Smithfire67 Posted October 15, 2023 Report Share Posted October 15, 2023 Went out for drive this afternoon as the weather was lovely. Noticed the clutch was slipping under acceleration in 2nd 3rd and 4th. Ie revs came up with no extra forward momentum. I did hear a healthy "twang" when I drive out of the shed, checked under the car but couldn't see anything. The car was rebuilt in 2011 but I'm not sure of the miles done on this clutch. Does this sound like a new clutch? How much is a new clutch/fitting for a TR3a? Many thanks Clive Quote Link to post Share on other sites
iain Posted October 15, 2023 Report Share Posted October 15, 2023 Did the clutch slave cylinder return spring break and fly off? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Smithfire67 Posted October 15, 2023 Author Report Share Posted October 15, 2023 22 minutes ago, iain said: Did the clutch slave cylinder return spring break and fly off? Thanks for the suggestion Iain. I'll have a look under the car when I'm with it again on Thursday. It deffo sounded like a spring snapping or coming off. Although the car was drivable. Just would accelerate properly. Clive Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Smithfire67 Posted October 15, 2023 Author Report Share Posted October 15, 2023 Managed to take this pic underneath the car before I went home. Looks like the return spring is still in place. Shame really that would have been the preferred option! Clive Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Lebro Posted October 15, 2023 Report Share Posted October 15, 2023 Is there a small amount of free movememt between the slave cylinder rod, & the arm attached to the release shaft ? There should be. If not that could be the cause. Bob Quote Link to post Share on other sites
iain Posted October 15, 2023 Report Share Posted October 15, 2023 Is the rod attached to the correct lever hole? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Lebro Posted October 15, 2023 Report Share Posted October 15, 2023 4 minutes ago, iain said: Is the rod attached to the correct lever hole? Yes, should be the middle one. one possibility is the master cylinder not allowing fluid to return to it when pedal released. Bob Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RobH Posted October 15, 2023 Report Share Posted October 15, 2023 (edited) There looks to be a ring on the push-rod which might be where the cylinder rubber seal usually sits. As Bob says, that would suggest that the piston is not returning fully. Edited October 15, 2023 by RobH typo Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Smithfire67 Posted October 16, 2023 Author Report Share Posted October 16, 2023 12 hours ago, RobH said: There looks to be a ring on the push-rod which might be where the cylinder rubber seal usually sits. As Bob says, that would suggest that the piston is not returning fully. Is that fixable? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Lebro Posted October 16, 2023 Report Share Posted October 16, 2023 (edited) Yes, but you to find out why. 1st step could be to slacken the bleed nipple on the slave cylinder & see if the rod goes back further. If it does then you have pressure in the line. This could be a master cylinder fault (or something stopping it fully returning), or maybe a blocked flexible pipe due to the rubber disintegrating. Bob Edited October 16, 2023 by Lebro Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Smithfire67 Posted October 16, 2023 Author Report Share Posted October 16, 2023 20 minutes ago, Lebro said: Yes, but you to find out why. 1st step could be to slacken the bleed nipple on the slave cylinder & see if the rod goes back further. If it does then you have pressure in the line. This could be a master cylinder fault (or something stopping it fully returning), or maybe a blocked flexible pipe due to the rubber disintegrating. Bob Thanks Bob.... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Smithfire67 Posted October 19, 2023 Author Report Share Posted October 19, 2023 On 10/15/2023 at 9:36 PM, Lebro said: Is there a small amount of free movememt between the slave cylinder rod, & the arm attached to the release shaft ? There should be. If not that could be the cause. Bob Checked to see if there was any movement here and there certainly wasn't any at all. Clive Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Trumpy3 Posted October 19, 2023 Report Share Posted October 19, 2023 I have just been through the same scenario with a friends TR3A here. The symptoms all sound the same. The problem showed on a trip down the south coast when we were about 600km from home. Nothing had been done to the clutch system for over 10 years and the car had been used regularly. I was asked to take a look and yes the clutch slipped. Did all the normal checks like suggested here and all looked OK. As suggested on this thread, I opened the slave cylinder bleed and a small amount of fluid came out. After that the clutch worked fine and the owner was able to drive home without any problems. As luck would have it, I had a similar problem on my 3A a couple of months earlier after an upgrade to a diaphragm clutch. My problem was I had fitted the cupped washer at the front of the master cylinder back to front. The one that is retained by the circlip. I passed this to the owner and he checked his and sure enough, it was also fitted back to front. This washer is cupped and made it match a raised section of the push rod. By fitting it in reverse, you prevent the piston from fully retracting thus preventing the seal from allowing the fluid to fully return. Why now after the car had been driven for over 10 years since any work on it? Good question. Can only suggest that over time and use, the clearance at the slave cylinder slowly reduced, the problem built up. Any regular maintenance would have adjusted it back to spec. Just a thought. