TD5 Defender
33
CLUTCH
10
DESCRIPTION AND OPERATION
The pressure plate assembly comprises a pressure plate, cover and diaphragm and is mounted on and rotates
with the dual mass flywheel.
The pressure plate is forged from cast iron and machined to provide a smooth surface for the drive plate to
engage on. Three lugs on the outer diameter of the pressure plate connect it via three leaf spring to the cover. The
leaf springs have three tempered steel leaves which assist in pulling the pressure plate away from the drive plate
when the clutch pedal is depressed.
The cover is made from pressed steel and houses all pressure plate components. Shouldered rivets support the
diaphragm inside the cover. The rivets heads are chamfered to allow the diaphragm to pivot when pressure is
applied to it by the release bearing. Three holes in the cover locate on the dowels on the flywheel and six further
holes provide for the attachment of the cover to the flywheel with six nuts. Larger holes in the cover provide
ventilation for the drive plate and pressure plate and flywheel contact surfaces.
The diaphragm comprises a cast ring with eighteen fingers. The diaphragm is attached to the cover with nine
shouldered rivets. The inner head of each rivet is chamfered to allow the diaphragm to pivot when the clutch is
depressed or released. When pressure is applied to the fingers of the diaphragm by the release bearing, the
diaphragm pivots on the rivets and moves away from the pressure plate, releasing the force applied to the
pressure plate and allowing the drive plate to slip between the pressure plate and the flywheel.
