oldie wrote:
So just dropping in to say hi to everyone,me in Melbourne,son in Ballarat, son has just bought a Leyland mini and Im the go to guy for mechanical advice and after my first drive I think Im going to need a lot of mechanical advice,my background is morris minors,the same,but different,so to speak. First issue,very hard to get in to gear,generally doesnt crunch,just wont go in and sounds like the throw out bearing on the clutch fork is RS and possibly the clutch also,does the engine need to come out to repair/replace these? What is the big nut at the point where the clutch lever arm enters the bellhousing,is it supposed to be able to be turned by finger in or out,because I can! Will start with these questions but be assured I have MANY more!
Thanks and hope this will be the start to many happy repairs.
Sounds like your main throwout stop nuts are loose and not allowing the clutch to fully engage. Back them off or take them off and see what happens.
If this fixes it then reset them as per the workshop manual. The stop nut is there to prevent excess strain on the crankshaft. Some people run with out them but i dont. Just make sure the lock nut is done up tight to prevent this occuring again.
I would give the rest of the clutch system a going over. Bleed it first and then adjust the return bolt stop gap to 20 thou.
Here is the clutch section of the Morris manual if you need it.
http://www.ausmini.com/manuals/Mini%20W ... Clutch.pdf