Clutch Issue

[Makesy]

Hi guys,

Looking for a big of help troubleshooting an issue before I pull the box as a last resort.

Following a recent start (my car has been sat for a while) my clutch pedal went completely soft.

I knew the slave was past its best and the fluid was a horrible colour so i replaced the master and slave cylinder.

The problem now is that car won't go into gear with the engine running.

A couple of things to note...

Pedal throw seems marginally shorter - going to look at extending the fork for the master cylinder pushrod.

The new slave cylinder has a pushrod about an inch longer than the one I removed - not sure if this is a problem or not, or what the actual length should be.

System doesn't appear to have any fluid leaks.

Car had a bit of a burning clutch smell on a previous idle (around 6 months ago) but wasn't driven anywhere.

Could anyone offer advice based on experiences please?

 

[jonbills]

if theres no air in the clutch system and no fluid leaking under the car or in the cabin, maybe the clutch fork has come off its pivot in the bellhousing. if you push the end of the fork in the direction the slave. pushes it, does it have resistance before it reaches the end of bell housing slot?

 

[moggy240]

Are you using the new or old pushrod

 

[Rob Gaskin]

Just a thought, do you think the friction plate might be stuck/seized to the flywheel/pressure plate after a while standing?

Does it feel like the slave is actually pushing the arm ok?

Try starting it with the car in gear, brakes on and the clutch 'pushed down'.

Make sure you aren't going to hit anything.

You are asking for experiences and I've had that happen on a Hillman Imp I had.

 

[Makesy]

Are you using the new or old pushrod

I tried the old slave pushrod first then re-bled with the new one.

if theres no air in the clutch system and no fluid leaking under the car or in the cabin, maybe the clutch fork has come off its pivot in the bellhousing. if you push the end of the fork in the direction the slave. pushes it, does it have resistance before it reaches the end of bell housing slot?

There is resistance (needed to use mole grips to get leverage on the fork as I couldn't push it with my hand). I'll need to recheck and see if i can get it to reach the end of the slot.

Just a thought, do you think the friction plate might be stuck/seized to the flywheel/pressure plate after a while standing?

Does it feel like the slave is actually pushing the arm ok?

Try starting it with the car in gear, brakes on and the clutch 'pushed down'.

Make sure you aren't going to hit anything.

You are asking for experiences and I've had that happen on a Hillman Imp I had.

It's possibly seized, having read a few other posts on other forums. I'll give this a go later today and report back.

 

[Fairlineguy]

Check you have the correct slave cylinder there are 3/4 and 11/16 .
if everything was ok with clutch operation prior to changing cylinder you might have to correct the long rods length to suit.
a 11/16 cylinder will give you more throw out than a 3/4

 

[Makesy]

Check you have the correct slave cylinder there are 3/4 and 11/16 .
if everything was ok with clutch operation prior to changing cylinder you might have to correct the long rods length to suit.
a 11/16 cylinder will give you more throw out than a 3/4

Thanks Neil - I didn't know this was the case. I don't know what size slave cyl I have - I guess I'll need to remove it to find out. I take it they're not interchangeable?

Rob - I tried your trick earlier but no success I'm afraid. The car wouldn't start either so another problem to try and fix!

 

[moggy240]

I am wondering if you can remove the starter motor and put an inspection wand in to see what's happening.
Something like this

 

[Makesy]

Problem now solved!. Master cylinder rod wasn't adjusted far enough out. With more throw, the clutch now operates nicely.

Thank you all for your help!