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Smithfire67 Posted October 20, 2023 Author Report Share Posted October 20, 2023 10 hours ago, Trumpy3 said: I have just been through the same scenario with a friends TR3A here. The symptoms all sound the same. The problem showed on a trip down the south coast when we were about 600km from home. Nothing had been done to the clutch system for over 10 years and the car had been used regularly. I was asked to take a look and yes the clutch slipped. Did all the normal checks like suggested here and all looked OK. As suggested on this thread, I opened the slave cylinder bleed and a small amount of fluid came out. After that the clutch worked fine and the owner was able to drive home without any problems. As luck would have it, I had a similar problem on my 3A a couple of months earlier after an upgrade to a diaphragm clutch. My problem was I had fitted the cupped washer at the front of the master cylinder back to front. The one that is retained by the circlip. I passed this to the owner and he checked his and sure enough, it was also fitted back to front. This washer is cupped and made it match a raised section of the push rod. By fitting it in reverse, you prevent the piston from fully retracting thus preventing the seal from allowing the fluid to fully return. Why now after the car had been driven for over 10 years since any work on it? Good question. Can only suggest that over time and use, the clearance at the slave cylinder slowly reduced, the problem built up. Any regular maintenance would have adjusted it back to spec. Just a thought. Thanks Trumpy3....that's really interesting. As I said there was zero movement in the rod. I'm beginning to think this is a slave cylinder sticking/not releasing type problem. Where abouts is the bleed nipple and how much fluid do you allow out? Many thanks Clive Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RobH Posted October 20, 2023 Report Share Posted October 20, 2023 (edited) The bleed nipple should be at the top on the rear face (front of car) of the cylinder, above the feed pipe. If the system is under pressure, when you undo the nipple the 'excess' fluid will come out but no more, so you shouldn't need to measure it. Edited October 20, 2023 by RobH Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BlueTR3A-5EKT Posted October 20, 2023 Report Share Posted October 20, 2023 (edited) picture has a blob of red on the bleed nipple Your cylinder is Girling, so visually different to the Lockheed one pictured. Here is how to adjust the clutch slave cylinder. 502602 triumph_tr2_tr3_tr3a_factory_service_manual_part2 (dragged).pdf Edited October 20, 2023 by BlueTR3A-5EKT Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Smithfire67 Posted October 20, 2023 Author Report Share Posted October 20, 2023 2 hours ago, BlueTR3A-5EKT said: picture has a blob of red on the bleed nipple Your cylinder is Girling, so visually different to the Lockheed one pictured. Here is how to adjust the clutch slave cylinder. 502602 triumph_tr2_tr3_tr3a_factory_service_manual_part2 (dragged).pdf 489.45 kB · 1 download Thanks chaps... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BlueTR3A-5EKT Posted October 20, 2023 Report Share Posted October 20, 2023 31 minutes ago, Smithfire67 said: Thanks chaps... ...and yes the Girling cylinder on your car is mounted on the correct side of the mounting plate. Correct as per yours and RobH photos. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Smithfire67 Posted October 28, 2023 Author Report Share Posted October 28, 2023 Finally got the time to try bleeding the clutch slave today and guess what?.....it worked like a dream! No more clutch slip. Many thanks for the suggestion Clive Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Trumpy3 Posted November 2, 2023 Report Share Posted November 2, 2023 Clive Did you find the cause of the fluid build up? Brian Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Smithfire67 Posted November 2, 2023 Author Report Share Posted November 2, 2023 6 hours ago, Trumpy3 said: Clive Did you find the cause of the fluid build up? Brian I didn't Brian. I did top up the clutch/brake fluid a month ago though? Clive Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Lebro Posted November 2, 2023 Report Share Posted November 2, 2023 (edited) I suspect you have fixed the symptoms, but maybe not the cause. If it happens again you will have to delv deeper ! Bob Edited November 2, 2023 by Lebro Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Z320 Posted November 2, 2023 Report Share Posted November 2, 2023 On 10/20/2023 at 12:38 AM, Trumpy3 said: I have just been through the same scenario with a friends TR3A here. The symptoms all sound the same. The problem showed on a trip down the south coast when we were about 600km from home. Nothing had been done to the clutch system for over 10 years and the car had been used regularly. I was asked to take a look and yes the clutch slipped. Did all the normal checks like suggested here and all looked OK. As suggested on this thread, I opened the slave cylinder bleed and a small amount of fluid came out. After that the clutch worked fine and the owner was able to drive home without any problems. In this case poor maintenance is the problem, or to tell the truth —> the owner. I‘ve been told by a visitor of the European meeting at Wales this year, this has been a massive problem. Ciao, Marco Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Smithfire67 Posted November 2, 2023 Author Report Share Posted November 2, 2023 9 hours ago, Lebro said: I suspect you have fixed the symptoms, but maybe not the cause. If it happens again you will have to delv deeper ! Bob That is without doubt Bob. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Trumpy3 Posted November 2, 2023 Report Share Posted November 2, 2023 I would think good maintenance would prolong the time it would take for the the problem to show up. Programed adjustment of the clutch slave cylinder would hide the symptoms until there was no adjustment left. The symptoms would show up quicker if no adjustments were made. As to the cause, my betting would be on the return seal in the master cylinder. Brian Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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