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T-Series 76 clutch

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76midge

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i need help---i have a 76 midget and the clutch was not working. it was a time for overhaul of the master and slave but they were in perfect condition. so i put them back in and began bleeding the system....2 hours and 2 bottles of brake fluid later i decided it was not going to work. i then took off the slave from the little push rod and got a helper to push the pedal while i held the piston in as far back as i could as hard as i could. i could not hold it back if i had to. it pushed my thumb out easily and no hydraulic fluid went past the piston. sp i looked to the little rod it pushes and i think it is the problem because it jiggles a lot in and out with no resistance and i think that it is broken in some way but my mg book does not cover this part of the car. what can the problem be?
 
Maybe look and see if the slave push rod is actually connected to the clutch arm. There is a pin that goes in it to hold it in place.
 
ok, to do that i have to take off the bell housing right? if i do that, how would i do it...will the tranny fall on my head or someting?
 
No, the rod is from the slave to the trowout fork. They should both be outside the bell housing.

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Went out jacked up the B GT and put jack stands under (to be safe). The slave is on the passenger side and the rod couples with the fork outside the bell housing. I could not move mine at all as the pin was in and the slave is properly bled. Look and see if your slave rod is attached to the fork with a clevis pin and carter key. if not that is your problem. if the fork wiggles after everything is connected then you will have to look inside the bell housing to see the problem.
 
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ok, to do that i have to take off the bell housing right? if i do that, how would i do it...will the tranny fall on my head or someting?

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no it wont fall out on your head.. but to get inside the bell housing you are going to have to pull the engine and tranny. there is no other way. ANNND while your there you might as well put in a new clutch, pressure plate and throw out bearing. sounds like things may be pretty worn in there.

mark
 
update-
i discovered there was not enough length to reach the push rod...so i pused the collar that the slave fits in farther towards the end where the hose is. this made it harder to push, but i still have no clutch. furthermore, when i start the car in neutral and push the clutch pedal all the way in and press the gear shift forward like i was putting it into first, it does not engage, but it creeps forward ever so slightly and makes a slight squeaking noise. i then thought about my previous problem when it was rusted together, so i had it running warm and jammed it into 1st gear and went forward...only to discover about 10 feet from a wall that i have no breaks either. so after i almost hit the wall (thank god for emergency breaks and fast reflexes) i cut the car off and parked for the night...it is 8 o clock. put up the top (was slightly raining) and then discovered that the window crank does not work....
words of wisdom- never buy a car off ebay that is "restored" by a user that calls himself "mics antique auto restorers"
jason
 
Argh. SOrRy to see all the problems you're 'xperiencing. The Midget clutch/T.O./actuating fork difficulties will require that you R&R the engine/gearbox. Sounds like you're about to discover more shortcomings of a "jackleg" restoration. On the bright side: you have all the important pieces to make a real car outta it! Conveniently packaged in "mass formation!"

One of the best tools I've ever found for servicing hydraulic systems is the "EzeBleed" kit. Makes bleeding 'em a one man operation. But it sounds like the hydraulics are not the problem with your clutch /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif
 
The 1500 Midget clutch is a pain to bleed, I'll agree. I have found you have to do it twice because the air bubbles collect in the high point of the hose while you are bleeding, then you have to close the bleeder, work the clutch a few times (which gets rid of the air pocket in the hose) and bleed again. A fellow '76 Midget owner suggested a method that works for him: Put a piece of saran wrap over the master cylinder reservoir, put the cap on (making an airtight seal) and stomp hard on the clutch several times. I haven't tried this myself. I didn't quite understand what you meant by sliding the collar further out though. The slave has a single clamp bolt that fits in slot on the side of the slave cylinder, so there really isn't any adjustment. The collar that clamps the slave should be bolted tightly to the bellhousing. If you do have it bled properly, you should be getting about 3/4" of travel at the slave end. Also the pushrod is not a tight fit on the clutch arm, so yes, it can move around a little. One other annoying thing I've discovered is that if you take the slave cylinder out and put it back in, you will have to bleed it again. The rubber boot makes a tight seal with the pushrod, and after you work the clutch a few times, the air pocket that has build up inside the dust seal will find its way past the piston seal.

The one real long shot, and I had this problem myself, was if the "restorer" replaced the clutch, maybe it was defective? I had to put a new clutch kit in mine, and the new clutch was a Quinton-Hazell. I spent the better part of a few weeks trying to figure out why it wouldn't release at all, and finally determined that it was either the wrong clutch or a defective one. The springs needed way more travel than it could deliver, and it wasn't until I bought a Borg & Beck clutch (the original) that it worked. I had even looked in through the starter hole with a mirror and saw that the pressure plate didn't move at all.
 
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I didn't quite understand what you meant by sliding the collar further out though.

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what i mean is that the thing that clamps onto the slave itself. i took that and slid it up toward the end of the slave where the hose is and clamped it down. then bloted it to the bell housing. i though this would give it a little extra distance. but i was wrong.
jason
 
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