Marlin Crawler HD clutch nightmare

[yotadawgjr]

Marlin Crawler HD (95-04 1200lb kit) clutch installed by my mechanic last OCT, discovered weird click in pedal action in NOV and also clutch fork was twisting (had another garage check, was away from hometown when it happened). But still "working" fine at that point aside from the click in the travel. Had my mecanic check it out then, but he attributed to old clutch fork and wear on pivot point. Left as is, then really started giving me trouble in the spring. Creeping intermittently at traffic lights and difficult to get in/out of gear when parking. Thought it was finally fixed when my mechanic went back in yesterday and discovered broken retaining spring, so he swapped out the TO bearing/spring and fork to OEM. Marlin spring had broken on one side or TO bearing. But still trouble ...I had even had my mechanic install a new master master / slave for OEM a month ago in hopes of not having to pull tranny. So only remaining used parts are the les then 1 yr old Pressure Plate and Disk... Mechanic wants me to drive a bit more now that TO bearing is sitting correctly on pressure plate, in hopes that it will correct itself. He says the broken spring may caused the pressure plate to warp slightly. Creeping is minimal and intermittent, no clutch burning, same feel as when at the very edge of friction point, but it's enough to make it difficult to get out of 1st and reverse when parking. What should I do? Already spent the labour on x2 clutch jobs at this point, Feeling a bit let down by my mechanic of many years... why didn't he check the disk and pressure plate while he was in there?? Marlin said they will exchange parts if they deem defective, but have to send them first and evidently have my truck sit again. I'd like to think the problem will self remedy, and I'm sure my mechanic and Marlin would too BUT...

 

[ajordan1975]

adjust the clutch pedal...
this might help
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-gen-t4rs/119315-clutch-adjustment.html

 

[marcus clarkus]

Also, give the clutch pedal bracket and bushings a good look over. Make sure the bushings are still intact. You can do this while doing the clutch pedal adjustment. My pedal clicks sometimes and it's from having too much slop in the beginning of the stroke -- when the pedal actually engages with the master cylinder push rod there is metal slapping against metal that makes a clicking noise.

 

[Tyler James Inc]

Marlin uses OEM Aisin/SECO clutch disc and pressure plate, with NSK and Koyo bearings.
They just put the kits together, so the title "MC Clutch Nightmare" is a little misleading- making it sound like Marlin is to blame.
Anyway, it sounds like your mechanic is somewhat incompetent, and you need to find a competent mechanic to diagnose your issue. As far as I understand, the retaining spring on the TO bearing is just to keep it in place during install. Once it's installed, it is sandwiched between the the PP fingers and fork- with quite a bit of pressure.
If your fork failed, I can see that causing your spring to break, but the spring didn't break on its own and cause your issues.
You said "swapped fork and TO bearing and retaining spring to OEM"- was the fork not already an OEM fork?
I'm not sure where the disconnect is, but- like I said- it sounds like your mechanic is incompetent.

 

[Jhelms]

Indeed - a worn pivot ball / clutch fork is what sounds like started your whole mess. And it sure will do it too. I do not see this as a marlin crawler issue. I see this as a mechanic issue as he did not inspect both parts in detail before re-assembly.

A painful lesson as most places and even shops do not tell you that with every clutch job - you should ALWAYS replace both. MANDATORY on every clutch I have done or have paid to have done. New techs look at me like I am crazy - experience is key. Worn pivot balls cause alignment issues, release issues, can twist the TOB and gouge things up and eventually punch a hole right through the fork. Has happened to me - seen it happen countless times.

 

[Kanoe]

- you should ALWAYS replace both. MANDATORY on every clutch I have done or have paid to have done.

I didn't even know you could replace the ball, had to look up the parts diagram. Good to know. Must remember this for when mine needs doing. Thanks for sharing!