Clutch Issues, 1926, 4 cyl, 12 v

[old_truck_nut]

I have recently acquired a 1926 DB Roadster (4 cyl, 12 V). The car has been out of service for some years. I got the engine running well, but then found the clutch was stuck. I push started the engine, depressed the clutch and the brake and broke the clutch free. I adjusted the clutch for max release, however there is still enough friction to spin the transmission to make it impossible to shift into gear while the car is stopped. I have slipped the clutch to remove rust and friction, all to no avail. Does anyone have any suggestions on a solution to this problem?

Whitney

Orinda, CA

[nearchoclatetown]

I think they were still useing MULTI disc clutches in '26. Perhaps you only broke ONE disc loose. My '24 has a cover at the top of the bellhousing that exposes the discs when taken off. If someone holds in the pedal you can use a prybar to make sure all the discs are free from each other and slide on the input shaft.MAybe a can of brake clean would help too, as oil can make them stick together, causeing your shifting troubles.

[dbtravis]

I had the exact same thing happen on my 1920 touring. I asked about it here on the discussion forum. I removed the cover plate and made sure that all the disks were able to be separated from one another when the clutch pedal is depressed. If one sticks, free it using a screw driver on the metal part (not clutch material part) and LIGHTLY tap it with a hammer a few times. After you are sure that every disk is free from the one next to it, I took Brake-Clean and used the little red straw to direct it down into the clutch and spray as much as possible on each clutch face, separating the individual disks as I went along. I REALLY soaked it; I used two entire bottles of Brake-Clean! Just make sure that the little red straw is really tight into the spray head so that it won't fly off and get lost down there!

After doing this, the difference in ability to get it into gear was like night and day. ANY DB seems to grind the gears a little when going from neutral into drive, however this remedy made it MUCH better. Also - make sure that the idle speed isn't set too high. A lower idle speed always helps too!