34 Won't Go Into Gear.

[WBF]

My 34 will not go into gear, it just grinds hard. I can put it in gear with the car not running then start it up to move it but then it won't come out of gear unless I shut it off. A few months ago I reattached the pedal valve for the Columbia rear-end due to it coming unattached at the ball and socket joint (it was unattached for several years before i fixed it). At that time the car wasn't in running order after I fixed the pedal valve. I just got the car running this past weekend and that's when I found out it wouldn't shift. It shifted fine the last time it was running. Could it be the pedal valve for the rear end causing this issue?

[Bob C]

If it's been sitting for a fairly long time the clutch disc may be stuck to the flywheel.

[glennpm]

Bob beat me to it.

Is it possible when you where fixing the Columbia clamp that the clutch clevis pin was pulled and when put back together, the clutch arm is bound solid and not letting the clutch all the way released?

[glennpm]

Oh, warm up the car well and then shut it off. Put the transmission in first and start it up.
The rust bond between the clutch and flywheel will break, kind of a BIG impact wrench.

[WBF]

Originally Posted by glennpm

Bob beat me to it.

Is it possible when you where fixing the Columbia clamp that the clutch clevis pin was pulled and when put back together, the clutch arm is bound solid and not letting the clutch all the way released?

I'm not sure, maybe. I'll disconnect the pedal valve this weekend and see if that solves my problem.

[WBF]

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Originally Posted by Bob C

If it's been sitting for a fairly long time the clutch disc may be stuck to the flywheel.

The clutch is operational. If I put it in gear before starting, then after starting it I can release the clutch pedal to slowly back it out of the garage. The last time I had a stuck clutch on a different 34 I had to put the rear up on jack stands to start it.

[alanwoodieman]

adjust the clutch if this does not fix the problem, go old school and go down the road and slip the clutch to burn off rust/oil

[glennpm]

Originally Posted by WBF

I'm not sure, maybe. I'll disconnect the pedal valve this weekend and see if that solves my problem.

You don't have to disconnect the Columbia strap around the clutch arm. You need to adjust the clutch rod to make sure you have 1/16 to 1/8" clearance. Youu may have inadvertently turned the clutch rod clevis, extending it a bit such that the clutch isn't being fully released.

[Terry,OH]

Do you have about 1/2 to 3/4" of free play, at the pedal pad, before the throw out bearing touches the pressure plate fingers? Suggest removing the wood floor board and see whats going on. Can you depress the clutch fully to the floor?

[WBF]

Originally Posted by glennpm

You don't have to disconnect the Columbia strap around the clutch arm. You need to adjust the clutch rod to make sure you have 1/16 to 1/8" clearance. Youu may have inadvertently turned the clutch rod clevis, extending it a bit such that the clutch isn't being fully released.

That did the trick. However, I didn't have to adjust the clutch linkage, instead I had to adjust the linkage to the pedal valve for the Columbia. It's a threaded rod with a turn buckle on one end with a ball socket. I backed off the nut that locks against the turn buckle, then adjusted the rod in about an 1/8 of an inch to allow the stroke of the clutch linkage to extend further. Now I'm back in business, and it glides into gear as Smooth as silk, again. Now I just need to fix the accelerator pump from sticking and not allowing the gas pedal to return, and hopefully it'll be drivable.

Thanks for the help!

[WBF]

Thanks to everyone for your input.

[glennpm]

Great!

[Terry,OH]

There is an adjustment procedure for the valve shaft travel. It uses the indented ring around the valve shift as an indicator for proper adjustment. I can most likely look it up if you don't have it.