As one who has brought back to life a few apparently comatose`d if not dead cars, I found the easiest method for me to release a "stuck clutch" was to get the rear axle up on STRONG axle stands...... After the engine has been warmed up to close to normal running temp, just put it in gear, bring the speed up and with some careful heel and toeing, hold the clutch down and hit the brakes hard, this method has till now always worked though on occasion more than one attempt has been found necessary.

To polish the rust off the flywheel, when back on the deck I just sit at the clutches "point of contact" for a short time thus very lightly polishing the faces by slipping the clutch. It is possible to expand on this method by jamming the clutch actuating mechanism in order to free your feet from the necessity to heel and toe should such dance steps be found difficult to those born with feet unsuitable to such intricacies within the confines of a Morgan footwell.

It may be worth while to note that "my method" is best not tried in an enclosed space, due to the fume implications, and perhaps it is wise not to be pointing at anything "hard" should you use an unsuitable method of keeping the rear wheels free of the deck......Enough said (typed) ?

FREEING A FROZEN CLUTCH II
from the Chicagoland MG Club

When a manual transmission vehicle is placed in storage the fiber of the clutch disc is held captive, under considerable force, between the flywheel face and the pressure plate. From just normal operation, the friction surfaces of both the flywheel and the pressure plate are highly polished and are prone to rusting out when out of use for even a few short, consecutive weeks.

This accumulation of rust is accelerated when the parts are subject to extreme changes in temperature and humidity, as is the case when the car is stored in an unheated garage over the winter. It is little wonder therefore, that at the end of an extended storage period the flywheel, clutch disc and pressure plate are often found to be fused together by rust into what seems to be a solid unit. This makes it appear that the crankshaft is permanently connected to the input shaft of the transmission, since no amount of pumping the clutch pedal will cause the clutch disc to disengage.

At this point the object of the sport is to free the clutch disc while simultaneously subjecting all the components to minimum levels of mechanical stress. To this end the car, while still in the driveway or garage, is prepared as follows. With the transmission in neutral the engine is started and such tune-up tasks as required are performed to obtain a reasonably smooth idle. The engine is allowed to warm up so that it starts easily and reliably. Then the engine is switched OFF and the car is taken to a "safe" location such as an empty parking lot or field, so that should it lurch forward unexpectedly during the clutch freeing operation there will be no objects in front of the car into which it might collide. (You really do not want to be featured on America's Funniest Home Videos!) Now, get down to business with the following suggested procedure:

1. With the engine and parking brake OFF and the vehicle pointed in a safe direction, use a gas station type hydraulic jack to lift both rear wheels so they are clear of the ground by about two inches.

2. The driver then climbs into the car and confirms that there are no obstacles or people in front of the vehicle.

3. With the engine and parking brake still OFF, the transmission is shifted into high gear.

4. The engine is started and throttled up to a constant tachometer reading of about 1500 rpm.

5. The driver depresses the clutch pedal and KEEPS IT DEPRESSED.

6. With the clutch pedal depressed the brakes (parking or foot pedal, it doesn't matter which) are GENTLY applied. If the rust bond between the flywheel and the clutch disc is fairly weak, the clutch disc should pop free during light to medium braking.

          A.) Brakes should not be applied excessively hard or allowed to slip for extended periods because this will only overheat the shoes and drums unnecessarily. However, we do have a back-up plan!

          B.) If the clutch disc does not come free after a few gentle attempts as described thus proceed to more drastic measures as offered in step 7 and here you will need an assistant!

7. Confirm that the following conditions are extant:

          * Engine is at 1500 rpm
          * Clutch pedal is depressed fully
          * Transmission is in high gear
          * Rear wheels are off the ground and turning
          * NO obstacles are in front of the car
          * Driver is prepared to stop vehicle and switch engine off immediately!

Your assistant "snaps" open the valve of the hydraulic jack and the rear of the car drops to the ground. Because the clutch pedal is depressed, only rust is holding the clutch disc to the flywheel. When the rear wheels hit the ground the engine attempts to move the car forward (transmission in high gear remember?) but the rust bond between the clutch disc and the flywheel breaks under the torque load. The clutch disc should break away from the flywheel with the finesse comparable to that of an experienced child who can separate an Oreo cookie from the white stuff without generating a crumb!

This method is gentle and effective even if step 7 must be repeated (a rare situation) because the vehicle is never subjected to the "irresistible force meeting an immovable object scenario", since the car can move forward should the clutch disc not break free when the rear wheels hit the ground.

This technique is by no means new! As a matter of interest my first encounter with this problem was during World War II (1943) when my father decided to resurrect a 1929 Model A Ford Coupe which had been languishing for years with a collection of outdated, horse drawn farm machinery in a dilapidated shed on our farm!
 

CVH 4/4 CLUTCH ISSUE
by Lorne Goldman & Ben Duncan

The clutch mechanism on these cars contains a Morgan-only part. It has a habit of failing, creating a dragging clutch (hard or impossible to shift). Look at the diagram attached. The assembly at "A" is the guilty party. It is a tube with two metal plates attached to it. One is upright and connected to the pedal through adjustable threaded post. The second, in the diagram, is canted forward and it is here the cable is attached.

The plates, especially the one indicated as "A" detaches from the tube. When that happens, you effectively have no clutch. However, it is hard to ascertain as, at a glance, all often looks fine with it. You need two people, one at the pedal and another watching in the front to see what is happening (if anything) when the pedal is depressed.

If the part is not available from the MMC, it can be fabricated by a machinist or contact Ben.

More from Andrew Moore and Andrew Green

IF the CVH arrangement is as the preceding crossflow, there might be some free-play that may confuse even experienced mechanics! My recollection is that, to achieve the correct free-play at the pedal and hence correct engagement and disengagement of the clutch, ALL free-play is adjusted out of the cable by those nuts at the bell-housing. Therefore it would be worth checking that one.

Pull out rubber boot from bellhousing and slide back along cable,exposing cable adjustment nuts at cable end. Grasp outer case of cable and pull forward to take up any free-play in the cable .If there is no free-play, all is well and the boot can be replaced. If there is free-play (to be felt and seen), continue to pull cable forward, whilst turning the adjusting nut (nearest the bellhousing) down the adjuster thread until it contacts The cable bush in the bellhousing. Tighten the locknut up behind the adjusting nut without disturbing the adjusting nut position. Any free-play previously in the cable is thus taken up. Refit the rubber boot. A five minute check that might just do the trick ! Do hope this helps. I think 2X 17mm spanners are needed to adjust the free play at the rubber boot.