16 replies to this topic

[matminicity]

Well my mini is now officially on the road and all legal
But the problem is i've been driving round today and have found the clutch STUPIDLY low and finding it hard to select gears.
Literally when my foot is flat on the floor it still pulls forward slowly like an automatic!!!!

What i want to know is, how do you adjust the clutch cable so its not so low?
A step by step guide would be perfect if possible
Is it difficult to do?

Please give me some info people because i want to spend the weekend tearing up the tarmac whilst theres still some nice sunny weather and im taking it to the local classic car show tomorrow!!!!

[matminicity]

Anyone know?!?!?!
P L E A S EEEEEEEEE! I dont want to go to the classic car show in my mates old beetle
I feel like the Top Gear boys did when they did the trip across the desert, and the penalty for breaking down was having to use the beetle for the rest of the journey!!!

[Doodle]

Mate, the haynes manual talks about return stop and throw-out stop, its not very clear if either of them are anything to do with your problem, i think return stop is something to do with the auto adjuster on the pressure plate, the pressre plate moved closer to the realease bearing when the friction material wears down.

throw out stop looks to be about the distance of travel of the operating lever..and says its only normally necessary to adjust if you've replaced your clutch...have you?

[Doodle]

If you've not replaced it, it could be that the cable is well worn and has stretched, increasing the amount the pedal needs to travel before engaging..it could snap soon

[matminicity]

Brilliant!
Im totally confussed, the clutch was perfectly fine when i bought the mini in november, hasnt been used since then, and now when i want to use it, it starts playing up and wont go into gears

Anyone have a clue whats wrong and how i can fix it????

[Doodle]

oh yeah, have you checked the fluid level in reservoir?

[Purple Tom]

Doodle - with all due respect please do not give advice if you don't know what you're talking about. You're suggesting the 'cable' could be worn and stretched, then almost immediately suggest checking the level in the reservoir. Mini's use a hydraulic clutch operating system, not cable. A cable system does not have a reservoir. Please don't reply if you don't know (see the top of the page).

Mat - it sounds to me like the hydraulic system is at fault rather than the clutch itself. Do you know how to bleed the system? It could be that it has lost some fluid, but then you need to find out why. The master cylinders are generally reliable, so I'd be looking at the slave cylinder and also the pipework and hose from the master cylinder to the slave cylinder. Have a look for any traces of fluid (you may need a torch to see properly underneath the servo), and if possible get someone to press the pedal while you look to see for any leakage of fluid.

Edit - I've just read your second post about it not being used since November, is this the same car as you brought to Bingley? It is possible that through lack of use the master cylinder seals have gone hard and are now leaking through the bottom of the cylinder, have a look on the clutch pedal for any sign of leakage inside the car too.

You may get away with just giving it a good bleed through for the time being, but if its losing fluid you need to find out why.

[Doodle]

whatever, i just quoted what was in the haynes manual, and i was only asking if he'd checked it, i wasnt suggesting anything, only trying to work out what could be the cause, I think you need to stop being over zealous with your 'moderating' I've seen a lot of clubs ruined by do-gooder moderaters that try to clamp down on everything...you need to chill out mate, otherwise nobody will bother replying to anything if they get jumped on like this

[Purple Tom]

I'm sorry, but its pretty obvious that you've never worked on a Mini clutch before if you're going on about cables and adjusting them. Mat's used to VW's and other (non Mini) cars which do have cable clutches so I can see why he might think that, but then you advise the cable could be damaged and at the same time to check the fluid?

Its no good referring to a Haynes manual if you're not sure what you're looking for. While we do appreciate people's input, we also advise that its better to not post at all if you don't know, as giving out the incorrect advice could be nothing short of dangerous.

As for the moderating, show me an example of where I have edited any part of the thread (other than my own)....

Mat - sorry for the off topic posting...

Tom

[Doodle]

its not the editing Thomas, its just the general attitude that you need to charge in there and save the day, its not necessary, your not legally liable for the information in these posts, i dont think anyone here needs the hassle of getting in a riddulous public argument and think that a better approach would have been to message me if you found issue with the content of the thread rather than trying to make people look stupid, it doesnt reflect well on you, anyone reading this thread thinking about joining up might not like it either, i'm not unreasonable, your aggressive approach could damage the name of the club, i suggest you look at how you manage things in future.

[Grayedout]

Also it depends what type of clutch, pre-verto or verto as to whether or not it can be mechanically adjusted !

Bleeding the hydraulic system will help in either case!

[Jammy]

its not the editing Thomas, its just the general attitude that you need to charge in there and save the day, its not necessary, your not legally liable for the information in these posts, i dont think anyone here needs the hassle of getting in a riddulous public argument and think that a better approach would have been to message me if you found issue with the content of the thread rather than trying to make people look stupid, it doesnt reflect well on you, anyone reading this thread thinking about joining up might not like it either, i'm not unreasonable, your aggressive approach could damage the name of the club, i suggest you look at how you manage things in future.

Personally I'd rather we come across as agreesive to someone giving out bad advice than allow the bad advice to continue and risk someone damaging their car, or worse. Yes, it would be a bit extreme for your advice to have caused Matt to have damaged his engine/clutch, but it still needed to be said. If you have anymore to say on the matter please contact either Tom or myself.

I fully support Tom's posts on this topic.

[matminicity]

Thanks for all the replies everyone.
Im going to bleed it now, just got some pipes off my mate down the road so i'll see if this makes any difference and get back to you all later to let you all know if its worked or not.

[Globule]

On the last mini run mine did that, couldnt even get it in gear at times (ask Dom or Gingerjoe as i was blocking the road many times, crunching it nicely ), just needed bleeding really, sorted it when i got home and it was fine! But my master cylinder is leaking so the fluid level was low too, just topped that up and its running fine now!

[Ethel]

Bit of a tip:

If you have a car off the road for a while have a dance on the pedals every now and then, spin the wheels etc.

I don't see a problem with people chipping in ideas as long as they make it clear they aren't offering a 'gospel' solution. It's a bump 'n a bit of morale support if nothing else.

The throw out stop is the big nut in the centre of the clutch cover and it's there to stop the clutch release bearing from pushing further than it needs to; which would push the crank shaft against its thrust bearings. The only symptom it could show on the clutch pedal is stopping it from reaching the floor if it was set too close. If it doesn't touch the clutch cover when the pedal is on the floor it does suggest there's a problem with the hydraulics.

The return stop is the bolt under the clutch arm (Vertos don't have this), it stops the the clutch from returning (yes, really!) the slave cylinder piston further than is needed down it's bore. This could cause your problem if it's screwed too far in to the cover. If it's set correctly you should be easily able pull the clutch arm out to create a small gap (40 thou or 1mm) between the bolt head & the arm before the release bearing makes contact with the clutch. No gap would mean the release bearing is being permanently spun by the clutch and won't last very long.

A hydraulic fault would seem most likely if the car's been stood a while. A quick check is to wind the throw out stop up against the clutch cover ( leave the locknut undisturbed 'n you can wind the stop back out to the same place): this should lock the clutch pedal up almost solid if it's spongy or falls slowly you need to look at the hydraulics.

I don't think any Minis will have a clutch damper but if there's a small can, a couple of inches round by 3/4" deep, plumbed in between the master 'n slave cylinder your pedal should be a little spongy.

Edited by Ethel, 03 May 2008 - 04:41 PM.