i am having some problems with selecting first gear usually have to go to second before i can get first gear
when i do get it in 1st gear clutch does not engage until very high up

so far i have adjusted according to the manual
its also a fresh engine 0kms on it, has all new parts

any ideas?

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77 Leyland Clubman
1293cc, LCB extractors, pulsar dizzy (recurved), cooper s disc brakes, 40DCOE Weber

1st gear is up the top to the left

Sorry to say but it sounds like my recent problem where the clutch housing gasket was too thin thereby giving insufficient clearance for the idler gear. This caused the idler gear to bind and prevented the clutch from allowing the gears to stop moving enough to easily select 1st gear. This became worse as the engine heated up. .

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1969 Cooper "S"
1967 Mini Deluxe
1973 Clubman Van (the fleet spare)
1978 ex 1275 LS ("Wizard" Eaton Supercharged)
2015 HSV GenF GTS(occasional drive & tow car)
2019 MINI F55 Cooper S

it's interesting why your clutch would engage at different places in each gear...?

are you trying to engage 1st while still moving or still having trouble stopped?

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Starlet Conversion:
http://www.ausmini.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=15484

i used the fatter orange gasket and measured 3 thou clearance and it all spins fine when i did the housing bolts up
the clutch take up point is the same in each gear, just cant get it into 1st gear without going to 2nd or reverse first

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77 Leyland Clubman
1293cc, LCB extractors, pulsar dizzy (recurved), cooper s disc brakes, 40DCOE Weber

If this is happening when your stationary it is fairly normal. After a bit of running and when the oil heats up, it will become a little easier, but 50% of the time, you'll still find it 'easier' to engauge 2nd then 1st.

i agree with you GT my people eater is the same, doesnt annoy me to much its how i learned to drive old cars anyways.

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How do you corner with no brakes? DRIVE A MINI!!!

whew! glad you checked!

the only difference is the clutch arm now is a thicker type, and my old one had been bent, also have a new clutch master cylinder.
i did a few little short runs up the drive way
hopefully a few longer runs up and down the road will make things work better

what is the effect of too much clearance on primary gear and idler gear?

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77 Leyland Clubman
1293cc, LCB extractors, pulsar dizzy (recurved), cooper s disc brakes, 40DCOE Weber

if it's a brand new engine, don't worry about the clutch and running it up and down the driveway, run the engine in properly first, then worry about the clutch

You may have answered your question?
If the old clutch arm was bent it was possibly to allow sufficient travel of the clutch slave cylinder to operate the clutch. Your problem couild be that the slave cylinder now does not have enough travel due to the new and straight clutch arm? Does that make sense?

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1969 Cooper "S"
1967 Mini Deluxe
1973 Clubman Van (the fleet spare)
1978 ex 1275 LS ("Wizard" Eaton Supercharged)
2015 HSV GenF GTS(occasional drive & tow car)
2019 MINI F55 Cooper S

I just bleed the clutch again and it seems better

would a new slave cylinder be the answer to not bending the arm
master cylinder is new
slave cylinder is old but it worked fine on my old engine

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77 Leyland Clubman
1293cc, LCB extractors, pulsar dizzy (recurved), cooper s disc brakes, 40DCOE Weber

i just had a similar problem with my car, after pulling the whole clutch assembly apart in the car because i thought my idler gear was incorrectly set... but it was my brand new clutch master cylider that was either the wrong size or didnt do something right and it wouldnt allow me enough clutch to get it into any gears.... let alone first, i put my old tin master cylinder on and it fixed the problem instantly... could be the problem your having and i must admit that i was really annoyed something i spent alot of money on as a clutch master cylinder didnt work well

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Potato

I'd check the bore of your new master cylinder. It should be 0.75", but- some Minis had a 0.70" one, it just doesn't move enough fluid to give good clutch plate release.
If it's not 0.75" bore, take the bugger back and jump up and down...

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DrMini- 1970 wasaMatic 1360, Mk1S crank, 86.6HP (ATW) =~125 @ crank, 45 Dellorto (38 chokes), RE282 sprint cam, 1.5 rockers, 11.0:1 C/R.

i have the tin type master cylinder does that come in both sizes

could it be the slave cylider

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77 Leyland Clubman
1293cc, LCB extractors, pulsar dizzy (recurved), cooper s disc brakes, 40DCOE Weber