TR2/3/3A Complicted Clutch Slave Problem TR3A

Awhile back the clutch slave return spring broke and I installed a generic spring which worked OK untill I got a new one.Installed the new one and after a week of driving I noticed that the pedal would only engage when pressing down about half way rather than the normal amount. I suspected a broken taper pin but that seemed odd seeing as a backup bolt had been installed in the crosshaft years ago! At any rate after taking a better look at the slave cylinder it seems I had installed the slave cylinder on the wrong side of the mounting plate. In order to correct this I had to disconnect the hydraulic hose which now necessitated bleeding the system.I didnt do the normal bleeding procedure(probably should hve) but went right to the method from the Moss video where you hold the pedal down,disconnect the pushrod ,open the bleeder, push the rod by hand to empty the cylinder,then close the bleeder to remove all the air from the cylinder. I couldn't seem to be able to push the pushrod in to bottom it out? Pedal still goes to the floor. How much play would there be in the crosshaft if the taper pin or bolt has failed? Should you be able to move the crosshaft 2"-3" from side to side? If I do have crosshaft issues will that cause an issue with the slave cylinder bleeding process? I'd like to be able to get the clutch functioning enough to drive the car across town to my garage and pull the trans there if necessary.Any advice welcomed. Karl

karls59tr said:

Should you be able to move the crosshaft 2"-3" from side to side?

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I'm not sure I understand this correctly butI don't think you should be able to move the crossshaft from side to side more than a few thousandths.

Tom

I wasn't too clear in my description. What I meant is if you had the pushrod fork disconnected would you be able to move the "slotted part of the crosshaft that connects to the pushrod fork" back and forth a certain amount to determine if the taper pin or bolt was broken.

The lever will always turn a fair amount with the pushrod disconnected, as the throwout bearing moves between the pressure plate fingers and the front cover of the gearbox.

With the pushrod & slave installed and adjusted, though, the movement should be less than 1/8" with the slave piston bottomed in the cylinder. If the clevis doesn't have enough adjustment to reach that condition, and the slave is mounted properly, then I would suspect a broken pin or bad TOB. Might also be a failed clutch, but I've never seen one do that on a TR3.

Don't forget that the illustration in the workshop manual is for early cars with Lockheed brakes. Your car should look like this:

Should the crosshaft lever be all the way forward or all the way back when connecting it to the clevis fork prior to attaching the return spring? (I'm having a dyslexic brain fart here).

karls59tr said:

Should the crosshaft lever be all the way forward or all the way back when connecting it to the clevis fork prior to attaching the return spring? (I'm having a dyslexic brain fart here).

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Can you rephrase that, Karl? It's not making any sense to me. The position of the lever while attaching the clevis & spring makes no difference at all; as long as you adjust for the specified clearance. I find it easier to adjust after attaching the spring, but either way will work.

Randall You answered my question. I adjusted the the rod length without the spring attached and I believe I added too much length to the rod. I'll readjust the rod with the spring attached and see what happens. In reference to a bad throwout bearing....don't they usually whine when the bearing goes bad?

I'm having no luck at all in bleeding the slave cylinder. Is there a method to get trapped air out of the slave? I have the front end of the car jacked up about 6" for access to the slave. Is this causing an air gap in the slave? I can get a stiffer pedal by rapidly pumping the pedal by hand but soon the next compression and the pedal goes to the floor. No pedal resistance when trying to bleed?

Sounds like you may need to bleed the MC a bit. Stuff a rag or paper towel around and under, then loosen the nut on the outlet line. If it just weeps clean fluid, then just tighten the nut again. But if you get bubbles, leave the nut loose until the bubbles stop.

Generally from that point, I find that I can just pump up the pedal, hold for a count of ten & release. Repeat 3 or 4 times to get good pedal all the time.

Have you bled the M/C? You may need to crack open the fitting for the M/C outlet line and gently pump out air trapped in there, closing the fitting once you get fluid coming out around it.

Also -- do you have the bleeder in the uppermost spot on the slave and the hose connected to the lower fitting?

Bleeder is in uppermost spot.Well I tried cracking open the M/C fitting. Pumped till I got fluid. Pedal still goes to the floor. I'm baffled. Anyone heard of this method I found online: "Resevoir is half full. Filler cap loose. Put a pry bar on the slave cyl pushrod to force the rod back into the bore all the way in in one long stroke. Then push the pedal down and let it up very slowly. Repeat till you have a good pedal". I'd try this but dont see anything to use as a fulcrum when prying? I am beginning to wonder if there is an issue with the clutch in the bellhousing? This whole clutch episode strted when I was driving along and the clutch would only engage with the pedal halfway down.Then I mounted the slave where it is supposed to be but had to remove the mounting bracket and hose to do so.. I just watched the Moss video and tried their clutch slave bleed method with no luck. How would a broken taper pin or bolt? affect bleeding the system???

Sounds like you might have a tear in the rubber piece on the slave piston. Just leave the cylinder in place and push or pull the guts out. Use some of that special grease or just brake fluid and put a new rubber seal on and push it back in ( remember they go on with the flare end in first). When you bleed it, just use a clean bottle about 1/3 full of brake fluid and short piece of tubing on the bleeder open the bleeder and pump until the air goes out then tighten the bleeder. I would do that before I pulled the Trans.

I never thought of that. You might be on to something.It could be a leaky seal inside the slave cylinder so the fluid just bypasses the piston. It's worth a shot to have a look.