2000 TC Clutch

M

mf.smith

New Member
New to this forum, and new to the Rover P-6. On top of that, I'm in the United States, and just picked up one of what I am guessing are about five p-6's that exist here in the States. The Rover is a new experience for me.
Just picked up a sight unseen, non running 1968 2000TC. (I know, I know, I must be balmy!) Drove 10 hours to Massachusetts and 10 more back home towing it.

I love this car! Base unit is good, so I'm going with a restoration, but I HAVE to drive it first! Got the old girl running, brakes are up, but am now waiting on a couple of floats for the carbs as I'm pretty sure they are holding more fuel than the tank is!

The problem is - No clutch. Car runs, push clutch pedal.....Nothing. Very light pedal action, No change in engine RPM, no noise, no go in gear, no leaks,no smile on my face, no happy yankee Rover owner!

Before I start tearing the thing apart, I'd like to know what common problems cause this symptom. Could it just be the slave cylinder? Linkage or fork problem? any help would be appreciated, as I can't wait to start driving this car around showing how cool old 'Brit rides are!

Also, this thing is every bit as cool as my 1970 AMC AMX!!!
 
Welcome aboard! You can't have too many cars in running order in the USA!

You've presumeably clocked that the clutch is hydraulic, so presumeably have topped up the reservoir (seperate from the brakes....). With no leaks evident, I would have thought it was more likely to be the master cylinder seals than the slave - but you'd better assume you are changing the seals on both!

Key task is to discover Ebay UK site where you will find tons and tons of P6 spares. First purchase ought to be the workshop manual and the spare parts manual. The latter gives exploded diagrams of how every component on the car fits together, so is worth its weight in gold. Also discover Ian Wilson's Rover Classics site, which has lots of useful reference material.

http://www.rover-classics.co.uk/

Chris
 
mf.smith said:
The problem is - No clutch. Car runs, push clutch pedal.....Nothing. Very light pedal action, No change in engine RPM, no noise, no go in gear, no leaks,no smile on my face, no happy yankee Rover owner!

Before I start tearing the thing apart, I'd like to know what common problems cause this symptom. Could it just be the slave cylinder? Linkage or fork problem? any help would be appreciated, as I can't wait to start driving this car around showing how cool old 'Brit rides are!

Also, this thing is every bit as cool as my 1970 AMC AMX!!!
Click to expand...

When you say 'no go in gear' do you mean that there is no drive at all? i.e. if you put it into gear and try to start the car, it doesn't try to leap forward?

If so, it could be as simple as a seized master/slave cylinder i.e. seized in the 'IN' position. Try tapping both with a hammer, not too hard, don't want to break them. Then try to start it in gear again. If it doesn't lurch forward, unbolt the slave cylinder. If no difference, you have a totally worn out clutch/internal gearbox problem/missing prop or something else.

Richard
 
I think that first you need an assistant. Have someone pump the clutch up and down while you stick your head under the rhs of the car and see if the clutch lever on the side of the bellhousing is moving. If it isn't, then you have a hydraulic issue and need to check the fluid and bleed it. If it is moving then the clutch plate has probably seized onto the flywheel and will need freeing off. This can usually be done without removing the gearbox, start by putting the car in gear, pressing the clutch down and flicking the key. Make sure there is nothing for you to hit if you try this.
That's a good starting point, try those and let us know what happens.
 
You've presumeably clocked that the clutch is hydraulic, so presumeably have topped up the reservoir (seperate from the brakes....). With no leaks evident, I would have thought it was more likely to be the master cylinder seals than the slave - but you'd better assume you are changing the seals on both!

Actually, it has one reservior with three lines coming out of it. One to each of the brake cylinders, (U.S. spec dual circuit brakes), and I followed the other to the clutch cylinder. It has two master cylinders,two vacuum boosters on the brakes so, Can't figure out why only one reservior though! In any case, the cylinder on the side of the transmission (gearbox) does nothing when the pedal is pushed. Brake fluid topped up, brakes work great, still no clutch. I can not yet start the car again as I am waiting for replacement carb floats to arrive, but when I did have it running, I got the lever CLOSE to reverse, but did not engage it all the way as it was obvious that I had no clutch, and I didn't want to damage the transmission. Could hear the gears starting to grind as I got close!

