14 replies to this topic

[orangeteg]

Hello, i own a mk3 mini with a austin metro 1300cc engine. The car was doing fine until i decided to fully restore it. So i havent start it for 1 year and i worked on its exterior restore.

Anyway, yesterday i tried to start it so i can paint it and the car wont move. I can feel the clutch pedal(its not dead), the gears are ok, i can put 1-4 + reverse but the car wont move. The gears are actually not engaging.
My mechanic told me the differential might broke. But i wonder, how comes when the car was ok, all the gears were fine, to have a broken differential?

Anyone got any idea on this? Maybe its another problem?

[Kerrin]

As it has been stood for a while the clutch has possibly stuck to the flywheel.

Try getting the engine warm, turn the engine off holding your foot down on the clutch and try starting it in 4th gear. Hopefully it should unstick itself.

Also when doing this make sure you hold your foot on the brakes and try o have the car located where you dont accidently drive it through the garage door or worse still through the back wall.

[Guess-Works.com]

If you can select the gears, then there's nothing wrong with them...

Check the differential by trying to push the car when it's in gear...

Finally, try starting the car with it in gear ( no clutch ), make sure no one is in front of the car, if it stays where it is, your clutch is not engaging... ie it's not working.

[orangeteg]

i tried to start it with the gear on(without pressing clutch) and nothing happened this morning. i will try tomorrow the suggestion for the stuck clutch...
thanks guys

[Guess-Works.com]

did it start ?

[johng]

I've had a look around and this is the nearest problem to mine, but sorry in advance if this isn't the right place for this question:

After two days parked (in the recent sub zero temps) the clutch on my '91 cooper RSP won't engage any gears. The pedal's gone light, it goes down and comes up fine, but feels like it's not doing anything. Gears will engage when engine is off and i've checked the slave cylinder arm, it's moving freely and is not stuck in. I've had no problems with the gears at all when driving, so i'm guessing it's the cold? Does anyone know what the problem is and more importantly, the solution?

thanks, john

[Guess-Works.com]

Get someone to press the clutch pedal while you watch the arm, it should go in and out as normal, if it does and the clutch will still not disengage then it's likely the clutch release bearing has collapsed or fallen off...

Unfortunately you'll need to remove the clutch cover to investigate further

[johng]

OK, thanks for you help, just been and had a look and the arm doesn't move when the clutch is pressed - any ideas what could be the problem?

cheers, john

[Guess-Works.com]

If the arm does not move, and the clutch is engaged, then there's a problem with the hydraulics, check for leaks, and if nothing obvious, I'm afraid you're down to progressively replacing items, slave, pipe, master until it moves...

[johng]

OK, thanks for your help Guess Works, i really appreciate it. john

[CLM]

Another possible issue, is that the arm or plunger has siezed in the end of the clutch housing, and it's sitting in the disengaged state, basically as if your foot is permenently on the clutch. Check how much distance the clutch stop nut is fron the end of the case, if there is hardly any space that's what it would be.

Chris

Edited by CLM, 07 December 2010 - 01:37 PM.

[johng]

Thanks Chris, as i said in the first post the arm moves freely so don't think there's a problem with it. I'm going to top up the reservoir and bleed the slave to see if that has any effect.

[CLM]

OK, thanks for you help, just been and had a look and the arm doesn't move when the clutch is pressed - any ideas what could be the problem?

cheers, john

Hmm, I'm sorry, this post confused me then, I read it as you had someone press the clutch pedal and the arm not moving. The only possibilities would be it got stuck in the disengaged state, or the clutch friction disk is bad.

Try unbolting the two bolts that hold the clutch slave cylinder on. When the slave cylinder is removed and when it's in gear you can still push the car front and back without it turning the engine over or at least trying to, then the problem is inside the engine and not your clutch hydraulics.

Chris

[Guess-Works.com]

I you read the original question ( it's about 1/2 way down ) the symptom is that no gears can be selected, ie the clutch MUST be in the engaged state, rather than disengaged, otherwise the symptom would be "can select gears, but no drive, clutch pedal light"

[jameslearwood]

Just looking at this what happens if the car has been sitting in the cold during some work for a few month with out starting and the clutch pedal only moves a fraction?
carb currently off so cant start the engine but tried to rock the car in gear to set the valve clearances car move fine but rockers don't move so not going in gear
it was left in neutral is the clutch just stuck? iv'e put a coldhouse heater under it see if that helps or am i just going to have to get the carb on and start the car to unstick it???

cheers