On 23/09/2017 6:39 PM, Chaya Eve wrote:
On Fri, 22 Sep 2017 22:46:09 -0600, rbowman wrote:
At one time I had a generic alignment tool. It had a number of
interchangeable ends for the various pilot bearing sizes, and a tapered
guide to fit various sizes of clutch bores. However they now have very
inexpensive plastic tools for most popular vehicles. iirc the one I got
was $3 or $4.
I have to openly admit I don't understand this step.
None of the DIYs referenced show HOW to do this step.
So it's just something I wrote - but it means as much to me as it would to
a fifth grader.
It really is a case of *I see, I know, I do and I understand*. What you
need to get your head around is the relationship between the flywheel,
the clutch plate and the pressure plate. Sectioned views of a clutch in
operation will help a lot here.
Like this;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b08UA-c0cuc
Note, it shows the pressure plate bolts. Bonus! ;-)
Observe what happens to the clutch plate when the clutch pedal is
depressed. It is no longer clamped between the pressure plate and the
flywheel. It is on the splined input shaft however so is still correctly
located and, more importantly, centred. What would happen if the input
shaft wasn't there? Nothing to centre the clutch plate. That is the
situation you face when you are bolting the pressure plate up to the
flywheel with the clutch plate sandwiched in between. A dummy shaft or
an alignment tool can hold the clutch plate in the exact correct
alignment while you fit up and bolt down the pressure plate. When it's
in the exact centre, you will have no trouble fitting up the gearbox
with its input shaft.
I can imagine that there is a shaft that has long "grooves" in it that has
to fit into "something" that has correspondingly long "opposite grooves" in
it.
Yes, it can indeed be like that - but it doesn't need to be.
But I don't have any feel for why a special "tool" is needed to get the two
sets of matching grooves to line up. I haven't seen any pictures of that
yet nor videos. So it's just words to me at the moment and not an image in
my mind.
The alignment tool comes with the gearbox. It is the input shaft and the
issue arises that it is an *integral part of the gearbox* and attached
rather firmly to it. You need a *temporary input shaft* when assembling
the clutch and pressure plate. That is all the alignment tool is.
--
Xeno