RiderRocketman
Supercharged
The other day when I dropped off the new clutch parts at the dealer I took a snapshot of my open engine case. Here is my Mistress' innards with some things pointed out for your enjoyment. I've been reading the service manual and trying to figure out how all these parts work, so here's my best interpretation.
When your engine is running, the main crank gear is always turning and in turn run the oil and water pumps, alternator (not pictured - in rear of engine), cam shafts and anything else connected to the crank shaft and gear either directly or via chains.
I'm not sure what that large bearing on the left is for, but I'm thinking it holds the balancer rod, which stabilizes the triple engine. Engines with even numbers of cylinders (2,4,6,etc...) don't need a balancer as the movement of the pistons negate one another, but in a triple we don't have that natural balance so a balancer rod is used to keep things stable. Otherwise the engine would shake itself apart.
That main drive bar is where the clutch assembly sits (below).
You can see in the top photos the entire clutch assembly all together. Those big primary drive and backlash eliminator gears (snapshot 6) you see connected to the outer drum mesh directly with the main crank gear, so the outer drum is also always rotating when the engine is running.
In snapshot 2 you see six big springs. These are not the clutch springs that you'd replace, such as with Barnett clutch springs. These are actually there to dampen the torsional forces when the clutch is engaged.
I don't show the replaceable clutch springs here but in snapshot 3 you can see the 5 bolts which hold those springs in place and in turn hold the clutch plates tight. In snapshot 4 the inner drum is removed and you can see the clutch plates sandwiched inbetween the front pressure plate and back plate. Those sandwiched plates are the ones you'd replace.
Now how the clutch works to engage the transmission...
I think I need some help from a real gearhead as I can't seem to figure out how it really works.
Logically, the inner drum that houses all those plates is the part that connects to the transmission's drive bar. When the clutch is disengaged, the inner drum and plates are pulled out so they don't contact the outer drum and rotate with it. But the plates and inner drum mesh with the outer so I'm wondering how the plates disengage from the outer drum.
It might be that the Backlash Eliminator Gear (the thinner of the two large gears in snapshot 6) also pulls back with the plates and so disengages the transmission. Anyone know how that clutch assembly really work?
When your engine is running, the main crank gear is always turning and in turn run the oil and water pumps, alternator (not pictured - in rear of engine), cam shafts and anything else connected to the crank shaft and gear either directly or via chains.
I'm not sure what that large bearing on the left is for, but I'm thinking it holds the balancer rod, which stabilizes the triple engine. Engines with even numbers of cylinders (2,4,6,etc...) don't need a balancer as the movement of the pistons negate one another, but in a triple we don't have that natural balance so a balancer rod is used to keep things stable. Otherwise the engine would shake itself apart.
That main drive bar is where the clutch assembly sits (below).
You can see in the top photos the entire clutch assembly all together. Those big primary drive and backlash eliminator gears (snapshot 6) you see connected to the outer drum mesh directly with the main crank gear, so the outer drum is also always rotating when the engine is running.
In snapshot 2 you see six big springs. These are not the clutch springs that you'd replace, such as with Barnett clutch springs. These are actually there to dampen the torsional forces when the clutch is engaged.
I don't show the replaceable clutch springs here but in snapshot 3 you can see the 5 bolts which hold those springs in place and in turn hold the clutch plates tight. In snapshot 4 the inner drum is removed and you can see the clutch plates sandwiched inbetween the front pressure plate and back plate. Those sandwiched plates are the ones you'd replace.
Now how the clutch works to engage the transmission...
I think I need some help from a real gearhead as I can't seem to figure out how it really works.
Logically, the inner drum that houses all those plates is the part that connects to the transmission's drive bar. When the clutch is disengaged, the inner drum and plates are pulled out so they don't contact the outer drum and rotate with it. But the plates and inner drum mesh with the outer so I'm wondering how the plates disengage from the outer drum.
It might be that the Backlash Eliminator Gear (the thinner of the two large gears in snapshot 6) also pulls back with the plates and so disengages the transmission. Anyone know how that clutch assembly really work?