Clutch feels bad?

jp928

Well-Known Member
74 3500 4 speed - free play feels OK - minimal but present; separation and take up are in bottom 1/3rd of travel and hard - real conscious effort to get separation. Dont know any history. Could this be overstroked, fingers bent ? Anything else? Lever is vertical. master might be weeping a bit - new one on the way.
thanks
 
I would look at the angle of the clutch release arm. Don’t assume it was in the correct place from the last owner.

Remove the nut and bolt clamping the arm to the splined shaft going into the bell housing (be careful not drop them into the bell housing!). Rotate the arm so it’s just touching the pressure plate, the arm should be leaning towards the front of the car. If it’s close to vertical you will need to pull the arm off and rotate the arm one spline forward from vertical. Replace bolt and nut and tighten. That should give you better feel.

On the pedal end, pull up the carpet and measure from the bottom of the pedal to the steel floor. It should be around 6 3/4” (@harveyp6 please correct me if I’m wrong). If it’s too high or low loosen the nut on the trunnion under the dash near the top of the pedal arm and adjust the pushrod with a flat bladed screwdriver. Wind in to raise the pedal and wind out to lower the pedal.

hopefully those will get you in the right place for bite point.
 
On the pedal end, pull up the carpet and measure from the bottom of the pedal to the steel floor. It should be around 6 3/4”

The WM says 6.5 to 6.75" depending on where you look, bit I always set it the brake pedal to 6 & 7/8" and set the clutch pedal level with the brake.

If you search "clutch pedal height" you should find the whole procedure as I do it.
 
The book says the clutch arm should be vertical, which it is. Is it common to move it to point a bit forward? Clutch slave is new, no signs of leakage. Will check the pedal height.
 
The book says the clutch arm should be vertical, which it is. Is it common to move it to point a bit forward?

With the drop arm pushed rearwards until the release bearing touches the pressure plate, at that point the arm should be one spline forwards from the vertical.
 
Just checked things a bit more. Book says stroke of slave should be only 20mm - can barely see the piston, its way more than that clear of the circlip. I reckon the thing has been badly overstroked. The pedal height is pretty much on the button.
 
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Hi, There may be a disparity between master and slave bore sizes from what they should be.

Colin
 
Yes, possible. Slave looks genuine, based on pics I have seen. Master looks like it has a '.7' on it, so 0.7" bore probable. So far havent found what its supposed to be- pics on ebay of same part no (266694) show '7/8' -?
thanks
 
Reduced the slave stroke by reducing pushrod length ~5mm. Pedal feels better already, but havent driven it like this yet. Anybody know why P6B has a stroke spec, and SD1 (LT77) doesnt mention anything in that area?
thanks
 
Hi, Because ones by Rover and the other is by British Leyland. It's also a different method of transferring the movement to the clutch.

Colin
 
Reduced the slave stroke by reducing pushrod length ~5mm.

How does shortening the pushrod alter the stroke of the slave? All you've done is brought the piston closer to the end of the cylinder at the end of its stroke, which is what I told you to do in the first place IIRC.
 
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