Not my 7. This time it's my Bedford CF Camper. Been religeously starting her up and working the clutch to avoid this but it seems a couple of weeks lapse and I'm caught out.

Problem is I can't do the towing thing as there is a muddy field between van and road. However I'd like to free it off before it gets any worse. Preferably without having to pull the gearbox off again.

Anyone got any bright ideas. Won't turn over on the starter with the clutch depressed. Wondered about poking the nozzle of my steam cleaner into the bell housing to get a bit of heat on it but if that doesn't work it'll just make matters worse.

If you can get the driven wheels of ground and on axle stands under chassis and start vehicle in gear and keep pressing clutch up and whilst in gear and applying the brakes when clutch peddle is down.Hope fully this should do the trick.

Start the engine in neutral and run it up to temperature to get it hot. Then try starting in first with the clutch in.

How about jacking the back of the car up getting it going nice and fast (wheels off the ground) then press down the clutch fully slam on the brakes. Wheels should stop spinning round ASAP, momentum of the flywheel should unstick it....

Not sure if it'd work but better than any of my other ideas!!

Other ideas are a bit scary Like jack the back of the car on a trolley jack up get to 90mph in 5th gear and then get someone to suddenly let down the trolley jack... That would unstick it. Either that or it would rip the rear axle off

Doh. Too slow.

Hope this helps
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!

Simply drill a hole in the bell housing - get someone to depress the clutch - insert long flat screwdriver and prise apart......

IIRC the CF has a removable lower cover on the bell housing. You may be able to slacken the clutch bolts and release the plate without taking the box out.

Jack one back wheel up, rev it till it gets warm then stick it in gear and brake with the accelerator still pressed. Don't do like I did, cram it in gear on the overrun with the wheels still on the floor. It released the clutch after I knocked my bike through the shed door and split the nosecone on the car

Have the missus putting her foot on the clutch pedal and depress it, stick a screwdriver inbetween the clutch and the flywheel and/or if it's stuck to the presureplate inbetween those, wiggle softly (the screwdriver that is), turn the crank a quarter with a wrench on the front pully bolt, repeat till you've had 360 degrees, and it's loose again.

had that with the x-flow a couple of times after the winterly hybernation period.

I got the screwdriver in through the clutchfork hole. otherwise drill a hole like John said. but by all means don't pull the box off far to much work for something this stupid.

grtz Thomas

If not too much sticky.

1. push down clutch-pedal
2. brakes on
3. chose highest gear
4. start engine shortly(not too long!)

If you lucky it will release.

Thanks Lads!

The jacking up back end and braking thing did the trick a treat!

Mike

Now find some way to keep the pedal pressed to the floor while parked up

Does this not weaken the springs?

Not if you fully depres tje clutch, the springs will then be over their dead spot.

grtz Thomas