Easiest way to get clutch master out

[donnykaz]

At this point I'm going to replace the clutch master and slave....is there an tricks to getting it out easily, it seems as though you need to take the whole fender off just to get at it.....do you need to take it out as a unit or can I just get the cylinder out.....doesn't seem like an easy task......

thanks!

[B. Wallace]

I went ahead and took the left wing off, partly because I was also in the process of painting, and wanted to spreay parts inside and out. With the wing off, it's very simple to remove the master cylinder + bracket. I posted this question a little while back, and someone claimed to be able to drop the whole unit through the foot area. You should be able to find this posting, or hopefully the same person will reply to yours. Good luck!

Ben

[jp-]

Pull the fender.

Get a very long 3/8" extension. Money well spent.

You'll see how it comes off when you get the fender out of the way.

A word of caution. The factory setting for the master cylinder pushrod may not be the same as the new master that you put in. This seems to be a recurring theme. What this means is that even if you set the new pushrod locking nuts in the excact same position on the new cylinder as on the old one, the strokes may be different. Before putting the fender back on, make absolutely certain that the master cylinder is not retaining hydraulic pressure once released. If it is, the clutch will slip.

[singingcamel]

the only way to get it off is a above,good luck.
www.singingcamel.com

[greenmeanie]

I think I am probably the person referred to above.
The outcome of the previous discussion was that for the earlier SIIa without the cutout in the wing you will have to take the wing off.
For the late SIIA & SIII with the wing cutout you can extract the pedal assembly without removing the wing. I have done it recently without any serious problems. The splash guard needs to be removed after which the pedal assembly can be removed through this gap and not the footwell.

Gregor

[scott]

i just r/r my clutch master without removing the wing. after removing the mudgaurd and steering box cover using my left hand i reach up in from the wheel well with a stubby 7/16 for the line out and a stubby 1/2 for the line in and by feel only removed the lines. it took a few minutes and a few cramps in my thumb. wish it would have sovled my problem but it didn't. while on the test drive the cluth pedal got harder and harder to depress and i felt the clutch slipping a bit then the flex line blew just above the slave. anyone know why the the pressure built up?

[jp-]

Scott,

That is what I am talking about. On some of the new master cylinders the shaft doesn't come back far enough to open the return line hole (inside the master) so the pressure keeps building with each pump. The adjustment rod (push rod) needs to be able to come back farther than the original one, so that the pressure will bleed off.

[scott]

how is that achieved? do you adj the mc rod so that there's more than a 1/16 of an inch play? that'll suck cuz i'll haveto pull it out, guess adjust, reinstall and then pray i got it right. or remove the freak'n wing put it on adjust and reinstall the wing. and i got to replace the flex ine going to the slave. thank god it was a new slave and the pressure did blow it apart.

[jp-]

Basically, the adjustment nuts need to be moved higher up on the pushrod, so that it comes back a little further. Or, you can adjust the pedal stop nut/bolt so that the pedal comes up a little higher. I adjusted both. My clutch pedal is about 1/2" to 3/4" higher than the factory setting. This causes no problems, and is an alternative to adjusting the pushrod (if you have no more adjustment left on the rod nuts).

You don't have to pull the wing for this, just pull the mudshield.

The only way to tell if you have fixed it is to pump up the pedal a few times until it gets tight (not rock tight!!!), let off the pedal, wait 20-30 seconds, and loosen the slave bleed screw (make sure you have a piece of hose on the end of it). If fluid blasts out, the master cylinder pushrod ain't coming back far enough.

[jp-]

A correction:

The clutch pedal should never get tight (I was thinking about the brake system).

So that is an easy way to check it. No need to use the bleed screw method above (although it still holds true). If you keep pumping the clutch, the pedal will NEVER get rock hard (like a brake pedal will) if it is working correctly. If your clutch pedal is getting harder and harder, you still have a problem.