I have a 78 Mini. The clutch has always been an issue, since you have to push it ALL of the way to the floor to get it to shift right. Yesterday, it pretty well quit working altogether. The trans will shift fine with the engine off, but if you start it in gear, with the clutch all of the way to the floor, it will still pull, and there is no way to shift it, once you pull it out of gear while running, there is no getting it back in without it grinding away. I have bled the system to no avail, and the slave cylinder is moving.

My question is this: How much "stroke/travel" should you get out of the slave cylinder?

I have tried all of the adjustments. The pedal does have about 1" of travel before it really starts applying the slave (mechanical clearances), but the slave seems to be working fine. Do I need a new clutch? Just the throwout bearing (no noises)..... Please help. I am a senior master ASE tech, but fairly new to Minis. Just wanting to see how much travel should be seen at the slave cylinder, so I can see if it is a hydraulic issue, or mechanical clutch teardown time.
Thanks!

 

Just got the new issue of MiniWorld in the mail and one of the tech articles is about the clutch master cyl - replacement and servicing... Sept' issue

http://www.miniworld.co.uk/

Maybe some hints in there?

 

Looks for indications of leaks. External: Pull back the slave boot and also look at the pedal to see if fluid is leaking down. If so, rebuild it all. Internal: The master and slave seal can leak back ie lose pressure. The seal are sensitive to various types of brake fluids and will soften with imcompatible fluids. I only use Castrol.

When rebuilding, replace all the clevis pins as they wear. This wear eats up a lot of travel. You also get wear on the pivot point of the clutch lever on the clutch cover. On old cars this can eat up most of the travel.

Check the clutch stop nut on the clutch cover. (1/4" bolt with stopnut) This is an important adjustment. Remove slave spring, pull lever out until t/o brg touches clutch spring plate. At that point there should be .020" distance between the back of the t/o arm & the head of the bolt. Adjust if needed.

Check the dual 15/16" stop nuts on the t/o shaft on the back of the "wok" covering the clutch. Loosen. Have someone depress the clutch. When depressed, run the inner nut to touch the wok. Release clutch. Turn inner nut one flat in. Lock in place with other nut.

 

My (Leyland with a British Leyland Engine) 78 did not have enough clutch throw. Either it would not disengage, as you describe, or it was too tight.

I tried everything Minimad suggests above but it still would not work.

Then I read where the ball on the end of the release lever wears and causes that problem. You can order a new lever at most suppliers.

I fixed mine by following a suggestion I saw online somewhere. I used my stick welder to build up the ball, then gradually ground it down until it fit in again. Once I did this, I was able to properly adjust the linkage per the above directions. The clutch works great now.

John
National MicroCar meet is August 12, 2006 in Crystal Lake Illinois.

 

Thanks for all of the replies! As I mentioned previously, I have tried all of the adjustments, throwout stop and return stop to no avail. The slave cylinder moves about 3". Is that enough?

The slave does not bleed back down if clutch pedal is held, so I do not think it is a leaky master/slave. I have also pulled the shift lever out and inspected the ball end, it looks ok, not any noticeable wear.
I have not pulled the "wok" of and looked inside, but think that may be my next step, was just trying to figure out how much stroke lenghth was normal. If anyone could measure theirs, and give me some feedback, as like I said earlier, I an fairly new to the whole Mini world.

Also, what is a good place to get parts fdor these? Only online? Any national parts stores that you know of that carry these parts?

 

Like you, I thought mine was fine, because the ball LOOKED good.

Here is the test.

disconnect the slave linkage.
Disconnect the return spring.

If you can "rattle" the release lever, then either the pivot, the pin, or the ball, or the "plunger" is worn. There should be NO play in the lever with everything disconnected.

John

 

You have plenty of travel. It really only takes a small amount to release the clutch. Pull the wok and inspect the t/o arm. The ball may be bad as suggested, or it may be broken. If you don't find the problem there, then pull the flywheel/clutch assembly while its open. May be a worn disc.

 

"Also, what is a good place to get parts for these? Only online? Any national parts stores that you know of that carry these parts?"

Can't say about parts stores ... I haven't had a lot of luck ... you might get lucky with a local store but for me, if they can't find the car in the computer they can't help...and my Mini ain't in their computer.

I buy about 75% from MiniMiani - while not the cheapest they ship fast, tell me immediately if they have it or not and can answer technical questions.

Occasionally I order direct from UK - usually MiniSport or MossUK - Moss' Classic Mini source. Both of these places have GREAT printed catalogs and I recomend you get both. Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words. Moss' especially has great exploded diagrams of everything - and shows the varients of most parts.

Seven Enterprises in CA is also very good altho their catalogs don't show a wide selection of parts .... however I have occasionally found some real hard to find oddball stuff there.

A major issue in the US vs UK ordering question can be the shipping charge. For example, I ordered a new bonnet via MiniMania - took quite a while to get, and a bit pricey but the shipping charge was reasonable. Later I ordered a dash pad from MiniSport UK. It was on special and hard to find elsewhere. I ordered and they contacted me and told me what shipping would be WOW....partly because it would be an oversized box. Well I bit the bullet and got the part. Then was further surprised to also get a bill for duty fm our Uncle. See, when MiniMania has to special order it is coming from UK too, but they wait 'til they have a container full and then it all comes at once. They deal with the shipping and taxes etc. Sure it gets passed to you, but you didn't see it. And the high cost of shipping your big part was spread over the full container....so there are pluses and minuses.

 

Buying Parts in the U.S.A.

Depending on what you need for the car...

I have had success buying parts engine parts, windscreen wipers, and even a gas cap by asking for parts for an MG Midget prior to 1974. My 1969 MG Midget had the 1275 cc A series engine. (In 1974 they switched to a different engine.)

Just remember that when they adapted the Mini engine to the Sprite / Midget it became an inline drive train for the rear wheel drive car, so Clutch, Trans, and many other things are very different between the cars.

I think the Nash Metropolitan also used a variation of the same engine. They were sold in this country in the 50's.

When I needed window crank handles and parts for my Australian Mini, I got them at a swap meet, they were from an MGB, that was also distributed in the U.S.A.

John

 

Also good places for parts:
www.DJMinis.com, Wesley Chapel FL
www.MiniCityLtd.com, Rochester NY
www.BMC.on.ca, Ontario Canada (MiniSpares parts @ good prices)

 

if you have done all the necessary adjustments try the following:
1. pump the clutch twice if any gear goes in, it may be a hydraulic isssue.
2. if no gears go in.....lift the front of the so that both wheels are off the ground, if the gears go in now......even with a slight grind....THERE IS AN ADJUSTABLE PIN TO REPLACE THE ONE COMING OUT OF THE SLAVE WHICH WILL GIVE THE EXTRA PINCH OF TRAVEL.

 

Hi, all. I bought a RHD '73 about a month ago. New Zealand import. I've had a ball driving it! I'm wondering what the little hole with a sliding cover on the bell housing is for.

 

you can see the flywheel TDC timing marks thru that hole (with a mirror & flashlight)