The pressure plate is mounted in a stamped steel casing 3 (Fig. 6.1), attached with six bolts to the engine flywheel 1. The driven disk 2 is mounted on the splines of the primary shaft of the gearbox and is clamped by a diaphragm spring 4 between the flywheel and the pressure plate.
Fig. 6.1. Clutch: 1 - flywheel; 2 - slave disk; 3 - clutch housing with pressure plate; A - diaphragm spring
Bearing 8 (Fig. 6.2) of the clutch release is structurally combined with the working cylinder 6 of the clutch release drive, attached with three bolts to the clutch housing 1.
Fig. 6.2. Bearing and slave cylinder of the clutch release hydraulic drive: 1 - clutch housing; 2, 4, 7 - bolts for fastening the working cylinder of the clutch release hydraulic drive; 3 - primary shaft of the gearbox; 5 - intermediate pipe of the clutch release hydraulic drive; 6 - clutch release hydraulic drive slave cylinder; 8 - clutch release bearing
The hydraulic clutch release drive consists of the following elements...
...the master cylinder installed in the engine compartment...
...working cylinder b (see fig. 6.2), combined with the clutch release bearing...
...a pipeline consisting of a tube and a hose (for clarity, the pipeline is shown from below the vehicle)...
...and the clutch pedal, the bracket of which is attached with nuts to the body's front shield. The pedal is returned to its original position by spring A.
The rod B of the main cylinder of the clutch release drive is connected to the pedal A by the pin B, inserted into the holes of the pedal and the rod fork and secured from axial movement by a spring retainer.
The master cylinder is connected by a hose to a reservoir mounted on the master brake cylinder (the reservoir is common for both main cylinders), The hydraulic clutch release drive uses brake fluid. The clutch release drive can be adjusted during operation.
Helpful tips: To ensure that the clutch serves you for a long time and without failure, do not keep your foot on the clutch pedal all the time. This bad habit is often acquired during driving lessons at driving schools out of fear of not having time to disengage the clutch when the car stops. In addition to the rapid fatigue of the foot, which is always above the pedal, the clutch is slightly pressed, and the driven disk slips and wears out. In addition, although the release bearing is designed to operate in a constant rotation mode, when the pedal is pressed slightly, it is under increased load, and its service life is reduced.
For the same reason, we do not recommend keeping the clutch in the disengaged position for a long time (for example, in traffic jams). If you don't have to move off right away, it's better to put the gearbox in neutral and release the pedal.
Clutch slippage can be easily determined by the tachometer. If, while driving, when you sharply press the accelerator pedal, the revs increase sharply, and then drop a little and the car begins to accelerate, the clutch requires repair.
(The article is reprinted from the website: chevyman)