clutch or master/slave problem?

[dr.ian]

Well, I saw that my clutch master was very slightly leaking. So, I decided to relplace it and the slve...to be safe. Well, I installed the new parts and the braided line on my S4. The system is bled. The slave has the correct amount of travel and the Fork adjustment bolt is at factiry setting. Well, I started my car and there was a very, very small spinning noise, like a bearing. It goes away if I barely touch my foot on the clutch pedal. It also goes away it I move the adjustment srew towards the slave piston...so it pushes on it slightly more. It did not do this before at all. What could this be? My clutch slave was off for 24 hours. I wonder if the fork was sitting more towards the front of the car than usual, causing the bearing to be in a differnt spot or something. Please Help!

[wedg1e]

Does sound like the release bearing. It may be that the mounting holes in the slave are positioning it slightly differently to the old one.... or maybe it always did that and you just hadn't noticed?

Ian

[dr.ian]

No...it wasn't there before. The fork has very small free play in it (perpendicular to the piston). Mabey it is not in the exact same line of drive. I will try to wiggle it around. Hope this does mean a repalcement.

[dr.ian]

OK....I started it up and got under it. It is definately the bearing.....BUT...it completly goes away if just touch the fork. It also is gone if I push the fork upwards. What would cause this?

[wedg1e]

Did the fork get displaced about its pivot point when you changed the cylinder?
Running out of ideas here...

Ian

[cnh1990]

Is the adjustment nut on the slave rod correctly adjusted to the distance specification as indicated in the service manual?

[dr.ian]

Yes, it is right on. I thought about screwing it in a bit more, so that I can put more of the bolt towards the front of the car, but then I would have to worry about a slipping clutch. What could cause this, it did not happen before? I know that the manual gives a specification as to the bolt length. If the clutch plate is worn, can it vary to compensate?...I guess it self adjust with the hydraullics. I did bleed the clutch with the slave not mounted. I then mounted it, lined the push rod up with the fork and had my wife push the the pedal so that the rod came into contact with the fork. My bolt is at specification, and the fork is travelling perfect distance. I just wonder if it is all setup in a slightly different spot than before...like the fork being too far forward. There is not some sort of spacer or "cup" that holds the piston snug in the fork? My Porsche had one....but don't see one on the Lotus.

[dr.ian]

OK..I think I got it fixed. I crawled under the dash tonight. Well...it turns out that the little bolt that adjusts how far back or forward the pedal sits was completely loose and out of place. I adjusted that and put some lock tight on it. No noise, no slip, no grind, and smoother than ever. Hope it keeps running good. The only problem I had is when I disconnected the pedal from the push rod. I slipped and the pedal slammed down on my finger and about popped it open. It is full of blood now. Thanks everyone!