HELP - Dino Clutch issue...

It sounds like the cable binding. I recently had a similar issue and had to replace the cable.

Mine would seem to go in cycles. It would bind really badly, then free up and be fine for a little while, then start to bind and gradually get worse and the cycle would repeat itself. When it stuck, the clutch would not engage (pedal would not come back up) unless I banged on the pedal with my foot, then it would pop up suddenly. (I soon learned not to do this with the car in gear!)

A new cable was required in my case because it had gotten so bad, though lubrication might work, if that's your problem. I'll bet it is.

Come to think of it, mine was most noticeable when starting in first and reverse. It was much less noticeable when going through the gears.

 

Not likely. I'd get that one checked out right away. Could be a leaky fuel line. You don't want to mess around with a gasoline leak! Especially on the 70th anniversary of the Hindenburg disaster

How long had the car been laid up for?

 

Check the fuel lines going to the carbs with the engine running to pressurize the system. Look for any fuel weeping out from a junction or from the fuel lines themselves. Also, look at the carbs for any leaks. Bear in mind that if the engine is warm, any leaking fuel will evaporate almost immediately.

It could just be a matter of tightening a clamp.

You wouldn't be likely to see anything under the car because fuel evaporates so readily.

Just to be on the safe side, I'd keep an extinguisher handy...

 

my guess would be the helper spring which "helps" engage & disengage the clutch. It is easy to spot (upper left in engine bay & is a big silver spring). It has a reverse screw on one end of the threaded rod so watch which way you adjust the nut. Also you might want to squirt some tranny fluid (others may have a different lubricant recommendation) in the front end of the clutch cable and take an air hose and blow it into the cable so the fluid gets all the way back. I am not sure about the gas smell.

 

Morry:

Before I restored my Dino, I had this happen. The smell was so strong at times, it made driving unpleasant. You really need to check out the fuel lines. You've got the lines that run to the carbs and between them, the fuel filter canisters, the fuel pumps and the fuel tank crossover tubes. The cavis tubes are particularly prone to cracking. My car is a pleasure to drive since the restoration - particularly because it doesn't smell like gasoline!

 

Morry - unfortunately, the clutch issue may be more involved. The sticking pedal may be a consequence of a sticking cable (read lubricating a sealed and factory-lubricated cable not to be lubricated in the field). However, it may be a result of mal-adjustment of the helper spring, or a sticking throw-out (release) bearing on the output shaft of the transmission, or a binding of the clutch release fork.

None of these issues are monumental, but do require some dirty hands to diagnosis. I suggest that you disconnect the clutch cable from both ends - a major hassle - and 1) see of the cable slides freely in the sheath, 2) see if the pedal moves freely throughout its travel, 3) remove the helper spring and make sure its mechanism is moving freely, and 4) move the release-bearing fork as much as is allowed to see if it is sticking. This is the only way that you will be able to diagnose the problem correctly. Sticking or clicking clutch action is a pain, and I have chased a number of them only to find that I had to do the steps described above to come to a solution.

As far as the gas smell, hope for the simple. Perhaps a snugging-up of the various fuel-line clamps will suffice. However, as mentioned, there are hidden fuel lines that can leak. I had a smell of gas for years (20 years to be exact) in one of my Dinos, only to find the culprit during a recent restoration. There is a steel line that runs on the engine-side of the trunk firewall, from the fuel vapor cannister to the one-way valve (from suspension member to suspension member across the whole engine bay). When I removed this line, after removing the various aluminum heat shields, I found it riddled with holes from rust. I made up a new line, and now the car is without gas smell.

Good luck.

Jim S.

 

Great advice,
Every few months I lubricate the clutch cable with "Tri-flow". I access it from the front bonnet area and the clutch cable has a valley that makes this easy because it carries the lubricant down.

I don't use the cavis tubes for fuel lines that are required for concourse events, but rather use the cloth braided fuel lines from the local european parts stores.