hi can anyone help me just bought a 1977 mini 1000 having problems with the clucth and reverse is really hard to get into the clucth is stiff so i have bled the system and relaced with new fluid and replaced the slave cylinder which has helped a little then i have took the clucth off and have found the plate isnt that worn also i tried adjusting the throw out bolt i have no more ideas can anyone suggest some think else
thanks
Presumably you have checked, cleaned and lubricated the operating lever and plunger while you had it apart, so nothing should be stiff? Possibly the master cylinder, but the stiffness suggests that it is more likely mechanical.
i have cleaned and lubricated the lever and plunger just waiting for sum more parts then im gonna but it back together so hopefully this will sort it , and how hard r the master cylinder to replace ?
Well, in principle, replacing the master cylinder is quite simple, with one minor complication. The cylinder, as you will see at a glance, is attached to a hydraulic pipe, which comes away easily, and by two 5/16" UNF nuts and lockwashers (1/2" AF spanner) to the studs which are part of the pedal box and protrude through the bulkhead crossmember upper surface and the master cylinder mounting plate, which also acts as a support for the top engine steady. The plate need not be disturbed. There is a paper gasket between the master cylinder and plate to keep engine fumes, spilled brake fluid, etc out of the passenger compartment, and that should be renewed, or if not available, just use silicone gasket compound.
So far, so good, easy peasy. But, the master cylinder push rod is attached to the top end of the pedal by a clevis pin, washer and split pin, and it is in a confined place. My preferred method is to take the seat out, put down some cushions, and lie on my back, head under the parcel shelf, feet up on the back seat, which is horribly awkward. If you do that, wear goggles, as you don’t want to drop any of the bits into your eye. Or, you may be able to raise the whole car about 4 feet, on a garage type ramp, or on the edge of something like a loading bay, and work from a standing position outside, with the door open. It all depends on how big you are, etc. I have heard that on the production line, people were specially selected by physical size for work in that area.
You will need at least screwdriver and very long-nosed pliers to persuade the split pin to come out, and similar to put the new one back in. There is a special tool available for putting the clevis pin back in, however last time I did one, I made my own from a length of gas welding rod. You need to bend the end of the rod into a sort of rounded M shape, so the pin will fit in the middle V, one leg is the end you hold, and the other leg gets bent up and over the head of the pin. You wiggle it into position wuth that, and then the tool just pulls off. Leave the cylinder loos on its studs while doing that, so there is plenty of wiggle room.
I can’t find who supplies the special tool right now, but maybe one of the easily available flexible remote gripping tools would do the job. I think that Halfords have those.
