor Tuesday evening with two wrenches and didn't get very far in adjusting my clutch. I got one bolt loose and eased the finger back some- maybe about 3/4" from the TO bearing- but trying to tighten it up was another matter. There's just not much room to work through that hole on the bottom of the bellhousing, which I'm ok with, but I'm more curious about how to adjust these bolts. I even tried a 3/8 ratchet up in there and tried holding the 9/16 nut with a box end and open end wrench but no luck. I've looked at the service manual for the A and the B and it really doesn't say anything about clutch finger adjustment, but more emphasis on adjusting the play with the pedal. Ideas? Suggestions?

[Texas Tony]

In case anyone is interested, I screwed the nuts on the rod one way until there was hardly any thread showing, and it ground pretty good, backed it out a little with no change in shifting, and then ran the nuts up until the fingers were touching the TO bearing and the clutch pedal went all the way down. By then, the TO bearing was barely even compressing the fingers and no change in shifting. It will go into gear, but with it idled down to the point of nearly dying, it still grinds.

Am I at the point of adjusting the fingers on the pressure plate? Anyone have an idea?

[Duckman328]

Are you trying to shift into gear right away? Or are you pushing in the clutch and waiting 10 seconds (plus), before you try and shift into gear? There are no synchros on these old tractors so if you fire it up and step down on the clutch and then immediately try to put into gear, it is going to growl at you. Just a thought, wasn't sure if you were waiting long enough. Mine does the same thing and this is normal.

[Texas Tony]

Are you trying to shift into gear right away? Or are you pushing in the clutch and waiting 10 seconds (plus), before you try and shift into gear? There are no synchros on these old tractors so if you fire it up and step down on the clutch and then immediately try to put into gear, it is going to growl at you. Just a thought, wasn't sure if you were waiting long enough. Mine does the same thing and this is normal.

I do it like I've done it for years on this one and my other tractors: crank it, pull the throttle down to a low idle and let it warm up a few minutes. No, anybody who cranks a tractor and immediately puts it in gear and takes off in high gear is just asking for problems.

[Urbish]

Are you trying to shift into gear right away? Or are you pushing in the clutch and waiting 10 seconds (plus), before you try and shift into gear? There are no synchros on these old tractors so if you fire it up and step down on the clutch and then immediately try to put into gear, it is going to growl at you. Just a thought, wasn't sure if you were waiting long enough. Mine does the same thing and this is normal.

I do it like I've done it for years on this one and my other tractors: crank it, pull the throttle down to a low idle and let it warm up a few minutes. No, anybody who cranks a tractor and immediately puts it in gear and takes off in high gear is just asking for problems.

I think you missed his point. He was wondering if you're giving it enough time for the transmission guts to stop spinning after depressing the clutch before trying to shift. I think you're referring to letting the tractor warm up before trying to use it.

Regardless, if your clutch is fully disengaging, the only other thing that will keep the transmission guts spinning after pushing in the clutch is a bound up pilot bushing. Did you replace the pilot bushing in the flywheel when you replaced the clutch?

[Duckman328]

Yes, if your pilot bushing is binding up/grabbing then it will keep everything spinning longer possibly never stop so you will get that grind! Get you some spray lubricant and hook/tape a bunch of the red straws together so you can reach up in there and shoot some up there in the pilot bushing and see if that cures your problem.

[Texas Tony]

Are you trying to shift into gear right away? Or are you pushing in the clutch and waiting 10 seconds (plus), before you try and shift into gear? There are no synchros on these old tractors so if you fire it up and step down on the clutch and then immediately try to put into gear, it is going to growl at you. Just a thought, wasn't sure if you were waiting long enough. Mine does the same thing and this is normal.

I do it like I've done it for years on this one and my other tractors: crank it, pull the throttle down to a low idle and let it warm up a few minutes. No, anybody who cranks a tractor and immediately puts it in gear and takes off in high gear is just asking for problems.

I think you missed his point. He was wondering if you're giving it enough time for the transmission guts to stop spinning after depressing the clutch before trying to shift. I think you're referring to letting the tractor warm up before trying to use it.

Regardless, if your clutch is fully disengaging, the only other thing that will keep the transmission guts spinning after pushing in the clutch is a bound up pilot bushing. Did you replace the pilot bushing in the flywheel when you replaced the clutch?

I never thought of the pilot bushing, and no, I didn't replace it when I installed the clutch. I did take a couple of good pictures of the inside of the shaft with the pilot busing before I put everything together and nothing appeared out of line, but then again that's not saying much. I will see if I can get some lube up in there. And if need be, I can split the tractor and pull it back enough to check the bushing. Sorry for missing the point; it happens on occasion with me.

[Texas Tony]

Yes, if your pilot bushing is binding up/grabbing then it will keep everything spinning longer possibly never stop so you will get that grind! Get you some spray lubricant and hook/tape a bunch of the red straws together so you can reach up in there and shoot some up there in the pilot bushing and see if that cures your problem.

I will try this tonight and see if I can make it work. I'll try to check back in here asap and report my findings.

[Texas Tony]

I rigged up some 1/4" hose to a long screwdriver and got it in to the shaft and gave it a good dosing, then let it sit a few minutes and shot some more in there. It still grinds pretty good putting it into gear, but turn it off and step on the clutch and it shifts like butter.

[Duckman328]

I guess next question is, after you initially put it in gear and it grinds, then you drive it and stop, with clutch depressed (dont release) then try and shift to another gear. Does it grind then? Or does it shift without grind?

[Texas Tony]

I guess next question is, after you initially put it in gear and it grinds, then you drive it and stop, with clutch depressed (dont release) then try and shift to another gear. Does it grind then? Or does it shift without grind?

I can only get it into gear with the tractor off, so I guess we've narrowed it down to the pilot bushing. Especially in reverse, when I back up and step on the clutch, I have to step on the brake because it tries to keep moving. That sound like a stuck pilot bushing?

[staninlowerAL]

Did you change the pilot bushing? You will probably have to split the tractor and ream the bushing to the correct size for the input shaft. There was a post on the farmall cub forum a while ago about blocking the tractor up and allowing the input shaft to spin in the bushing. Don't know if that would work with a B.
Edit: I saw another post where you had some work done on the engine at a machine shop. Perhaps they replaced the pilot bushing?

[Duckman328]

Man buddy I am out of guesses too.... Did the bell housing/torque tube go together with the block easy? You didn't pull them together with the bell housing bolts by chance?

[Texas Tony]

Did you change the pilot bushing? You will probably have to split the tractor and ream the bushing to the correct size for the input shaft. There was a post on the farmall cub forum a while ago about blocking the tractor up and allowing the input shaft to spin in the bushing. Don't know if that would work with a B.
Edit: I saw another post where you had some work done on the engine at a machine shop. Perhaps they replaced the pilot bushing?

I doubt the shop replaced it. I really got burned on that deal. Last time I ever let a shop build an engine for me. I may have a head worked or a crank turned, but no more engines built by anyone else but me. I'll just split it and put a new one in if it's sticking. Anyone know of a reputable source for pilot bushings? Maybe the clutch shop that dis my work would have one. I'll check tomorrow.

[Texas Tony]

Man buddy I am out of guesses too.... Did the bell housing/torque tube go together with the block easy? You didn't pull them together with the bell housing bolts by chance?

It went together fine. Got it to within maybe a quarter inch between the bellhousing and the block and them started tightening the bolts and pulled it on in together, but I had my dad on the other side and we tightened the bolts up uniformly and not haphazardly.