Hard Shift Into High Gear

[paddy1998]

While my 26 engine and trans were out I removed the clutch spring to test (96lb's), the pressure plate, and the clutch discs.

The discs are original style and all looked fine with minor discoloration, except for two which had about a dime sized build up of carbon.

I removed the carbon using a plastic scraper and some sandpaper, thoroughly washed all the discs with soap and water, rinsed and dried thoroughly and then reinstalled with a liberal application of some ATF between each disc (what I saw Mike Bender do in the Model T Tips video on Youtube) and reinstalled the pressure plate and spring. At no time did I touch or adjust the clutch fingers at all.

After getting the engine back in the car I took it out for a short test drive and noticed one big difference. Before I pulled the engine I would shift into high gear by running up to speed in low, then in swift motion moving the pedal to neutral, reduce throttle some, and then quickly release the pedal. This method always resulted in what felt like a smooth engagement of high gear; no jerking or anything like that.

During my test drive when I quickly released the pedal to engage high gear in the manner described above, the shift was very hard, jolting in fact. Almost gave myself whiplash!

Anyway, is that normal?

Should I ease the pedal back when engaging high gear instead of "popping" it as I has been doing before?

[Norman Kling]

When you shift up from low to high, push the throttle all the way up. That will give you the smoothest shift. Then pull down the throttle to maintain or increase speed.
Norm

[RustyFords]

It took me a while to figure out mine. When Ross Lilleker freshened up my transmission, he installed modern clutches and I've heard they can take some getting used to. I found (through trial and error and the advice I got here) that matching the engine and transmission speeds is an important factor in achieving smooth shifts.

I've driven three T's and they've all proven to be a bit different. My current car likes what Norman says above. I rev the throttle up a bit, then simultaneously push the throttle up nearly all the way and press the clutch pedal to the halfway position. It's at that point that I've learned to listen to the engine and transmission. I let the clutch pedal out slowly but deliberately and pull down the throttle making it match what the transmission is doing.

Once they're cooperating nicely and I'm in high gear, then I'm free to feed it more throttle.

[Jerry VanOoteghem]

Don't "pop" it into high. I assume when you say that, you're essentially letting the pedal snap back. That's never good! You don't need to feather it, but let it come back in a moderately rapid, but controlled manner, with your foot regulating the rate at which you engage high. The important thing is to get good at matching the engine speed to the vehicle speed before going to high. Also, it's best to get the car up to about 10 mph in low before going to high.