5 replies to this topic

[Brigbeale]

My son came home from work yesterday and said (in a mood) 'There's something wrong with the gears on the car. I had to fight to get every gear on the way home'.
With that he disappeared to his room!

I asked him today to elaborate and he said that it just seemed it wouldn't go into any gear without a lot of force.

I dropped him off to his friends in the BMW MINI and returned home to investigate.

No sign of leakage - slave cylinder rubber is old (probably as old as the car!) but dry inside.
Master cylinder is nearly full - about 10-15mm below the top of the top (not cap).

Tried the gears with the engine off.
Went into each gear easily.
Started engine and depressed clutch. Could not get any forward gears, got reverse with a slight crunch.
Pushed clutch a few times - didn't feel right - sort of vague.
Pumped it rapidly a few times and it felt better and got first gear normally but struggled to move it into second within about 5 seconds.
Pumped it again for each gear and it went in fine but soon lost the full clutch resistance feeling again.
Got another family member to push the clutch while I put my finger on the clutch plunger/throw out stop nuts. Even with the pedal pushed to the floor, I distinctly felt a slight movement as though the clutch had been released slightly despite assurances the pedal was still hard to the floor.
So my thinking is that it is a hydraulics issue.
I have found a few replacement cylinders both the original 'baked bean can' Type and the later plastic type.
Are these interchangeable and does anyone agree that the master cylinder is faulty.
by the way the car has done 109,000 miles.

[cal844]

Check the hydraulics but it does sound like the clutch is needing replaced

[sledgehammer]

give it a bleed with fresh fluid

 

report back

 

cheapest things first

 

if you pumped it twice & it went in gear , it indicates hydraulics

Edited by sledgehammer, 21 June 2015 - 03:20 PM.

[Brigbeale]

Just a quick note to add.
I drove the car on Tuesday/Wednesday and it drove as it should with no sign of clutch trouble at all.

[Brigbeale]

Just had another look at it.
Noticed that there is a lot of free play between the pedal at rest and where it actually starts to push the piston up into the master cylinder.
I haven't got it off yet, but I reckon that either the clevis pin hole in the piston fork has elongated over time due to use, or the clevis pin itself is worn.

Will try to get the pin out to see what's what.

[Brigbeale]

Turned out to be both - the piston fork holes were elongated and the clevis pin worn.
A couple of hours and some colourful language after the metal brake pipe sheared off in the clutch hose union and then trying to get the big nut off which probably hasn't been disturbed for 25 years.....
Had to cut the hose and use an 18mm deep socket to hold the hose union while I got the nut off.
Ordered all new bits from Minis R Us.
Just got to put back together again now.......