Mini Clutch Questions & Failure

Boy, this brings back memories. As far as I remember the clutch pipework doesn't go underneath anywhere but it's possible you might have damaged the gear linkage which does. Rubber seals go on Minis and the fact that the fluid is low and you can't engage gear would lead me to think that there's a leak somewhere especially if you can change gear with the engine off.

A clutch should last much more than 42k and they usually fail in the worn out state of not getting any drive and yes it is more gradual than sudden.

There's an alt.autos.mini newsgroup which you might find useful.

So the problem you have is "clutch dragging"-- i.e. not disengaging properly?

It sounds like it's in the actuation mechanism, it could be the hydraulic system since you say the fluid was low. Note also that where the hydraulic piston pushes the lever, there's a bolt you can adjust and it's supposed to have some clearance or other that you're supposed to measure with a feeler gauge and check against the manual. This is situated on top of the clutch casing which is quite easily accessible on the rear of the engine (by which I mean the left side as you look into the bonnet).

I once had a dragging clutch on mine, and I adjusted that bolt to make it go away, although I don't think the clearance was as per the manual.

Fortunately the slave cylinder is easy to get at and replace if it is leaking unlike some cars where it's an engine-out job.

I doubt the scrape is related. Very likely is the clutch slave cylinder has leaked, replace it if there is any fluid under the rubber boot.

Hi all

thanks for the two comments. With your contributions as you said, not a clutch failure so quickly and early but the mechanism.

I gave all a good clean and then with a friend bled the fluid and hey presto, it is o.k. the hydraulic system failed over a few minutes. I now have to see if the rubber has perished in the slave or whether it was me not topping up the fluid regularly!! Naughty boyt.

Thanks again... saved another bill.

Alan H

Alan Howard wrote: .

You can see if it's leaking easily enough. You shouldn't need to top up the fluid at all.

The clutches on these are hydraulic and your symptoms are those of a seal failure either in the master or slave cylinder. If it's in the master cylinder, you'd not get any fluid loss.

If the sdlave cylinder seal has failed, you'll see fluid leaking out under the dust cover. If you don't see any fluid leaking, it may be the master.

If it's the master cylinder gone, the fluid runs down the pedal.

Steve

Not if the seal fails in the same way as master brake cylinder ones do.

An '86 Mini... no servo... the pedal lever acts directly on the cylinder which is positioned vertically. So if the seal goes the fluid will either run down the pedal or drip down the carpet behind it. Either way, wet floor, which you won't notice because of the wet weather!

It shouldn't really need topping up regularly, so a seal somewhere must be letting it leak out. It might just be a slow leak rather than a complete failure, but it'll probably need replaced sometime.