CLUTCH PEDAL TRAVEL SHORT
Discussion
The clutch pedal on my 94 4.3 Chim has developed a very short travel; ie I press it to the floor and it takes up over a very short distance and feels like there is a lot of dead travel - as though the clutch cable has stretched? I thought the clutch was hydraulic, any ideas on adjustment? Please help - I need the car for getting to work !!
You can replace the cable but you will have difficulty finding it as it is virtual... 
It's hydraulic. Could be leaking slave or master. Check for levels and leakage, especially in the footwell where the fluid can wreck the carpets. Could need bleeding but that is usually symptom of a dead seal, along with the smell of rotting meat
Could try adding some fluid and pumping as this sometimes buys a bit of time.
If no leaks, clutch is rapidly on its way out and needs replacing.
Steve
www.tvrbooks.co.uk
It's hydraulic. Could be leaking slave or master. Check for levels and leakage, especially in the footwell where the fluid can wreck the carpets. Could need bleeding but that is usually symptom of a dead seal, along with the smell of rotting meat
Could try adding some fluid and pumping as this sometimes buys a bit of time.
If no leaks, clutch is rapidly on its way out and needs replacing.
Steve
www.tvrbooks.co.uk
Just spoke to Tower View who know my car, explained that 'strangely enough' 
every time I drive in light coloured trousers they become sprinkled with a dark oily substance... hmm the evidence. Well I'd rather its just a seal gone than the clutch - topping up fluid till I get it to the garage; except where DO I top up the clutch fluid?
>> Edited by TRACKDEMON on Monday 19th August 17:30
>> Edited by TRACKDEMON on Monday 19th August 17:30
every time I drive in light coloured trousers they become sprinkled with a dark oily substance... hmm the evidence. Well I'd rather its just a seal gone than the clutch - topping up fluid till I get it to the garage; except where DO I top up the clutch fluid? >> Edited by TRACKDEMON on Monday 19th August 17:30
>> Edited by TRACKDEMON on Monday 19th August 17:30
I think you need dot 3 or 4, It sounds like what happened to mine, is your clutch pedal very floppy until the last inch/half inch??, if so then you master cylinder is leaking and you have an air lock. You can not just top up the fluid as this will make no difference, you actually need to bleed the system as well to get the air out!, Don't drive it as it is, because you will break the arm on the clutch, apparently they don't like it when you have an air lock!!!!!!, I did this to mine and ended up with a huge bill!!!, As long as the leak is not to bad you can bleed it and then just keep your eye on the clutch fluid level and it should be ok for a while. Hope this makes sense and feel free to correct me anyone if this is wrong!!!
bleed nipple is on the slave cylinder under the car, think it is a 12mm nut off the top of my head!! You need to put a pipe on the nipple and into some clutch fluid and then top up the master cylinder, if possible get someone else to sit in the car and push the clutch pedal in and out, the air should come out through the pipe and then suck fluid in, keep an eye on the master cylinder to make sure the level does not drop and it starts to suck air in!!!!!, do this until clutch is firm again and then tighten up nipple, I hope this helps!!!! and makes sense!
quote:
Thanks for that RCA - there was me thinking it was OK to drive as long as just top up the fluid. Only problem now is how do I bleed the system? Presumably there are bleed nipples on the master cylinder same as on brake calipers?
Actually it is in most cases. If the fluid level is low then there is a leak allowing it to escape and it will have air in it. Air locks are not a problem necessarily in hydraulic systems as air compresses pretty well so the only drawback is a spongy feel or excessive pedal movement. The clutch master is pretty simple and is a simple piston and not like the brake master. If the level is low top it up, pump the pedal and it may improve. If so use this to get it to a garage to repair it as you don't know how long it will be before it goes again.
If you want to bleed the system, get the car on axle stands and there is a bleed nipple on the slave cylinder. You need two people on this as the fluid will naturally drain out of the system and it is very easy to drain the master cylinder and get air back in without realising it.
Steve
www.tvrbooks.co.uk
quote:
bleed nipple is on the slave cylinder under the car, think it is a 12mm nut off the top of my head!! You need to put a pipe on the nipple and into some clutch fluid and then top up the master cylinder, if possible get someone else to sit in the car and push the clutch pedal in and out, the air should come out through the pipe and then suck fluid in, keep an eye on the master cylinder to make sure the level does not drop and it starts to suck air in!!!!!, do this until clutch is firm again and then tighten up nipple, I hope this helps!!!! and makes sense!
This method will never clear the air because all it does is shuffle a piston full of air/fluid. It should be bleed like a brake with fluid from the master cylinder being driven through the system and out through the clutch slave. Someone needs to keep topping up the master to make sure that the level doen't get low. This may take several cylinders full.
As for an air lock breaking the pivot arm... I find this a little hard to believe. Air compresses and the system is a straight transfer pipe hydraulic system. They can sieze up but this is usually caused by a component jamming and not an air lock. The pivot arms do break and jam and I have bent one in the 520 because the hydraulic pressure and clutch strength were higher than the release arm. Tower View welded some strengthening bars onto a new one for me to solve the problem. I suspect that it had failed first and that was the main reason.
Steve
www.tvrbooks.co.uk
The reason I say this is because this is what happened to mine!!!!, I was told by the garage that the arm was broke because of the air lock, due to the extra pressure needed on the clutch pedal to make it work the arm was not strong enough, just saying from past experience, I got the air lock out of mine as I described and it has been absolutly fine since!, this was 2 months ago, all I need to do is keep topping up the fluid every now and again!!
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