In the past I have dealt with cable release versions but never one of these. question is how do they work ? I assume the principle is that the pedal transmits force to the fluid reservoir which then actuates the clutch. What is the line of connection from the pedal and why use it if there is no assistance from the engine as per brake system ??
Ta John H
110 Tdi 98*Usually some sort of rod linkage to the cylinder.
and why use it if there is no
*Because you can get a mechanical advantage by making one cylinder bigger than the other. ( I should perhaps more correctly say something like the swept cylinder volume of one is bigger than the other) So then it's much easier to push the clutch in.I was amazed recently when changing a clutch cable on a Rover 1800 - the actuating arm only moves an inch or so but requires all my strength to move it by hand. I dread to think how much force is required for the larger landy ones!
TonyB
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The pedal acts on the master cylinder which in turn pushes hydraulic fluid through a series of pipes to the slave cylinder which actuates the clutch release.
The main thing they've got going for them over a cable clutch is the mechanical advantage that can be had from a hydraulic system over a direct physical connection.
Additionally you don't end up with nasties like the bowden wire rusting and siezing at a nasty time and then having to rerun the entire wire.
It's just a different way of doing things which happens to allow for a bit more flexibility in where they clutch is located and allows for the clutch to be made lighter than via a direct mechanical connection.
P.
Hydraulic clutch operation is used for the same reasons that hydraulic braking was used for at least fifty years before any engine assistance was applied (and probably still is in some cases) - because hydraulic operation is virtually friction free, allows complete freedom of linkage design, and needs no special design to allow for movement between the pedal and the place of operation. The connection between the master cylinder operated by the pedal and the slave cylinder on the flywheel housing is by a steel pipe and a short flexible high pressure hose. Mechanical linkage or cable clutch operation, by comparison constrains the design quite severely (for example makes change from right to left hand drive more difficult) and has a lot more friction, and tends to produce lost motion due to wear. JD
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