| Author | Message | ||
| magoo (Magoo)
Advanced Member Username: Magoo Post Number: 2739 Registered: 2-2001 |
Bill, Well said, You answered as I would have. | ||
| Andrew (Mrrou)
Member Username: Mrrou Post Number: 312 Registered: 3-2002 |
as hot as my girlfriend  | ||
| Bill Sebestyen (Bill308)
Junior Member Username: Bill308 Post Number: 225 Registered: 5-2001 |
John, I don't believe the temperature of the clutch housing is a good indication of the condition of your clutch. Water circulation, oil circulation, and the excellent heat conduction of aluminum, ensures relatively uniform temperatures throughout the assembly, after a full warm up, and especially after shutdown. Any temperature gradients present during running, will fairly rapidly equalize, after shut down. Anything bolted to the engine, will tend to converge to the same temperature. Have you tried comparing the temperature of the clutch housing to the temperature of the block at various places, after a full warm up (i.e. thermostat fully open for a period of time)? Slippage at the clutch, will generate a lot of heat, but I don�t believe you will be able to ascertain the source of this heat from the exterior surface of the casting. This heat will be transferred to the surrounding casting and the engine assembly if it is cooler. On a per pound basis, aluminum will store roughly twice as much heat as steel, at the same temperature. This means, aluminum will take longer to heat up and will also retain temperature longer. This long retention of heat allows ample time for it to flow to cooler portions of the engine/gearbox assembly. | ||
| John J Stecher (Jjstecher)
Junior Member Username: Jjstecher Post Number: 208 Registered: 1-2002 |
Mitch - I understand the physics behind how a clutch works and the heat that would be generated from a slipping clutch that is why I am asking the question because I want to know what the general concensus of heat on the bell housing would be so that I could compare it to mine to see if it is being generated from the slipping of the clutch, the exhaust radiation, engine block temp, or one of the other couple hundred things. I am trying to figure out where I stand with the clutch and how I might be able to tell in the future from bell housing temps if the clutch is going again with out having to pull the whole housing off....about a 2 hour job as compared to touching the housing that takes 5 seconds. | ||
| Mitch Alsup (Mitch_alsup)
New member Username: Mitch_alsup Post Number: 48 Registered: 4-2002 |
Well--welcome to physics C-01-- Anytime power is put through the clutch while its in the friction zone, the clutch generates heat--lots of it. A slipping clutch cannot get out of the friction zone (locked up) so it disipates heat all the time. A properly locked up clutch will not product any heat (although the surrounding bearings will generate minor amounts of heat. A clutch is just like a brake except its static position is locked up not disengaged. Both work on the same principle of sliding friction surfaces with a normal force controling the generation/transmission of power. As to touching the clutch housing on my F355 after a run, it was hot but not so hot I couldn't begin to work on it. But my guess is that a lot of the heat in the clutch got there by a) conduction from the transmission, b) radiation from the muffler, c) thrust friction on the bearings. | ||
| John J Stecher (Jjstecher)
Junior Member Username: Jjstecher Post Number: 207 Registered: 1-2002 |
This maybe a personal question to some people!! Now that I have come to the place in my F-cars life that I must replace the clutch I was wondering if anyone else has actually touched the clutch housing on a car like a 348,355,360 where it is easily accessable and noticed how HOT it was! Before my clutch went out I was able to touch the bell housing an hour after a drive and the housing was still very warm to the touch....has anyone else experienced this or if any one is taking their F-car out for a drive this week when you get home just reach under and see what she feels like for me (Hopefully it wont feel to violated). I'm just curious because I find it amazing that the clutch gets that HOT!! |