First off, I'd like to thank *everybody* for their very helpful
suggestions.
On Mon, 1 Mar 1999, Art Pfenninger wrote:
> The master cylinder can leak from within and not have any leakage showing,
> perhaps this is your problem.
> ...Art
>
The master cylinder was replaced with a new one as part of our progress
toward this point (shifting once).
Missing info: We did replace the pressure plate and clutch disk but *not*
the release bearing... the "new" one we got was chipped severely and the
old one was still *nearly* the same thickness as the new. It was replaced
a couple years before the car was parked. We also did not replace the
pilot bushing or any of the parts in the clutch fork hinge. These were
also replaced a couple years before the car was parked, at the same time
as the release bearing.
The clevis bolt at the top end shows no visible signs of wear (it was
replaced about 3 months before the car was parked). The master cylinder
fork is new with the master cylinder, and therefore not ovalled. The bolt
between the slave cylinder and the clutch fork is "new" (it's not quite
right, but there isn't any slop in there).
I don't *think* that I put the clutch plate in backwards... my current
mentor claimed that it would be impossible to do so and get everything
cinched down flat. I checked the "This Side Forward" (or whatever it
was) label on the clutch disk a few times before assembling, so I don't
think that's it. I hope. I have suffered brain fade before, though.
The reason I keep leaning toward air in the lines is the variable nature
of the problem... and the fact that it recovers on its own. The
possibility that the hose is bad is enticing, as it would explain things
and be cheap to replace. However, it was installed about 1 year before
the car was parked, so it shouldn't be too bad.
The pressure on the Ezi-Bleed was cranked up pretty high (I thought you
used 30 psi or less, he was using 60+). I wonder if all that pressure
could have shoved the bubble off to one side (and made it smaller) so it
didn't completely bleed. Or, emulsified the hydraulic fluid with
teeny-tiny bubbles. We were using silicone brake fluid, the first time I
ever saw it, and I couldn't tell if it was excessively cloudy or not.
Well, given that I don't have any money left, I'm thinking of trying these
things:
1) new clevis bolt and slave cylinder fork if available, otherwise slave
cylinder.
2) new hose.
3) bleeding it some more, the old fashioned way.
4) A tranquilizer dart gun for use on my mentor. If we have to take out
the engine to replace the release bearing and pilot bushing, I'm going to
need it.
OK, now you can start yelling about me being my own DPO.
--
John M. Trindle | jtrindle@tsquare.com | Tidewater Sports Car Club
'73 MGB DSP | '69 Spitfire H Stock | '88 RX-7 C Stock
|