Re: 2000 TC Clutch

Postby KiwiRover on Wed Jun 15, 2011 5:18 am
I think that first you need an assistant. Have someone pump the clutch up and down while you stick your head under the rhs of the car and see if the clutch lever on the side of the bellhousing is moving. If it isn't, then you have a hydraulic issue and need to check the fluid and bleed it. If it is moving then the clutch plate has probably seized onto the flywheel and will need freeing off. This can usually be done without removing the gearbox, start by putting the car in gear, pressing the clutch down and flicking the key. Make sure there is nothing for you to hit if you try this.
That's a good starting point, try those and let us know what happens.

So....The cylinder does not move......I bumped the ignition with the car in 3rd and 4th, and reverse. It bumped forward in the two, and backward in the other, although it won't start in gear. Can't seem to get it into 1st or 2nd, although I may be able to if I roll the car to line up the syncro's. So......What next?
 
In case anyone wants to see, I've attached a photo of my '68 2000 TC in as picked up condition, the day I towed it 10 hours, two rainstorms, and one blown tire back to Ohio from Massachusetts. It was either me, or the crusher I fear, and I'm happy to have won out. I have all the electrical issues sorted out, at least for the time being, and have found some awesome parts support in the U.K. from two gents named Keith and Ian. Also, many thanks to the answers on the clutch issues, you guys are great! As soon as I receive my new carb floats, I'll post how it all turns out.

By the way, I lost one of those cheesy wheel covers on the tire blow out, and pitched the other three soon as I was home. Even the black and rust Rover wheels look better than those!
 

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That car looks really straight (apart from the front bumper irons!). By UK standards, it hardly needs any work at all.....

The tow souns like a true feat of heroism!

Chris
 
hi m.f.smith,
just got back from massachusetts. also where abouts in ohio are you, i will have to come and see you when i am next over there as i have family who live in ohio.

ian
 
chrisyork said:
That car looks really straight (apart from the front bumper irons!). By UK standards, it hardly needs any work at all.....

The tow souns like a true feat of heroism!

Chris
Click to expand...

Ha! Well, living in Ohio most of my life, which is the road salt capital of the world in the winter, what most would consider a pile of oxidized scrap iron, I call merely a daunting challenge! Both front and rear "wings" have had some minor rust issues, very sloppily repaired at sometime in the past. The base unit has a small area where it needs repair just ahead of the left rear wheel, but is otherwise solid, including under all four wings. Trunk (Boot?) floor, including where the spare tire rests is solid as well.Amazing for a car that lived on the east coast of the U.S. Lots of very minor surface rust though.

Less than 50,000 miles, and looks as though the engine and gear box have never been apart. After some work, I managed to get the engine started, and it ran well until the old floats in the SU's filled with fuel, and stayed in the bottoms of their chambers. Very frightening when gasoline starts pouring down on a hot exhaust manifold!

The interior is leather, black, and looks just what you would expect leather that had been left outside in the Gobi Desert for a decade to look like. The plus side of all that cracked and dry rotted leather is that it perfectly matches the cracked and dry rotted dash pad!

So, when the carb floats arrive, and I get them installed, I'll continue with trying to figure out why that stick looking thing in between the front seats is currently just for decoration purposes. Lots of work to do, especially with the gearbox.

This car is just so different than anything made in the U.S., so technically interesting, I couldn't pass it by.

Can't help it at all. I've been caught sitting in it flipping the dash switches up and down just to hear that marvelous click......Guess I've been bitten by the Rover bug.
 
mf.smith said:
Can't help it at all. I've been caught sitting in it flipping the dash switches up and down just to hear that marvelous click......Guess I've been bitten by the Rover bug.
Click to expand...

Try parking on a flat surface and getting out of the car. Just nudge the door to close so that it slowly glides back, nice and slow, and closes perfectly with a resounding clunk.

Guess who had been refitting his doors lately :oops:

Richard (Bitten 34 years ago) :)
 
Oh the doors.....And that great deck lid.....Just give them both a little nudge.....How very proper! In any case, just received my carb floats in the mail, already installed, about to fire her up and continue on with the clutch. Wish me luck!

Again, so far, thanks to all for your help.
 
Hahahahahaaa! Turns out all that was needed was a good bleeding of the system! I now have a functioning clutch! Well, it runs something terrible, wants to stall out, but the clutch issue is solved for now! Now, on to those twin SU's!
 
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