Can someone please help!!!!!!!
I am having problems with my clutch on my 1973 Leyland Mini. I recently put a new thrust bearing in it and adjusted the clutch arm and throw out stop and everthing was working fine. But i have had problems, i keep having to adjust the the clutch as it keeps wanting to stay on. If i push the clutch in and try to select 1st gear it crunches until i push the gear in and when i release the clutch there is very little movement until it grabs, like it is adjusted to far up. But if i adjust it back off i cant select 1st gear at all. It is nearly adjusted all the way out and this is the only position i can get it to work without slipping and being able to nearly select 1st but there is still some crunching.

It has a heavy duty clutch in it as i checked it when i replaced the gearbox with a reconditioned one so the clutch plate is Ok. I think i am just having problems getting the throw out and adjustments correct, but i can work it out.

Does anyone have any suggestions to what i need to do to fix this bloody problem that is driving me up the wall.

It sounds like the clutch take up point is too low? (yeah? TBH I'm a little confused by your post).

Are you sure the throw-out bearing is fully home on the pluger? The clutch stop (the big nut) should have about 0.010" clearance if I remember correctly, this is done with a helper and the clutch fully depressed.

Have you wound out the take up screw (1/2 way up the clutch cover) to see if it makes a difference? Did you replace the clutch arm while you are at it? Wear occurs on the ball of the arm where it goes into the plunger and also in the plunger itself. Even though your clutch is adjusted correctly you could be using most of the clutch travel to take up with wear in the system. Having said that...it doesn't explain why it was working fine and now has gone crappy.

It could just be me but I am a bit confused by your post It could also be the transport engineering that is flooding my brain at the moment!

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"In two years time your car will be like a lady's clothes, out of date, my car will still be in fashion when I am dead" - Sir Alec speaking to Pininfarina

Like Nick had indicated your post was a little difficult to understand. To raise the "friction point" of the clutch you wind the 1/4" bolt (7/16 head) out away from the motor. If you are running out of adjustment before being able to select gears cleanly with no crunching or grinding it means you are not getting enough travel to disengage the engine from the transmission.

I would be checking your clutch arm for wear and for straightness. New ones are relatively cheap and are readily available. Did you replace the thrust bearing carrier aswell? These also wear. A little bit of wear in clutch arm assembly (Clevis pins, bearing carrier and the arm itself) can be the difference between having a good clutch pedal and clutch operation or experiencing troubles like you have been.

Sometimes it is necessary to bleed the clutch after removing the arm etc.

Check the big 15/16" nuts on the throw out bearing arent fouling on the clutch cover.

You didnt remove the 1/4" bolt from the clutch cover when you dissambled the motor and just replaced it with any bolt? It may not be long enough if this is the case. If you run out of travel the slave cylinder piston will bottom in the bore against the circlip causing the pedal to go rock hard.

If you cant get it working take it to a mini friendly mechanic or to someone who is in the know with minis.

Matt

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2 Q's

Why did you replace the thrust bearing?

Is the thrust bearing the same brand/shape etc as the old one?

Daniel

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Videos - Turbocharged A-Series on Dyno & at Wakefield
Mafs waz not my strong subgeckt at skkol

Personally ....bin the 15/16" nuts.....not required. As everyone else has said remove the clutch arm and inspect the ball end and check the clevis pin as well as it may have worn where the clutch arm pivots. Check clutch master for leaks on the inside firewall, and from slave as it may not be building up enough pressure.
The spring plate may also have gone soft?
If all ok then bleed clutch system if that doesn't work you may need to invest in a longer clutch slave push rod or an adjustable one, do not bend the clutch arm as it changes the angle of the clutch arm push rod and can cause the piston in the slave to pivot inside the housing and cause wear on one side of the bore allowing fluid to get past the seals and or get stuck inside the slave cylinder housing requiring a new slave.

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDMkVq1jRGU

this is something you want to get right. If your unsure i strongly suggest you get a mini expert to check it before driving it far. If you have it adjusted wrong it could drive fine but actually be rubbing as you drive without you knowing this will heat thw clutch up and not only burn your clutch out but possible bugger your end main bearing aswell.

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Enjoy Chris

If you haven't already you should check for air in the hydraulics. If you pump the clutch a few times and then you get gears OK then the system needs bleeding.



The 15/16" nuts keep the system locked when the clutch is depressed and minimises the chance that the pressure plate will float around which can cause vibration and can put extra pressure on the throwout bearing and the thrust bearings. If you always put the car in neutral and let the clutch out while stopped (at lights etc.) it will minimise any long term damage.

Adjust as per the manual. They aren't hard to do. I have an old spanner that I have ground thin so it fits on the inner nut while I tighten the lock nut with a normal spanner.

Pete

I was thinking about this, when you are adjusting the throwout stop <edit> I mean the take up point, not the throwout stop - do you take the spring off the top of the clutch arm and pull the clutch arm OUT BY HAND until you feel the throwout bearing against the pressure plate?

If you don't you won't have a clutch if the clutch plate has worn.

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"In two years time your car will be like a lady's clothes, out of date, my car will still be in fashion when I am dead" - Sir Alec speaking to Pininfarina

I always loosen off the nuts on the throwout brg, adjust the clutch (no need to take the spring off) then adjust the throwout stop.

All you want from this mechanism is that when you are sitting at the lights with the clutch pushed all the way in, the large nut is solid against the housing and minimising any extraneous movement/vibration.

Pete

Here is a big clue, those big nuts never need adjusting. (well only very rarely!) Leave them alone, ignore them, pretend that they don't exist. You probably don't have spanners to fit them anyway.

To adjust the clutch you pull the clutch arm away from the stop (the little bolt) and check the gap. If no gap exists make one. If a big gap appears make it smaller. Don't worry about the return spring when adjusting the clutch. You can pull against it to check the gap.
If you don't have a spring fit one.

It is not rocket science.

Can't agree more...the reason I asked about why the throwout bearing was replaced is because I think the clutch wasn't adjusted correctly to begin with. I think the arm is bent/worn most likely.

All the big nuts do is stop the clutch being overthrown from pumping the pedal. Adjusted correctly and with good hydraulics this won't happen so they are redundant really.

Daniel

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Videos - Turbocharged A-Series on Dyno & at Wakefield
Mafs waz not my strong subgeckt at skkol

Agreed.
But if you have a hydraulic hose that is on its way out it can act like a one way valve and you can inadvertently over pump the clutch (I have seen this on a couple of cars) If the nuts were not there you could damage the engine.

sounds like master cylinder is shagged,easy job to remove and pull apart to check seals and condition of bore..cheers andy

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First you get the money,then you get the power,then you get the Mini.