25 replies to this topic

[booton]

ok on the way to work today no problem. 

 

jumped in the car to go home straight away it does real right. clucth feel right on the way down but is only returning 1/3 of the way. 

 

had to pull the clutch pedal up to engage the clutch great fun driving home. 

 

I'm thinking its two things clutch master cylinder not allowing the return flow of fluid or worse the pressure plate fingers damage.

 

are is a 998 verto flywheel/clutch. ie has the short arm. 

 

just wanted so advice before i go fixing  lol. 

 

 

[Gremlin]

It might be that the hoses are blocked, take them off and see if you can blow down them with little restriction

[booton]

mm will give it a shot. 

feels like the fluid is being restricted. 

[Dan]

It's quite likely to be that if it's happened without anything being touched. When rubber hoses start to break down they can act as 1 way valves.

[booton]

rubber hose 6 months old. 

slave cylinder 6months old master cylinder been on the car over 6 years. 

[surfblue]

Is the return spring still in place?

[booton]

theres no spring on a verto clucth ?? 

[Dan]

There is at the pedal.

[booton]

Can't find one for sale any where. Will have a look later if I can see the remains of one

[087dave]

I thought from 1988 on there was no return spring at the pedal box

For the clutch there is one just for the brake pedal
I could be wrong

[Dan]

I thought it was the other way around, I thought the clutch pedal still had one. It was the brake system that changed at '88, I can't see why the clutch spring would get deleted if the rest of the system was the same. The brake system has a return spring at the servo bell crank so doesn't need one at the pedal. I could well be wrong too though! Can't remember how I built mine when I converted it now.

[tiger99]

A Verto clutch has a fairly light spring inside the slave cylinder, to take up the slack at the thrust bearing, so the clutch self-adjusts, with the thrust bearing running in light contact all the time. It also has a heavy pedal return spring, like the pre-Verto.

 

It is imperative that all pedals have heavy return springs, so they return fully, even when some idiot rests their foot on them. With the Verto clutch, if the pedal spring is missing or defective, the pedal may not return fully, so the master cylinder piston may not uncover the reservoir port, and with changes in temperature the trapped fluid may expand and cause clutch slip. Likewise it is dangerous to have a missing brake pedal return spring, because the brakes will either lock on (had it happen, not on a Mini) or fail due to excessive pedal travel, if the fluid is not vented to the reservoir when the pedal is up.

 

On servo models, there is a return spring, it is just not at the pedal, like the non-servo Minis. It is in the servo.

[booton]

ok so after a quick look. 

 

there is a spring in what i would call the pedal box that is in-tacked. 

 

if i pull the pedal back where is should be theres probably 1"1/2 - 2" of travel before it starts to push on the cylinder rod. 

So i'm thnking

either the master cylinder is not returing as it should. 

blockage causing the cylinder not returning.

or something else. 

[tiger99]

Are you saying that there is free movement before it pushes on the master cylinder pushrod? Surely that can only happen if the clevis pin is missing? Or if you mean, the master cylinder push rod has free play before pushing on the piston (not sure how you would see that), then indeed something is making the piston stick, possibly a contaminated and swollen seal, or a blockage in the hose.

[booton]

yes there is free movement before pushrod.

 

must be master cylinder, fluid and every thing but the cylinder newish. 

 

you think it worth stripping it all down or just getting a new one.