Clutch master cylinder

[msggunny]

How do you know when one goes bad?

What about the slave?

My clutch dosent "slip" very well, its either in or out.

Could this be the master cylinder or slave going bad? The clutch its self was good 20K ago, and it has always acted like or similar to this.

Thanks

[Jeff Aronson]

I'm not certain what you mean by "slip" very well - sorry (:.

If you mean that the clutch does not seem to engage or disengage completely, and if your fluid level is sufficient, here are some thoughts:

1. Look at the fluid in the reservoir. If necessary, remove some in a clear jar. Compare it to fresh fluid. If you see any gray in the fluid, you likely have some rubber deterioration. That might indicate that the seals inside the master are not holding pressure as effectively. You won't find any leak, because in a sense it's leaking internally.

2. If you are losing fluid in the reservoir, then check the slave cylinder area, the rubber hose and its fittings above the slave, and then the master for leaks around the clutch/brake pedal inside the car.

3. Bleed the system at the slave cylinder. You do it just like you would for a brake cylinder. The Series III can be a hard one to bleed effectively. Is there any difference?

4. Lastly, make certain that the slave actuating rod is the correct length. There's an adjusting nut near the end of the rod. The distance between the bottom edge of the nut and the bottom of the upper plate on the slave is 2 7/8". If this is off then the clutch will not engage as completely.

If I have not understood your issue correctly, I apologize :)

Jeff

[Les Parker]

Also, Jeff, need to check that the effiecency (?) of the actuacting rod at the bell housing, if there is play in the 2 pins or the connecting sleeve, this can also affect the clutch.

:thumb-up:

[msggunny]

I will check those, maybe it was put together wrong.

Is there a way to check the master cylinder to see if its working properly?

It doesnt loose fluid, i think i have had to top it off once in the 5 years i have owned it. But i should bleed it, i have been bad about that.

[Terrys]

Gunny, I read this, and your posts on Dweb, and read the replies. What no one has mentioned is what I first began thinking.
If you let your clutch out slowly, and it doesn't 'slip', but wants to grab, that is an indication that you have some heat crazing (tiny surface cracks) on your flywheel face. Always inspect the flywheel face when you replace a clutch disc. The cracks are easily seen in the right light, and usually machine out with a small skim cut on the flywheel. It's a generally accepted practice to replace the disc when new when you do a skim cut.
Not all machine shops have a Blanchard grinding machine, and do the flywheel on either a latch or VTL (Vertical turret lathe, Vertical boring mill, like a Bullard) Nothing wrong doing it that way, but the best surface is gotten with a Blanchard ground surface.

[msggunny]

Gunny, I read this, and your posts on Dweb, and read the replies. What no one has mentioned is what I first began thinking.
If you let your clutch out slowly, and it doesn't 'slip', but wants to grab, that is an indication that you have some heat crazing (tiny surface cracks) on your flywheel face. Always inspect the flywheel face when you replace a clutch disc. The cracks are easily seen in the right light, and usually machine out with a small skim cut on the flywheel. It's a generally accepted practice to replace the disc when new when you do a skim cut.
Not all machine shops have a Blanchard grinding machine, and do the flywheel on either a latch or VTL (Vertical turret lathe, Vertical boring mill, like a Bullard) Nothing wrong doing it that way, but the best surface is gotten with a Blanchard ground surface.

You did a better job of describing what it does than i did.

That is prety much what it is doing. The flywheel didnt get any work done to it when the engine got rebuilt, i dont think. The shop i took it to said it looked fine, but it was in Africa.....

If that is the problem, i am going to assume that a reputable shop should know how to do the work to the flywheel if i explain to them that i need it resurfaced?

Thanks!