Sometimes new is best

Having cleaned out and serviced all the brake hydraulics, I knew that I should really do the same for the clutch. However, because it seemed to be working OK, I took the cowardly approach and left well alone. 

By the end of last summer, it was clear that something wasn't right. Gear crunching was becoming more prevalent, and that wasn't just my incompetence. So, while the wheels were away I took the plunge and started scrambling about underneath. 

There was no manual to help because Dad had converted the original rod-based clutch to hydraulic. After wrestling the device from the side of the clutch housing, I found a cylinder enclosed by a fabricated 'holder'.  As usual getting the piston out of the cylinder was no easy job. Andy loosened it off with the air compressor and further jiggling with plenty of WD40 finally did it. 

The condition didn't seem too bad so I replaced the rubbers and cleaned inside the slave cylinder. But it was definitely still unwell after installation. When Adam pressed the clutch we got a beautiful fountain of fluid popping out of the slave cylinder. 

Despite removing and cleaning it up again, that made no difference. Deciding that the bullet had to be bit, I purchased a new slave cylinder (the type was from a 1960s Triumph Herald). And that should have been that. Except that once I rolled the car out of the garage, restarted it and engaged the gears, there was no movement. Initial panic set in. Surely I was not going to face yet another year of only partial use of BSG 8? Was there some fundamental problem with the clutch? 

Once I had calmed down, it dawned on me that it might be that the slave cylinder was set such that the clutch was being kept permanently on. Right enough, when I looked at the bolt, which connects to the clutch arm, it appeared that the nut wasn't sufficiently screwed down. Having addressed that and after re-installing the slave cylinder yet again (no easy feat), we had lift off (well, motion). In fact, I had to shorten it further because it still wasn't fully engaging when in 3rd and 4th gears.

And, hallelujah, we were in business.  A quick spin along and back Bellsdyke Road proved that the gears are properly engaging and there is no loss of power in 4th gear (to show
that all my timing work has borne fruit).  

There is still a slight problem in that I'm occasionally stuck in gear when I've come to a halt.  But I'm not sure that's anything to do with the clutch slave cylinder.