Clutch quiz...starter for 10

Ooh, no. How do I do that?

It's just pretty much as it sounds, find a way to put fluid under pressure back into the system in the direction of master cylinder.
Principle is that air rises, so will look for the highest point.

Depends what you have lying around, I have used a big syringe, an adapted pressure bleeder (watch with the tyre pressure or the master cylinder fills pretty quick), now I have a special tool similar to the one below. You actually remove the bleed nipple altogether and the adapter screws in, can get a bit messy with the tube on the cone of a nipple, but needs must.
Bit expensive for a one time use, but gives you an idea of the principles so you can put your imagination to work..

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Jims-Reverse ... SwHwddMVnP

I used to be a truck mechanic and on a lot of trucks, particularly Renault Magnums; reverse bleeding was the only way to get a pedal.
Works on stubborn brake systems as well.

OK, that makes sense. I have syringes etc so should be able to rig something up tonight.

I used to gravity bleed the clutch on my Lotus Excel as everything was organised in a nice, vertical, manner. I could replace the fluid is seconds by just opening the bleed nipple and letting it run through. Those were the days!

I guess I could hoist a reservoir high above the slave and let that flush it back through using gravity? Or does it really need some positive pressure to shift airlocks?

, I've bled the clutch on the GTA more times than I would have considered ideal and gravity bleeding has always worked on it.
Crack it, pour a beer and wait......

If you're back bleeding you'll need some positive pressure, but be careful how much, or it gets messy.

Well.... I’ve had a *couple* of successful bleeds I.e. good firm pedal, but not sufficient travel at the slave.

I decided to sit and stare at the parts I had changed. When staring at the master, I noticed the washer and rubber seal.......then suddenly doubted whether I’d fitted the same to the new master.

On closer inspection the new master has a slight mist around the outlet. Having now fitted the missing washer/seal and quickly done a rapid first pressure bleed I have a good solid pedal. There will be more air in there but hopefully tomorrow I can purge that and see if I have a working clutch.

If that doesn’t work, I guess the next step is a braided clutch hose. A quick survey suggests the threads are 12x1 and the length needs to be about 330mm to 350mm. Can anyone confirm that is what is required (it’s an Atmo btw)?

Got a lovely bespoke clutch hose from Earls Performance at Silverstone, whichever I fitted and bled. Still not enough travel so I had my friendly mechanic pop down and bleed it back and forth using his professional kit.

Sadly, his view is that the system is well bled with no slack and immediate pickup and therefore probably the clutch itself is faulty. So the drivetrain is being dropped at the end of next week. I have a Valeo kit and new fork on the way.

At least at the end of this I will have a nice fresh clutch system and I can fit my new gear change bushes in comfort...

And out comes the drivetrain......

Apparently it all was “easy” and my friendly garage owner admired the good design.

I’m tinkering with the gear bushes tomorrow......

Turns out that the problem was the friction plate - seems that it was pretty worn but also that the cover had burst open. There was a broken spring, which may have been what busted the cover off of the centre of the friction plate.

It looks like it was the original clutch and it was almost down to the rivets so it would have needed replacement imminently. It now has the A610 clutch arm and a LUK/Valeo cover and disc.

New gear change bushes and balls, freshly sealed new driveshaft pins, a full coolant flush and brake bleed means reliability should be improved.

Now for the respray....... 2 pack of basecoat and lacquer?

[stephendell]

Also check for broken bent or damaged pin on fork arm. GTA ones were a bit rubbish and prone to failure. Get a 610 one if you change it. Maybe the clutch itself has failed.

I fitted a A610 clutch fork and I saw what you mean about the pin being far more substantial.

Clutch is all very nice now and lots of service jobs done along the way. I need to do some longer test runs, but if she proves to be reliable, I might try to make it to the Scramble....