Help please!

[Pete400SE]

My first time posting on this site & I'm afraid its a cry for help!

I've had a 400SE for just over a year, which has been great fun despite being a major drain on the wallet!

My problem is that the clutch pedal has gone completely soft, with no resistance all the way to the floor. The master cylinder is full, and although I've tried to bleed the system this hasn't helped at all.

Past threads have talked about removing the master cylinder & this is where I'm getting stuck. A pretty basic question, but how do you seperate the master cylinder from the clutch pedal?

Spent the last 3 hours upsidedown in the footwell but with no luck!!!

Very grateful for any help.

Pete400SE

[dickymint]

Welcome to the world of upside down maintenace Pete,
This is not going to help much! I remember well that upside down sideways manouvre to do the job but cant for the life of me remember how i did it! mostly remember feeling lightheaded and feint afterwards.
Good luck and by the way the throttle cable is just as bad!

[Pete400SE]

Thanks for the welcome! Can definately relate to the lightheaded feeling!

[jmorgan]

If I remember correctly there is pin through the pedal to hold the push rod thingy to the pedal. Held in place with a split pin. This can be removed through the hole that the cylinder fits in. Then a circlip to remove the rod fron the master cylinder, at least it was on my 350.
Welcome to upside down motoring by the way

[wedg1e]

The operating rod is held captive at the cylinder end by a steel disc and a circlip. At the other end it's threaded into a length of tube on the pedal, with a locknut.
Undo the locknut, remove the two nuts and bolts that hold the cylinder to the scuttle and pull the cylinder away. This depresses the clutch pedal: you can now grip the rod (from within the engine bay) and unscrew it from the pedal.
Saves most of the inverted antics ;-)

Ian

[Pete400SE]

Thanks for the help. Will give it another go & let you know how I get on.

[danny hoffman]

My 350 has a clip which needs prising away from the pedal a touch and it then slides off the clevis pin. Difficult to explain, but a 10 second job once you know.

[Pete400SE]

Well, master cylinder is now off having removed the circlip. The seal was stuck right at the end of the cylinder & refused to come down, so new master cylinder on order.

As for the connecting rod, its still firmly connected to the clutch pedal!!! Undid the locknut but can't get enough purchase on the rod to unscrew it from the pedal. Had a look at the clip nearer the pedal, but despite pushing, pulling and attacking it with a screwdriver, cant get it to budge.

Oh well, hopefully I'll be able to use the old connecting rod with the new master cylinder?

Thanks for all the replies!

Pete

[wedg1e]

danny hoffman said:

My 350 has a clip which needs prising away from the pedal a touch and it then slides off the clevis pin. Difficult to explain, but a 10 second job once you know.

Well, we might know that TVR would have more than one way to do the simplest thing...

[Pete400SE]

Turns out the connecting rod / piston that comes with the new master cylinder is a different length from the original, so so just as well I didn't result to extreme measures to get it off the clutch pedal! (probably a moral in there somewhere?).

Could I trouble you guys with a few more questions, please?

I now have my clutch back (yipee!!! ), but not convinced I've bled it properly. I've fitted a new bleed nipple, but the clutch fluid just leaks out round the thread, not through the nipple, or if I tighten it a little more, doesn't come out at all. Any suggestions? (tempted to try a bit of plumbers PTFE(?) tape round the thread but worried it will react with the fluid).

So, the tiv is nearly back on the road, only while I was under the bonnet I decided to rip out and replace the distributor cap, rotor arm & coil and replace the leads with a set of magnecore from ACT (excellent service - leads arived within 2 days even though they were out of stock!).

Fitting the leads tonight, but while putting the new rotor arm on I managed to move it round a few clicks. Does this matter or will the ECU sort it out next time its fired up?

Also decided to replace the fog lamps at the front, but while trying to get the old ones out managed to break 2 of the mounting points (a bolt with an oversized & perforated head which is riveted to the underneath of the spoiler). Does anyone know where I can get hold of these?

Thanks again for all the help.

Pete

[kevinday]

Metric or English measurement for the bleed nipple, maybe the thread is one and the nipple the other?

Edited to add, maybe it is cross-threaded?

>> Edited by kevinday on Friday 18th July 10:35

[shpub]

You have probably fitted the wrong nipple. It will either be a 10mm or a 3/8 UNF and they are almost interchangeable but not quite.

Make sure that the nipple is above the entry pipe on the slave otherwise you will never bleed them correctly.

As for oversize bolts things. Easy to make with a mudguard washer and a nut.

Steve
www.tvrbooks.co.uk

[wedg1e]

Not sure I understand your 'few clicks' re. the rotor arm?
The only Rover distributors I have ever seen have only one position to refit the rotor arm. If yours can move there must be something wrong with it. Or, is it maybe just the vac advance you were moving and thought the arm was turning on the shaft?
If the arm is wrong, or the distributor BODY has turned relative to the engine, yes the ignition timing is out and no, the ECU can't do anything about it.

Ian

[Pete400SE]

Ian,

There was only one way to fit the arm, but once it was on it turned a little anticlockwise & made a clicking sound as it went. Does this sound like the vacuum advance? (sorry, learning about this as I go along!) The distributor body has not moved relative to the body.

If the timing is out will it cause a problem to start the car & drive to the garage to have it reset? (I'm in Nth London so Tower View is not too far away)

Kevin/Steve,

Thanks for the info, will check whether I have imperial or metric and then try the other type. Slave cylinder is mounted upside down (bleed nipple below entry pipe), so will have to change that round.

Knew I'd seen those oversize bolt things somewhere before!!!

Cheers,

Pete

[wedg1e]

Pete400SE said:

Ian, There was only one way to fit the arm, but once it was on it turned a little anticlockwise & made a clicking sound as it went. Does this sound like the vacuum advance? (sorry, learning about this as I go along!) The distributor body has not moved relative to the body. If the timing is out will it cause a problem to start the car & drive to the garage to have it reset? (I'm in Nth London so Tower View is not too far away) Cheers, Pete

Sounds about right. Timing should be ok - see if it starts, then worry!



Ian

[danny hoffman]

I live a couple of miles from TowerView - where are you?

Danny

PS I think the guys have already sorted you out otherwise

[Pete400SE]

Started first time & definately felt smoother / more responsive than before, although given that the last time I drove her was as the master cylinder was giving out (just got home but couldn't have gone any further ), I may just be imagining things.

Probably should have waited before fitting new ignition components to get a true before & after - oh well.

Will get round to refitting the slave cylinder & trying an imperial bleed nipple over the next week or two.

Just got to sort out the driving lamps now, oh & then theres the annoying habit the passenger side headlamp has developed of nearly falling out of its pod every few weeks...not that it makes that much difference to the amount of light it puts out



Danny,

I'm up in Barnet, but often around Wembley. Where are you based?

[danny hoffman]

I live in Kingsbury and work at Hanger Lane.

Danny

PS Glad it's running!

[montegogt]

Bolt with large perforated head is probably a Bighead Bonding Fastener. Bighead are in the Bournmouth area. Ken Stanley, who is the MD may give you a sample if you ask him nicely.