No Clutch Release Fork Return Spring

Has anyone noticed that the 1st Gen Tacomas (maybe others) do not use a return spring for the clutch release fork? There is nothing to pull the release bearing away from the pressure plate except hope. I test drove a new clutch installation and it drove fine but with the engine running I could touch the release fork and feel the release brng touching the pressure plate.

 

Bump. I would like to know more about this. Wondering if clutch pedal stick is because of this.

 

Interested also because I have never seen a return spring for a clutch fork. That is the pressure plates job. Bear just rides on it with no load. There are retaining springs that hold the fork to the studs but that’s all I know of.

 

When you work on enough vehicles you will see just about everything. Manul transmissions were originally designed with a return spring that pulled on the release fork, which pulled the release bearing away from the pressure plate. So clarify for me what you think is the job of the pressure plate???

 

in my experience the throw out bearing rides on or in very close proximity to the pressure plate spring fingers. When the pedal is released (in a hydraulic system) the bearing is still there touching the spring fingers but with no load since every time you push the pedal in a hydraulic system it re adjusts due to when clutches wear they develop less tolerance because when the clutch disc wears the fingers on the springs move outward more due to smaller disc due to wear. So I have never seen a spring on the fork to pull the bearing away. Also the pressure plates job is to clamp the clutch disc and drive power into the input shaft when applied. When not applied the throw out bearing would pull the pressure plate away from the clutch disc disengaging it and removing power from the input shaft. Although depending on the system and adjustment it could drag the disc if improperly adjusted. If you could send over a photo or a diagram of a clutch fork return spring I would be interested in seeing one as designed. (Also I stated in a prior post I have never seen one, I understand that means they could exists just never seen one and would like to see the application) just like big trucks have input shaft brakes when the pedal is pushed all the way down due to dog box gears or heavy duty dragging clutch setups.

 

“clutch pedal stick” as in clutch pedal sometimes stays on the floor? If so, and you have a 6 cylinder Tacoma, your clutch pedal return spring could be the problem. It's a goofy coil spring setup. The plastic bushings on it wear out, and then the slot in the clutch pedal that it rides in wears deeper. Most people just pop the coil spring out and replace it with a brake pedal return spring. It’s a linear spring. Here is a thread about it https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/clutch-pedal-truffle-shuffle.499079/

 

I haven’t seen a clutch fork return spring on anything with a hydraulic clutch. Just old mechanical linkage clutches. Most modern manual transmissions don’t even have a clutch fork at all. The throwout bearing is built in with a small hydraulic cylinder that just rides over the input shaft of the transmission. Only thing exiting the bell housing is a hydraulic line.