17 replies to this topic

[electricjim]

Mini mayfair 1989.

on moving the car noticed clutch pedal getting stiffer with each action after 3 presses is now locked solid help

Thanks

james

[xBR4DLEY]

Mine was like that when we bought it and we thought it was seized but when we took the engine out it was fine
Ours ended up being the clutch slave cylinder , maybe it needs rebuilding/ a new one?

[maddogmcg]

Locked UP or DOWN ?

locked down ? could mean you have lost all your clutch fluid /clutch plate seized / master or slave cylinder past it even a siezed pedal ( unlikely ) has the car been left standing for a while ?

locked up ? could mean slave cylinder needs replacement /clutch operating lever seized , cluch seized etc etc

the whole system will need looking at

[rww]

Locked UP or DOWN ?

locked down ? could mean you have lost all your clutch fluid /clutch plate seized / master or slave cylinder past it even a siezed pedal ( unlikely ) has the car been left standing for a while ?

locked up ? could mean slave cylinder needs replacement /clutch operating lever seized , cluch seized etc etc

the whole system will need looking at

It is more than likely in the hydraulics - either the master or slave cylinder. Try bleeding the system at the slave cylinder and if fluid is being pushed out that would suggest the master is working. If the pedal doesn't move then the master appears at fault.

[electricjim]

locked with the pedal at rest position

[electricjim]

bump

[Spitz]

Your big lock nut down at the clutch cover has probably vibrated lose and the stop nut has wound itself up tight against the clutch cover.
This has happened to me after a run on the highway....locks the pedal solid.

Have a look and see if it's up against the cover .

[book]

Something similar happened to me. I noticed while driving it got a bit stiffer and then suddenly locked so i couldn't press it down. Quite scary while driving!

Took it to the garage and he just dropped some grease throgh the engine bay to something clutch related (somewhere under the top engine steady i think). It was a bit of a pain to get to on my mpi, but he did manage to reach it by dropping the grease on it without removing anything. It worked AND it was cheap.

[electricjim]

well im about to start taking bits out around it to try and find the fault. heres some pics just incase anyone can see any thing that looks not the norm.

what direction will the lever move when the clutch pedal is pressed down, just want to i know im wacking it the right way.

also im failry sure the fluid in the master cylinder is right but if that was low would it have this effect out of interest.

Edited by electricjim, 19 September 2010 - 12:50 PM.

[electricjim]

Looks like the rubber boot has split now, im guessing it didnt like the penetrating oil. it only gets better still no clearer on whats seized

[Ethel]

It looks like it would be a minor miracle if it moved at all!

Unbolt the slave cylinder & sit it so you can push the piston back down the bore. Lever, or hammer, the pushrod & clutch arm back & forth until they are free too.

[electricjim]

from the pic can you tell me what way the lever should move so im hitting it the right direction

[Ethel]

You can see the ends of the clevis pins that the mechanism pivots on. Slot a ring spanner over the rod and rotate it about the pin once that's free slide a bigger spanner over the arm & do the same.

[electricjim]

right have operated the lever and now clutch pedal goes down and back up again. the clutch big bolts on the end of the housing have now moved out but there seems to be no spring return, so guessing clutch is now stuck in the out position

Edited by electricjim, 19 September 2010 - 03:47 PM.

[Ethel]

I think you might have a fluid leak if the pedal has gone soft, unless you've pushed the piston all the way up the slave cylinder. It's a very simple system once you get your head round it, what can be confusing is not realising certain bits only push against one another & aren't connected.

The pedal pushes the piston in the master cylinder, but isn't connected so the pedal can return leaving the piston up the bore of the cylinder (don't think it's the issue here).

The master pushes the slave, but the cup seal on the master acts a bit like that on a bike pump allowing fluid to pass when the piston returns - the slave doesn't have to return if the master does, it's how it adjust for wear (a seized slave cylinder was a possible cause of your woes). There is a spring in the slave cylinder that ought to push the piston out to meet the pushrod on the clutch arm, but even a slightly sticky piston could be too much for it. (this could explain the soft pedal & would be cured by pumping the pedal to push the piston up the slave cylinder.