Uisge Beathe

The last two days or so when my truck is at idle I noticed a "thwacking" sound and figured it was a loose exhaust hanger or something because it's happened before and that's what it sounded like. At idle just a light vibration and a "thwacking" sound and it would go away as soon as I gave it any rpm load above idle. I have been fighting a cold for the last week so I wasn't terribly motivated to go outside and lay on the ground to fiddle with the exhaust. Today it warmed up a bit and I was feeling a little bit better so I inspected the exhaust and that ain't my problem.

250000_yota

Wowie-we-wow...didja get brave enough to shine a flash light in there to see what came loose to make that kinda breather mod?

waskillywabbit

iTrader: (-1)

Something on the inside busted that out by the looks of the break marks. That ain't good.

:wabbit2:

Uisge Beathe

Nope...as you might suspect I was suddenly feeling ill again, for a multitude of reasons. I'm guessing maybe one of the "fingers" on the clutch diaphragm, or some other clutch part, grenaded and as it got wedged into the bellhousing it shot right through. It still shifts fine and drives fine, oddly enough. My truck sure has a "funny" way of telling me it's time for a new clutch. As soon as I'm feeling brave enough to see the consequences I will shine a light in there and poke around with a magnet.

250000_yota

I hate to be the one to tell you, but I think it also might be trying to tell you it's bell housing time...

Uisge Beathe

New bell housing??? Nah...that should buff out. Nothing a piece of wire screen, placed on the inside, and some JB Weld can't fix.

250000_yota

I stand corrected...It will help keep the clutch cool! Might be worried about water/mud gettin in there though...

Ron Helmuth

Wabbit-I'm not questioning your knowledge-but how are you able to tell whether this was an inside out break or damage caused from outside the housing?

My inclination would be that the inner edge of the hole is smaller than the outer-making me think the damage was outside in rather than inside to outside, but I am certainly no mechanic and simply asking to try to learn from this unfortunate situation.

Perhaps if I think about it more logically a large piece of breakage would not fit into the smaller confines of the inner edges is that part of your assesment?

Uisge sorry to see what has happened and I appreciate you sharing the closeups with us to learn from it.

bobby_duce

well atleast ducktape is about the same color! haha wow thats lame tho.

Uisge Beathe

By all means feel free to question my knowledge after all this forum is for the collective greater for everyone to learn by, and I am no expert.

I have only been using my truck as my daily driver so there is absolutely ZERO chance I hit a rock or got hung up on anything. The previous week I was hearing a slight grinding and rattle sound every now and again and I could have sworn it was a bad U-Joint, but I wasn't getting any vibration...just a metal on metal clunk sometimes when I shifted. I was all by myself and trying to stick my head out the window and drive slow with my door open trying to chase down this "ghost in the machine". I remember hearing a sound like a rock hitting the underside of the truck while I was going down the road but didn't think much of it until after the fact. My best conclusion is that some piece of the clutch grenaded and got wedged between the flywheel and punched out the side of the clutch housing.

You can also see that it is a really clean break, like a bullet hole and like you pointed out the inner edge of the hole is smaller in diameter than the outer so it probably went from inside breakage being punched out the housing. The truck still shifts fine and drives fine so my best guess is that it was one or some of the "fingers" on the pressure plate came off and not a clutch spring...plus a spring would have probably just been ground up and continue to rattle in the housing and shift worse.

Next week I should be done with my 3RZ rebuild and will be pulling the engine and putting a new flywheel and clutch in so I will know for sure and post it up.

edit: Oops I need to read that better. You were responding to Wab and I responded...oh well.

Uisge Beathe

Well...you know what they say. If you can't Duck (Duct) it, F*&$ It!!!

I know you say that in jest but when I pull my engine next week and pull the clutch I am considering just putting a piece of wire screen on the inside and globbing a bunch of JB Weld on the outside and remove the screen once it's cured...I know, I know...it's ghetto. I will probably just end up taking it to a shop and have them weld a patch in it though. It's just the clutch housing so long as it keeps water, dirt, debris out it should be fine. I'm gonna try to find one at the junkyard though first. $300+ for a new one just isn't in the cards at the moment.

BigBallsMcFalls

whatever blew out, there are certainly stress risers left inside elsewhere and those
will really grenade when they let go. best to stop driving and fix it fully.

TheDurk

Full size tractors often have an inspection plate on the bell housing you can put your hand through. You could probably put one right on. Here's a Clutch Inspection Plate on eBay for $22 that goes on a Farmall Cub prepainted in beautiful IH Red. You might need to shorten the crossbar in back, and slather it with RTV to fill the void, but it will cover that hole for the next 60 years (lots of 60-year old Farmalls out there.)

Then maybe some IH decals and a single bottom plow on the receiver hitch and you have a whole new driving experience.

Uisge Beathe

Geez...some help you are...IH Clutch Inspection Plate...what a joke!!!

Now, had you said to use an Allis Chalmers plate then it would be a completely viable option. You're probably right about having to slather it up with some RTV, water crossings would be my concern. Actually...since I live in the desert I guess dust/dirt should be my concern.

Uisge Beathe

Finally pulled the motor and found the culprit for my clutch breather mod.







You can see where the "finger" was rattling around and chewing up the pressure plate.

atistang

lol, how many miles were on that clutch?

I get concerned with mine, when i shift at 4500-5000 you can feel the clutch pedal vibrating big time, i'm just waiting on something like this to happen

Uisge Beathe

I'm not actually sure how many miles were on the clutch, it's was still in there from the previous owner, and I have driven it about an additional year. I currently have about 296,500k on the clock so I'm pretty darn sure it's not the original. This damage is nothing though compared to the condition of the motor. I just pulled that bad boy out to swap in a "new" 3RZ I rebuilt. Pulled the oil pan and that sucker is full of copper, 4 burnt and/or warped exhaust valves, cracked exhaust manifold, practically seized alternator, idler pulleys shot...the list of carnage goes on.

VA07

IIRC the bell housing is an aluminum/magnesium casting, so welding will not be an option.

Uisge Beathe

That's a good point. I got one shipped from a wrecking yard in Idaho that I found on car-part.com, couldn't find one locally.

NOTE: If you are looking for a part on car-part.com and you find a few wrecking yards with prices considerably less than what everyone else is asking, chances are it's still on the vehicle and they are going to charge you at least another $50-$60 (minimum) to pull it, not to mention they get to it when they get to it. Just something to keep in mind.