I took the clutch off the flywheel and examined it. The fingers on the cover plate were bent and had some wear.
On the clutch plate, one of the springs was completely loose because the bits of metal that keep it in were broken off. There were lots of scratch marks on the disc (assuming from those loose bits of metal)
It may be that those bits of metal or that spring jammed the clutch so that the engine and transmission were constantly connected?
I will now have to look through the repair manual and examine the clutch to figure out what the best way to connect the motor to transmission will be.
ps: yes, the clutch says "made in Korea". Is this an indicator of quality?