Master Cylinder Problems - 500 Griff

[Mezz]

Sorry Chaps - First time on Gassing Station! Clutch pedal has suddenly gone very soft and unable to put car into gear. Having checked fluid it seems to be ok. I have since noticed that the master cylinder is leaking slightly below the clutch pedel and probably needs replacing or a repair kit to sort.

Can anyone advise on the level of difficulty of installing a repair kit. On first glance it does seem a messy job to remove it!

Any advise greatly welcomed.

[clive f]

[url]www.thegriffithpages.com/[/url]

try having a look on here, if you look on the alternative parts list it will give you the part numbers for the parts you require, sorry can`t help further, its a job I have`nt had to do............yet.

[Mezz]

Thanks for the tip Clive, I dont think its a major problem getting the parts its more a concern on the fitting that i was looking for some advise. Thanks anyway!

Edited by Mezz on Wednesday 14th March 22:27

[Colin Blues2]

Can't speak to how easy/difficult removing the master cylinder is on a Griff.

Installing the repair kit is pretty straight forward. Make sure your work ares is free from dust and the like. Drain the fluid and wipe over the external to remove any loose muck.

The internals are usually held in place by a circlip in the end of the cylinder so you'll need circlip pliers. Remnove that then pull out the piston from the cylinder. Then it's a case of replacing the old seals with the ones from the kit.

Make sure you match the orientation of the old ones with the new, use clean clutch fluid to lubricate the seals while fitting. Good idea to rinse out the cylinder with clean fluid to make sure there's no debris from the old seals left behind. Refit the piston and circlip. Then refit the master cylinder to the car, fill and bleed the system.

Colin

[mezz]

Colin

Thanks for that. Ill give it a try at the weekend and hopefully be in a position to get the car out of the garage and enjoy some of this fine weather.

[groomvroom]

ANy idea on where to get a seal kit, my local factor cant get the Girling part number listed on the griffithpages.

[farrowby]

This may be of some use

www.pistonheads.co.uk/gassing/topic.asp?f=8&t=195783

part can obtained from these guys

www.merlinmotorsport.co.uk/p568/REPAIR-KIT-M/CYL-0.70/product_info.html



Tim

[david beer]

I bought a new one, ready to fit but thought it would be easier to just do the seal, took out the circlip but it dont come out ! Am i missing something ?

[mdotrutherford]

If Im reading you right here David, you are trying to disassemble a new Master Cylinder?, as you have taken out the circlip its only being held in by stichon, ie minumum amount of assembly grease was probably used and its kin tight.
Unscrew the top cap and give it some lad !!

Edited by mdotrutherford on Friday 16th March 12:06

Edited by mdotrutherford on Friday 16th March 12:06

[Mezz]

Just to let you know Fitting the clutch master cylinder repair kit (provided overnight by Merlin Motor Sport - Which was great) was no so bad after all - 3 Hours of a job and back on the road. Reckon its half that time if there's a next time! Handy to have my 9 year old son holding the spanner in the very confined space in the drivers footwell (probably would have got wedged in there if I had tried that one!)

Thanks guys for the advise and support.

John

[david beer]

John,
how did you remove the piston ? It stops just short of grabbing it, tried all sorts then "magnet" sprang into head, popped out just fine. But, i can not bleed it, tried several times, any ideas ?

[Mezz]

David

After re-building the master cylinder with new seals and installed unit back where it came from I bled the system via the bleed nipple on the slave cylinder next to the gearbox housing. It meant jacking the car on the offside to access the slave cyl easily and filled the master cylinder, loosend the bleed nipple and got my son to slowly push in the clutch in a few times and topped up again.I used a plastic tube on the bleed nipple that fed into a tray under the car and nipped up when done. All seemed a bit too easy for a novice.

Back to getting the piston out of the cylinder, it was a sharp prod with a screwdriver and it simply came out sufficiently to remove after a couple of attemps.Lucky i guess!
Hope this helps.
John

[david beer]

Thats exactly how i bled the system, still no good. Will have another go at the weekend(it will not be going anywhere though !!). I guess your piston was "slack" as mine was really quite tight, so anybody else with tight, magnet(strong) perfect.