TR6 Clutch slave piston shooting out during bleeding

[sammyb]

This is a first for me, but I have a sickening feeling I know what the answer is...I removed, cleaned and put new seals in my project TR6's clutch slave. (The car had been sitting for a long time and the slave looked like it was weeping.) I didn't see an internal snap ring or a place for one to seat. When I put the slave back in and tested it after bleeding (I used a one-man air-compressor-fed bleeder) fluid started shooting out from below and the piston seemed to be halfway out of the cylinder. No matter where the rod is attached (center, top, bottom holes) the result is the same.

So...the question is: did I do something stupid, or is the clutch disc so worn that the travel is too far for the cylinder and rod? Remember, I bought this car non-running, so I have no idea what the clutch is like. The thousands of dollars of new-in-box parts included a new clutch kit, but I was really hoping I wouldn't have to pull the tranny and replace the clutch. (Plus it's an O/D box, so even more weight!!!)

Ideas?

Oh god...I think I just figured it out while writing this...did I mount the slave to the wrong side of the bracket!!!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?! (I'm not at my garage right now, but I have a sick feeling that I mounted it to the car front side, not the rear!!!

As always, thanks a bunch for putting up with my ADD, lunacy and total lack of attention to detail.

Sam

 

[sammyb]

Yup...I did what I thought!!! I mounted the slave to the front-of-car side of the bracket. I just swapped it and spent a bit of time bleeding and it works. (Probably could use more bleeding, but I'm out of time.) Just goes to show that a guy who has owned seven TRs and who has swapped/rebuilt clutch slaves on plenty of them can still do something totally stupid!

But it runs. I went in 1st and reverse. (Only about four feet, since it is wedged behind my truck in my last garage bay.) But maybe I'll throw the plate on it tomorrow and take it for a drive!!!

Of course, I still can't find the oil filler cap from the oil change last night. I've looked EVERYWHERE in the shop. I even emptied the garbage can and took off the valve cover (which I had off yesterday during the oil change.) I'm about ready to cut down an old rad cap until I can find it.

 

[tomshobby]

 

[trrdster2000]

Sam B, reading some of your post conjurers up an image of Jeffthro of the Beverly Hillbilly's sitting on a stump trying to cipher what is going on with his car. Just a bit of ribbing.. Wish I were closer to help out.

Wayne

 

[sammyb]

Yeah...it's all good now. I'm sure so many of you can understand what happens when you steal away bits and pieces of time to go work on your car. You go from thinking about it, but doing your honey-dos/jobs to working frantically on the project. Of course, we always convince ourselves that we know EXACTLY what we're doing, but wind up doing something stupid, which ups the frustration level and we forget the simple/easy stuff. I was at least smart enough to remember that the bleeder always goes at the top

Usually I have a manual, but for this TR6 I don't have one, so I've been going on memory of my TR-250 (which I sold in '99!) and all the other lil' British cars I've owned. Luckily most of my dumb things on this project have been no damage or cheap fixes. I must say that I've had more crazy stupid things on this project than probably all my others combined. Must be getting older!!!

 

[mrv8q]

Two words: Digital Camera

Saved me many times!

 

[poolboy]

3 words..Buy a manual

 

[sammyb]

3 words..Buy a manual

I bet you ask for directions at gas stations when your wife tells you you're lost, as well!

You see, I already have three or four TR2/TR3/TR4 manuals, plus TR7 and TR8 manuals, so I figure that if I just take a weighted average of all those, I'll get the right answer.

And Kevin, I have hundreds of photos from work where I'm confident I'm going to screw up. Pulling the engine on the 308 GT4? 35 photos of various things. Doing something I've convinced myself I can do with my eyes closed? That's what I screw up...and there will be no photos to look at.

Seeing that I'm so ADD, I can't remember to pull out gloves from the big box of them sitting on my work bench before reaching into the depths of grease and oil, asking myself to photograph the mundane is asking way too much.

 

[poolboy]

I bet you ask for directions at gas stations when your wife tells you you're lost, as well!

You see, I already have three or four TR2/TR3/TR4 manuals, plus TR7 and TR8 manuals, so I figure that if I just take a weighted average of all those, I'll get the right answer.


.

And that does seem to be working well for you...:friendly_wink: