What is Clutch Free Play?
1 Answers
Clutch free play refers to the gap between the driven disc's front and rear end faces and the surfaces of the flywheel and pressure plate after the clutch is disengaged. During clutch operation, the driven disc wears and becomes thinner, reducing the free play. If the clutch free play is too small, it can lead to incomplete disengagement. Conversely, if it is too large, the friction coefficient between the friction plate and the driven disc increases, causing accelerated wear and potential burning of the friction plate. Below are the functions of clutch free play: As the clutch disc wears and becomes thinner during use, the pressure plate and driven disc move toward the flywheel under spring pressure to compensate. This causes the inner end of the release lever to move in the opposite direction accordingly. If there is no pre-set gap, the release lever cannot move backward, preventing the clutch from fully engaging and resulting in transmission slippage. This not only reduces the clutch's torque transmission efficiency but also accelerates wear on the clutch disc, release lever end face, and release bearing. Therefore, a certain gap must be maintained during installation to ensure the clutch can fully engage and transmit torque normally even after the friction plate undergoes normal wear.
