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Access to the clutch slave cylinder bleed screw

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trotti

trotti

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Hello all - I'm the proud new owner of a 1959 100-6. As an added detail (which may affect the answer?) the PO's restoration of the car involved replacing the numbers matching 100-6 6 port with a much later engine (I believe it was from a '67, but have yet to confirm). Thankfully, I got the numbers matching engine along with the one in the car, but that's a much later project and beyond the scope of this post.

The car underwent a complete and very thorough frame-off restoration some years back and I bought it after it had sat for some time. Very clean, just a bit tired from lack of use. Yesterday, I got it up on stands and bled the brakes thoroughly, emptied the fuel tank (new tank with the restoration but I wasn't confident the gas was fresh), flushed the coolant and will eventually change the oil (only so much time in one evening - so excited I didn't even stop to eat dinner).

Although I'm mechanically inclined, I'm no mechanic. I met my match when I was trying to bleed the clutch. The clutch slave sits on the bell housing right beside the frame rail and the inner fairing. With some medieval contortionistic chicanery, I was able to get a line on the bleed screw, but wasn't able to get a wrench in to actually loosen the bleeder. Next thought - unbolt the slave and bleed it off the bell, right? Much like my inability to get a wrench to the bleeder, I couldn't get one to the upper bolt on the slave.

Any ideas? Is this common to all, or does the fact that I have the later engine paired with the 100-6 frame cause the issue? The only thing I can think of will be to remove the interior and transmission tunnel to get at it from above.

As an aside (off topic, I know) but any other suggested maintenance for a car that has been sitting? I know the first response will be to strip and clean the carbs - a task I'm not looking forward to. Other advice?
 
This is a common problem even with cars in original condition. Many owners have purchased remote bleeders, essentially a piece of bendable metal tubing that is threaded into the clutch slave bleeder port. It has a bleeder at the other end that is extended someplace reachable in the engine bay. These were once available, but I understand the maker has passed into the beyond. My answer was to pull out the transmission housing in my BN7, which pretty exposes the slave's bleeder. However, this requires a great deal of work--seat removal, etc.--that I won't be anxious to repeat. I contemplated making my own remote bleeder, but it will require a fitting at the remote end that accepts and works with a bleed screw. I didn't have an answer for that requirement.
 
trotti said:
Hello all - I'm the proud new owner of a 1959 100-6. As an added detail (which may affect the answer?) the PO's restoration of the car involved replacing the numbers matching 100-6 6 port with a much later engine (I believe it was from a '67, but have yet to confirm). Thankfully, I got the numbers matching engine along with the one in the car, but that's a much later project and beyond the scope of this post.

The car underwent a complete and very thorough frame-off restoration some years back and I bought it after it had sat for some time. Very clean, just a bit tired from lack of use. Yesterday, I got it up on stands and bled the brakes thoroughly, emptied the fuel tank (new tank with the restoration but I wasn't confident the gas was fresh), flushed the coolant and will eventually change the oil (only so much time in one evening - so excited I didn't even stop to eat dinner).

Although I'm mechanically inclined, I'm no mechanic. I met my match when I was trying to bleed the clutch. The clutch slave sits on the bell housing right beside the frame rail and the inner fairing. With some medieval contortionistic chicanery, I was able to get a line on the bleed screw, but wasn't able to get a wrench in to actually loosen the bleeder. Next thought - unbolt the slave and bleed it off the bell, right? Much like my inability to get a wrench to the bleeder, I couldn't get one to the upper bolt on the slave.

Any ideas? Is this common to all, or does the fact that I have the later engine paired with the 100-6 frame cause the issue? The only thing I can think of will be to remove the interior and transmission tunnel to get at it from above.

As an aside (off topic, I know) but any other suggested maintenance for a car that has been sitting? I know the first response will be to strip and clean the carbs - a task I'm not looking forward to. Other advice?
Click to expand...
Just about all the Healey parts suppliers have the clutch slave bleed screw adapter that deals with this. Maybe someone will post a photo of it?? About $35 when I bought mine. You will then be able to bleed the clutch from the engine compartment.
 
No parts supplier ever had that it was a custom piece made a number of yrs ago,you can get to it you have to raise the car high enough no one said working on these cars is easy
 
If you do go at it from underneath, it's probably easier to unbolt the cylinder from the bell housing. I have one of Doug Reid's--aka Mr. Finespanner's--extensions, and they sure make life easier (yes, I'm bragging). I once bled my clutch in the parking lot of a restaurant waiting for it to open for dinner.
 
rjc157 said:
No parts supplier ever had that it was a custom piece made a number of yrs ago,you can get to it you have to raise the car high enough no one said working on these cars is easy
Click to expand...
I believe BCS, British Car Specialists has them in stock.
 
OH!! Yes that one is a booger,here is what i did.

I do not remember how I got the top bolt out but I did.

