Technical clutch chatter

my 55 ford wagon has severe clutch chatter , your thoughts would be appreciated Fred

 

Thoughts AND prayers to you and your clutch.

 

Hot spots on flywheel most likely.

 

There are lots of possible causes...oil on the clutch facing, uneven pressure plate engagement (stuff worn inside), loose motor mounts, loose pedal linkage, in addition to hot spots on the flywheel or pressure plate, also pilot bushing condition.

 

Squirrel pretty much covered it all. Good luck finding which one. Time to pull it all apart.

 

Probably not the case but I had a 65 El Camino years ago that kept going through clutches, pressure plates and even a flywheel due to chatter on takeoff. Finally a friend of my dads who was a mechanic had me take it out on a parking lot and drive slowly in a circle. I could feel the car sort of waddle. He told me to get some GM posi treatment. No more clutch problems.

 

I have played with manual trans Fords all my adult life , they seem to the worst for chatter . I found the flywheel from the factory has very slight cone shape to it to help chatter . Also the wave plate between the clutch discs are much greater on OEM discs than aftermarket discs . It could many things as Mr Squirrel has suggested . Weak rear springs are a killer also , as well soft body mounts . My OT , Power Wagon has a super HD puck disc , it’s very similar to a tractor engaged or disengaged , you try to ease it out slowly and a trip to the dentist isn’t far off .

 

If it's still got the Y-Block engine, probably leaky rear main seal, getting oil on the clutch.

 

Or broken or missing hub springs on the clutch disk.

 

What we used to do years ago-------Bumper up to a solid wall & let the clutch out slowly & let the unit burn in about 5 seconds, repeat as needed.

 

Sure fire way to hot spot a pressure plate & flywheel
IMO ...

 

Being your talking about a wagon,has it had a trailer hitch? If so,that's more likely too of burned plate n the cutch<warped them,an hot spot flywheel.
Are all your mounts good?
Just on the off shot=Did you just put in a new drive shaft?< it could be too long,if so,you get a banging sound too,as it hits bottom in side the tailshaft.

 

Lowering blocks can cause chatter also. It's actually spring wrap not in the clutch at all.

 

This !

 

YMMV; but every time I tried that it made things worse...

 

Then its "Ohaul" time!

 

Some brands of clutch plates are prone to chatter. In Fords I always used genuine Ford clutch plates in my Fords. Fords seem to be more prone to chatter. Sometimes you can do everything right and the clutch will still chatter.






Bones

 

few cars ever built are easier to change the clutch....just do it.

 

I had a '65 Ford pickup with horrible clutch chatter caused by weak rear springs.

 

It's interesting to me how stuff that at first glance might not seem to be related can cause other problems. Clutch chatter didn't think of that. Roached leaf springs also cause all kinds of braking and handling problems. Will trash shocks out right away too.