Clutch help - Hillman Imp

[jordy]

Hi Guys 

got to the point of bleeding the clutch - and the clutch doesn't work.....

So I have replaced all the pipes and both master cylinder and slave cylinder which were both seized, I can feel the piston pushing against the rod on the fork thing - no leaks and bled the fluid - IT IS NOT ENGAGING THE CLUTCH ! I did the test on a slope put in gear , then pushed in clutch - nothing , stuck in gear

I'm trying to avoid taking out the gngine but it looks to me like an internal problem - any ideas or tricks you know of to avoid the drastic work of removing the engine  ?!


Your help is much appreciated !

Cheers

Jordy

[andyborris]

Is the clutch plate stuck to the flywheel?

The clutch is not dis-engaging, you can't change gear and when you start the car in gear with the pedal pushed down, the car "jumps"?

Symptoms of the above I'm afraid. I believe that towing the car in gear with the engine off is the cure, or taking the gearbox out!

[gurnersimps1963]

Hi Jordy,did you try pumping up the clutch? they can be a real pain to get all the air out of the system mate,where did you get your bits from? some cylinders can be bought for the imp but need proper imp ends to work properly?Have you ever had a clutch working on the car or have you just restored it?
If all else fails and you have to whip out the engine its easy enough bud,let me know and if I can help I will.

[jordy]

Thanks for the tips - I will try a few more things before I take the engine out !

In think the clutch is stuck , basically I don't think the clutch is doing anything , I can put the car in gear without the clutch pedal - using the pedal makes no difference , car has sat for a while. So I'm going to get it started and hot then try pumping the clutch etc - hopefully the heat will free it up , or I'll have to take the engine out ! I'll keep updates coming ! Thanks for the tips too !! Much appreciated

[eternaloptimist]

Get the engine nice and warm first.

Then get yourself to a point where you put the car in first gear - put your foot on the clutch and hold it down. Start the car - it will move forward if the clutch plate is stuck to the flywheel. Then, in a draft move that requires you to cover the brake and accelerator with the same foot, give it some beans and then brake hard. Still with your foot hard down on the clutch.

You'll either stall the engine or free the clutch off. Make sure you've got plenty of space and you're not going to hit anything before you try this.

[bortaf]

Feb 22, 2014 13:15:23 GMT jordy said:

Thanks for the tips - I will try a few more things before I take the engine out !

In think the clutch is stuck , basically I don't think the clutch is doing anything , I can put the car in gear without the clutch pedal - using the pedal makes no difference , car has sat for a while. So I'm going to get it started and hot then try pumping the clutch etc - hopefully the heat will free it up , or I'll have to take the engine out ! I'll keep updates coming ! Thanks for the tips too !! Much appreciated

Hang on a mo, you can put the car in gear with the engine running without using the clutch? or with the engine off? if it's with it off then that sounds about right.

[retrowrongun]

Not trying to throw a spanner in the works as the above may work if your lucky , but why not just whip the box or engine and box out as its hardly a major job on an imp is it ??

Maybe a cpl of hours and this way you can easily rectify the problem carefully as if its stuck now and you free it off it will probably not last long anyway and you'll be removing box anyway

[jordy]

Great advice thanks guys !

So , freeing it up - the clutch will probably not last long anyway , so just replace it all in one go ? Thrust bearing , pressure plate and clutch plate ? Or is there more stuff ?

[rapidyellow]

I had this with a ford escort once, putting an engine in that was sat in my garden for a few months, to find the clutch had seized to the flywheel

1. in neutral
2. engine warm
3. press clutch in
4. rev it as high as you dare

the clutch will free off by inertia

[welshpug]

I had it on an engine I fitted into mum's 405, came from a 306 that had sat in a field for a year.

fired it up in gear, stomped the clutch and banged the handbrake on


its still running fine 30k miles later.

[jordy]

I HAVE A CLUTCH !!!!!!

I am not normally lucky with these things but here is what happened :

I tried starting in gear , jumped forward etc still no gears - got the engine nice and hot still no joy , so I began to drain everything to remove the engine - first thing I removed was the slave cylinder , I noticed the grease had not been pushed all the way out of the cylinder , so the piston had not reached its maximum - I re installed the slave cylinder - CLUTCH works !

I think when I first out it in the bar from the yolk was not central and was wedging in the corner of the piston and cylinder bore - SO lucky !!!!


Thanks for the help guys

[theheap]

Thank you for the result/outcome

As this tends to be forgoten on many threads.