Does the clutch have to be depressed?

[christopher]

Hello Gentlemen,

I'm going ot tackle my shift linkage alignment today, but first a silly question: Should I depress the clutch while going through the gears (in the cabin) to insure that the alignment is correct?

Thank you!

Chris.

[Irishman]

For what it's worth I found it pretty hard to shift during this procedure without depressing the clutch -- perhaps due to no fluid? Doesn't seem like you could much damage anyways.

Something you might consider if you have not done so already is disconnect the battery.

Seamus

[Serpent Driver]

The tranny is "free'er" when depressing the clutch, so yes you should do it.

[Irishman]

Didn't think this was worth it's own thread so I'm posting again here...

So, I am driving again. My experience:

1. If you have not already cleaned the gaskets, you're in for a chore if they are old. I probably spent a couple hours on that off an on over several days. Plus, you have to be careful of the soft aluminum on the tranny side.

2. The information here is pretty good. But, you really have to pull the cover off to see how things work the first time you do this job.

3. Speaking of how things work, reading about manual transmissions at howstuffworks.com is pretty cool. Then when you look at your 308 transmission it makes total sense.

4. The factory method of setting the alignment works great.

5. The idea posted here about using 3/8" fuel hose to fill via gravity is much easier than any of the pumps I have used in the past.

6. I think the most critical part of the job is at the turnbuckle. You have to tighten, and I mean *really* tighten, the aft locking nut. And, you must remember that it's a left-hand thread. After it is tight, then you need to tighten the front locking nut. Then, you need to check the operation again at the shift gate because it's easy for things to shift at this step.

I've tried to learn to be careful about overtightening and just snugging things most the time. But, if you don't get that aft nut tight enough you'll lose the selectors and depending upon where you are at the time it could really ruin your day.

Seamus

[ClydeM]

Originally Posted by Seamus

...3. Speaking of how things work, reading about manual transmissions at howstuffworks.com is pretty cool. Then when you look at your 308 transmission it makes total sense.

Revell use to make the "Visibile V8" which was a slick model to build. But they also made a Visible V8 Chasis which included a working manual transmission & Clutch. I built both as a 10 year old kid & didn't really appreciate them. I REALLY wish they still made the Chasis. I understand both molds were destroyed in a fire, but they were able to re-engineer the V8 on store shelves today but not the chasis.

[DGS]

Originally Posted by christopher

Does the clutch have to be depressed?
I'm going ot tackle my shift linkage alignment today, but first a silly question: Should I depress the clutch while going through the gears (in the cabin) to insure that the alignment is correct?

This may be a day or two late, but think about what the gearbox does. The output shaft is linked (through the diff) to the rear wheels, so if the car is on the ground, that won't turn easily. The input shaft is linked through the clutch to the engine, so if the plugs are in the engine and the clutch is engaged, that shaft won't turn easily either.

So, do the teeth align in every gear, or will the shafts have to turn a bit?

If neither the input nor output shafts will turn easily, it might be hard to select gears when the synchros can't work.

Oh, and the obligatory smart-alec response: alignment should cheer the clutch up.