Slave cylinder pushrod mod

[Andrew (UK)]

You need to get the clutch pedal out and either replace it with a good one or else get a welder to rebuild the metal. It's a common problem so good 2nd hand pedals are rare and sought after. Give it a good and regular greasing in future so the problem does not happen again.

[Porkchop]

Originally Posted by Andrew (UK)

Just sounds like the slave has had its day. Rebuild or replace the slave. Rebuild kits have a bad reputation so getting a new slave is the best bet.

I don't know that I agree with the slave having it's day, I don't believe it's done too many miles and the fit of the seal (also nearly new) to the bore is pretty damn good in my humble opinion. I think that with the replacement of the master cylinder seals the slave is now being actuated fully and hence it is showing signs of over-extending. I think it's unfortunate that they did away with the retaining clip just inside the cylinder as it seemed to fulfill a neccesary purpose. BTW where I live (Australia) a replacement slave is in the order of 400-500 AUD!

[Clifford Pope]

I don't see what purpose the circlip serves except to stop the rod falling out and being lost when the mechanism is being dismantled. The piston has to operate normally within the range full in to (nearly) full out. If it hits the circlip (or falls out if there is no circlip) when the pedal is depressed then something must be wrong in the clutch, requiring too much movement. But if the two cylinders are the correct ones with the correct bore diameters then the movement is pre-set by the laws of physics - volume displaced by master cylinder = volume absorbed by slave cylinder.

Clutch slave cylinders are about £70 from Europarts.

[PTJS]

Thanks Andrew

Since last posting the car has done a 2x100 mile runs on motorway, dual carriageway and various A/B roads and all my hard work over winter in getting it running well again has paid off. Pegging the linkage seems to have got rid of most of the snickiness in the gearchange and I have not had clutch judder from cold since. Clutch response seems a lot more positive and I returned 36mpg which was amazing! Will have to see what is involved in getting the pedal out and sorted long term, I might leave it for a bit as an exhaust blow to repair and then a bit of waxoyling to do.

Cheers

Phil

[Porkchop]

Originally Posted by Clifford Pope

I don't see what purpose the circlip serves except to stop the rod falling out and being lost when the mechanism is being dismantled.
Clutch slave cylinders are about £70 from Europarts.

I'm totally with you on that except for the fact that if your clutch becomes excessively worn and there have been no other indicators then you run the risk of losing both your pushrod (on the roadside) and indeed clutch actuation altogether at 5.00 pm on a dark and stormy winter's night, something which in fact happened to me! Anyway getting back to the original premise for extending/fabricating pushrods etc it begs the question why is the pushrod able to over-extend (or be unable to actuate the clutch release fork) in the first place? In my case it ws because the clutch had worn to the point where it had reached maximum travel, why then only a couple of years later has it shown same signs again? I find it hard to believe that the clutch has worn out in that short time or that the release fork is bent or cracked as I had the garage give special attention to it after having my 244 present with a similar problem (replaced it with a new unit) a few years earlier. I would whip the bellhousing off myself and have a rummage but I'm not in a position to do that sort of stuff on a steep dirt driveway.

[Porkchop]

Originally Posted by Clifford Pope

A few years ago the rod fell out of the car when my wife was driving, and she was left clutchless.

I rest my case....

[Clifford Pope]

Fair point.
I meant it serves no purpose in the normal operation of the clutch. Obviously there are lots of components you can tie on in case they fall off - bump stops perhaps?

[Porkchop]

Well Clifford I'm in a bit of a quandry really, I'm tempted to to do a push-rod mod but then I'll have a nagging feeling that something is amiss with the clutch itself. One thing I thought of as a refinement is to use a 8mm bolt which is nominally more like the original (and therefore less chafing on the boot) and use an 8mm Nyloc nut which does away with the locking nut and has a rounded end not dissimilar to the original. I'm loathe to book it into the garage as my hip-pocket usually starts hurting around the time I drive in

[PTJS]

Hi Porkchop

Have you checked for play in the clutch pedal linkage? This turned out to be my problem.

Phil

[Porkchop]

I must confes I haven't but I can only deduce that the tension from the clutch release fork would keep the slave piston inside the cylinder at it's correct (nominal) depth. If the wear is in the pedal mechanism it would allow the pushrod to extend less rather than more IMHO.