Understanding Clutch Housing: What Is It And What Are Its Functions?

Clutch housing is a paramount part of any vehicle that has a clutch. The clutch housing is a metal case that protects the clutch and the flywheel system. Clutch housing is also known as bell housing because it resembles the shape of a bell. The clutch housing’s primary role is to protect the clutch and flywheel system from dirt, water, and environmental pollutants. Clutch housing is often built of metals such as cast iron or aluminum and is usually on the engine block. Here are some of the functions that the clutch housing performs.

What is clutch housing?

The clutch housing is also known as the bell housing. It bolts to the back of the engine, containing the clutch assembly, with the manual transmission bolted to the back of the housing. The bottom front of the clutch housing includes a metal cover that mechanics remove for flywheel ring gear inspections or when separating the engine from the clutch assembly.

Functions of the clutch housing

The clutch housing serves five functions for the vehicle.

1. The clutch housing’s principal function is to serve as a mating and mounting device to secure the transmission to the engine.
2. The clutch housing’s secondary function is to serve as an enclosure. It encloses the master clutch assembly from road grit, grime, and other external factors.
3. The clutch housing’s third duty is to give mounting support. Relying on the clutch housing casting design, it may have two machined outside mounting pads to attach to the car frame rail. These regions are nodes and have the potential to “node mount.” Nod mounts not only support the transmission case but also give engine stability.
4. The clutch housing’s fourth function serves as a pivot point for the release of the master clutch assembly. This is possible by using two cross-shaft bores that allow the installation of a cross-shaft to serve as a pivot for the head clutch release fork.
5. The clutch housing’s last function is to allow access to the clutch for modification.

The clutch housing serves important functions in a vehicle. The clutch housing’s design provides adequate airing and ventilation for cooling the friction surfaces within the assembly. It should also have adequate apertures for removing worn products from the mechanism.