QuestionI have a 1979 Triumph Spitfire. After letting the car sit for a lengthy period of time, I started getting it ready for the road. In trying to move the vehicle, I pressed the clutch pedal to the floor, but had to get out and check something. When I got back in and pressed the clutch pedal it would not depress... no matter how hard I tried. I am presuming either the linkage is stuck or the clutch is rusted in place.
Somebody suggested trying to jump start it on an incline to see if the clutch will then release.
I have not tried this yet. But in the case of having a completely frozen clutch, what can I expect the repair to cost (i.e., parts plus labor assuming clutch has to be replaced, and maybe master cylinder)?
At the moment I have no garage space, so cannot fix myself.
Ideas?
Answerif you try to "shock" the clutch by a roll start on an incline, you need to be able release the clutch to get the car to roll, and then engage the clutch.
Most often, when the driven disk rusts to the flywheel and pressure plate, the clutch can be depressed, but the driven disk isn't "released" because it is rusted to one or the other surface. (or both)
Your problem sounds more like something is binding in the clutch release mechanism. Since the release mechanism is spring loaded (pressure plate) and hydraulic (foot pressure transfer to the lever arm release), the only way it can bind and not move is when something is out of alignment.
If you have tried to force the pedal, and exerted a lot of pressure, you may have further complicated the binding and bent the pushrod in the slave cylinder or pushed the jam "deeper" into whatever is binding.
Trace each piece of the clutch mechanism,
-pedal to clutch master
-slave to clutch release arm
to see if you can determine where it is binding; for example, if you are pressing the pedal, and you can't see the pushrod in the clutch master cylinder attempting to move, the binding may be right there where the pedal and pushrod meet. Check the slave and clutch release arm as well, when pressing the pedal, and see if you see the slave push rod move and attempt to move the clutch release arm.
If the binding isn't obvious that way, the only option may be to pull the tranny, and inspect the clutch release arm. On the opposite side of the bell housing from the the slave cylinder is where the clutch release arm is held in place with a pin. I've seen many a transmission where this has been replaced with a bolt, or some other rod, so I believe they come loose from time to time.
