TR2/3/3A Yet Another TR3A Slave Cyl Question

The slave cylinder set-up on my TR3A looks different from the manual (lots more pushrod needed on mine):





As you can see I do not use the return spring. The clutch works fine w/o it -- doesn't work at all with the spring connected.

Why?

I think I know the answer but hoping I'm wrong. The good news is that I've driven it like this for more than 30 years.

Hmm. Broken fork pin, or bad replacement throwout arm? Or worn fingers on the pressure plate? I'm not coming up with anything good!

First of all, these did not come with self-adjusting clutch hydraulics. Simply removing the spring does that (and sometimes allows the throwout bearing to sing on the pressure plate fingers).
To see the clutch arm that far back would mean some things to look at.
Partially sheared pin on the fork, excessive surfacing of the flywheel, wrong or worn pressure plate and/or disc, thrust washers?

On these cars, the piston bottoms in the bore, you set the adjustment with the your finger holding the arm back, check for looseness, then install the spring and check for free play.
Self-adjusting only have free play if there is a lot of wear between pedal and master piston.

No idea how far out your piston is now, but visually drawing a line down the pushrod to where the center line of the slave housing is, looks like a long way.
Spirited driving, without a spring, you may end up with the slave piston hanging out then end and no clutch at all.

I have seen that before....not on a TR that I can recall, but I've seen it, after we got the car pushed into the shop off the wrecker.

Me? I'd want to know why that arm is as far back as it is.
Dave

Well, mostly anyway. I set my free play with the spring installed, cause it's such a pain to R&R the spring

Is the pin in the middle or the top hole? It should be in the middle.