So to make my life with the clutch cylinder a little easier -I cut the head off that bolt and replaced it that way in the tranny.

Now when I need to bleed the slave.

I simply remove the bottom bolt and drop the cylinder down.
It Has been that way for eons and gives me no functional problems.
 
Denis Welch sells this:
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This is the unit that I got from Doug Reid(Mr Finespanner). Bleed the clutch from inside the engine compartment. Other units are similar.
 

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Please READ my nest post in response to Steve's questions. It may be best to purchase a fully researched product instead of doing it as I did.

I hate to sound cheap but a while back there was a discussion on the same topic and a picture of a clutch bleed extension was shown. Having an spare 12" piece of brake line, I purchased a coupling locally and made a bracket (similar to that shown in Patrick's pictures). After removing the bleed screw from the slave, I simply installed one end to the brake line and attached the coupling with bleed screw to the other end and secured it with the bracket to a bolt on the bell housing. Simple, inexpensive, and a heck of a lot more convenient, why wouldn't you do this?

Ray (64BJ8P1)
 
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RAC68 said:
I hate to sound cheap but a while back there was a discussion on the same topic and a picture of a clutch bleed extension was shown. Having an spare 12" piece of brake line, I purchased a coupling locally and made a bracket (similar to that shown in Patrick's pictures). After removing the bleed screw from the slave, I simply installed one end to the brake line and attached the coupling with bleed screw to the other end and secured it with the bracket to a bolt on the bell housing. Simple, inexpensive, and a heck of a lot more convenient, why wouldn't you do this?

Ray (64BJ8P1)
Click to expand...

Ray - have a few questions:

Is it a 12" piece of pipe or flex line? What kind of fittings/flares on the ends? Was the coupling a brake line coupling or a rod coupling? What type of flare fits the upper port on the slave cylinder? How does the pointed end on the bleed screw seat against the inside of the coupling?
 
Hi Steve,

Good questions. The brake line is solid and 12" (but could be longer) with 2 installed fittings and acquired from Moss when installing a Lockheed servo. It was later replaced back to the original line when reinstalling my rebuilt Girling servo. I am not certain but I believe the coupling was purchased from someplace like Home Depot and remember taking the brake line and bleed screw to check the fit. As for the bleed screw seating, I can only tell you that the bleed screw tapered end bottoms on the coupling and functions normally.

I get your point Steve and although I am satisfied with the results of my assembly, it may be better for others to just purchase a fully researched product.

All the best,
Ray (64BJ8P1)
 
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Thanks all for the detailed responses - very much appreciated. I think I'm going to go with the Denis Welch option after I fight and struggle to get this thing off. I'm going to buy some flexible extensions for my socket wrench and hope that allows me to get the top bolt off to bleed now, and then again to install the remote bleeder option.

I'll be very glad to have this one tackled!

Another question: currently there is a lot of travel in my clutch pedal before any pressure engages (at least eight or nine inches). Is this common or could this be a symptom of needing to bleed the clutch?
 
If it was me if the mc and sc were never rebuilt since you have to go through the agony of bleeding the system I would rebuild them and be done with it and don't have to worry about doing it later
 
Trotti, if all hydraulics are good, I'd check the clevis pin for wear. It doesn't take much of a grove to increase the play. I have about 2 inches of play.
TH
 
trotti said:
...

Another question: currently there is a lot of travel in my clutch pedal before any pressure engages (at least eight or nine inches). Is this common or could this be a symptom of needing to bleed the clutch?
Click to expand...

Way too much; you should only have an inch or two of play before the slave engages the release mechanism. I don't think a worn clevis could cause that much slop--it could be part of the problem, though--so you definitely need a bleed. You've discovered what a PITA it is to bleed the clutch, so it gets neglected. With that much play, you may not be fully disengaging the clutch when you shift, resulting in gear grinding (in other gears besides first).
 
tahoe healey said:
Trotti, if all hydraulics are good, I'd check the clevis pin for wear. It doesn't take much of a grove to increase the play. I have about 2 inches of play.
TH
Click to expand...

The parts are in near new condition from when it was restored, it just sat for some time. Honestly, the master and slave look as if they came out of a catalog yesterday. I'm *hoping* the play is coming from the need to bleed. The fluid I pulled from the brakes was pretty dark, but there wasn't much debris. I'll put the car up on jack stands tonight and report back. I'll also try to take some pictures.
 
Bob_Spidell said:
With that much play, you may not be fully disengaging the clutch when you shift, resulting in gear grinding (in other gears besides first).
Click to expand...

That was what I feared. The good news is that I have a total of .1 miles on the car since purchase. I'm hoping any potential for damage was limited. Using the forum has convinced me that I'm not crazy and that there's not some simpler way to do this, it's just a pain. I'll throw a few pounds of perseverance and the problem and see how that goes (then I'll avoid it altogether with the Denis Welch remote bleed system!).
 
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