Clutch Problems

[Tom2000]

Hi all, brought a Baby Blue 1500, 600 miles after I brought the car I started to get problems getting into gear. Now it's just got ridiculous I have to physically pump the clutch until it feels slightly pressured or "stiff" and then it goes into gear fine.

I've blead the system with no luck, am I right in thinking that I probably need to put in new clutch master & slave cylinders? (I've had to top her up with clutch fluid a few times but can't find a leak).

[ferny]

If you can't find the leak then it's doubtful it's from the master cylinder. You'd soon notice and curse at the bulkhead... Have a GOOD look around the slave cylinder. And if you find nothing there then follow the pipe to spot for any leaks. You can buy re-furb kits. Was the car off the road at all? Has the fluid been changed to or from synthetic without changing the rubbers and flushing the pipes?

[Tom2000]

The fluid hasn't been changed, havn't checked the slave, although the previous owner said that would be the likely culprit. I have a new slave cylinder, unfortunately I don't have the guts to do it myself, is it easy or would it be worth getting a garage to do it properly?

[willcolumbine]

If your cars been stood around unused for a while then it's probably the rubber in the slave cylinder. Seems to 'go' really easily. It was the first job I did on my spitfire and I've done it again since but this time I replaced the whole slave cylinder because they're cheap and I thought it was worth it!

[Tom2000]

Will, what is involved in removing / installing a slave cylinder, I have one ready to put in, do not have haynes manual. are there any guides?

[toomanyprojects]

Once you get to it hardest bit will be to get the clutch pipe undone without destroying it. otherwise it's 2 nuts, pull the old one off, slide the actuation rod through the rubber in the new one and bolt it back in place.

Dead east to bleed as well, just don't get brake fluid on your paint!!

[rotoflex]

I also agree that it's likely the slave cylinder, if you haven't noticed leaking fluid from the master cylinder eating the paint on the car beneath.

Replacing the slave cylinder is a good starter project.  It's not a project that can easily go bad, & it's a good way to come to an understanding of working in the spaces & getting a familiarity with how the mechanics generally go on these particular cars.

The nut-like fittings on the hydraulics round off easily if you use a regular wrench on them.  Check the size wrench (7/16"?), then go to the auto store & buy the correct size of whatever you folks call a "flare wrench".  They look like this:

Notice how the open end of the wrench wraps around further than a regular wrench.  That's the wrench you use on hydraulic fittings:  disconnecting & connecting the hydraulic line, operating the bleed nipple, etc.

The hydraulic fluid eats paint, so look at what's below the thing you're disconnecting & remember that paint-eating hydraulic fluid is going to come out & go down there when you disconnect or bleed.  Stuff an old towel beneath to catch it.  Brake fluid (non-synthetic) is vegetable based, & you can put the towel in the washer after a preliminary rinse & wring out.

When putting the new slave cylinder on, if you have a memory failure about whether it goes with the bleed nipple side highest or the pipe connection side highest, remember that it goes with the bleed nipple side above the pipe entry side.  That's because the bubbles float up, & the system can thus be bled of air.

Re-attaching the hydraulic line can be sort of frustrating & a miniature wrestling match.  Be careful not to cross-thread the fitting in the slave cylinder.  You sort of hold the pipe in the center of the hole, & turn the fitting around it.

Opinions may vary, but the easily available & very good hydraulic fluid for your clutch & brakes is Castrol GT LMA.  When you bleed the clutch after putting the new cylinder in, go ahead & pump a lot through so that you'll get most of the old fluid out & will be filling the line with new fluid.  Who knows what's in there now.

To bleed it, you will need an assistant to operate the pedal while you operate the bleed nipple (unless you have removed the transmission tunnel cover & do the stretch while bleeding it from inside).  Put a piece of tubing on the end of the bleed nipple, & put the end of it in some container (bowl, empty 2-litre coke bottle, whatever) so brake fluid doesn't go everywhere.  I like to use transparent tubing so that I can see what's coming out & what's going on.

[gt6878e]

go on ....do it yourself....it's the only way to get to know your motor

[willcolumbine]

Most annoying bit is taking out half the interior - the rest is dead easy! Having said that, theres is one thing to look out for! The slave cylinder is on the left hand side of the gearbox, held in by a large bolt in a pinch style arrangement. You need to remove the bolt fully before you can slide the slave out! I didn't and I finished off the already slightly damaged bracket which tripled the cost of the job!