Guys,
Yesterday I had to make a trip to L.A. Since the SHO's air conditioning has
been long without refrigerant, and the weather here quite warm, it seemed
like a good day to drive Mr. Green. Had a few errands to do first, and
while doing these a problem with the clutch started developing. More and
more free pedal before the clutch disengaged. Finally, I had to pull over
since I could no longer disengage and shift when stopped. (Can always
shift, even without the clutch when moving.)
Sooo, what the heck is the problem here?? MC reservoir is full, so no
leaks. MC piston not returning? Knock a few times on the MC with something
handy. Still, no luck. HMMMM Seems like the problem gets worse the hotter
it is; like stop-and-go around town in hot weather. Just happen to have
almost a full bottle of Perrier in the cooler, so pour 2/3 of it over the
MC body. Voila!! Just like that, the thing is operating normally again. So,
what to do; back home to fetch the SHO or onwards to L.A. Hell, I've got
more cold drinks in the cooler, so what the heck. I'm off. By now it's well
after 3:00 PM and I need to be in Santa Monica before 5:45. Seems like as
long as I'm moving at a good clip, no problem with the clutch. But what
about getting stuck in famous L.A. traffic? I promise myself to pull off
the freeway and douse the MC as soon as I start seeing signs of the problem
again. Turns out I didn't need to, thanks in large part to having a
passenger - yes, a real live one- so I could use the diamond lane; plus I
was headed the opposite direction of most the PM traffic. Signed in at our
appointment in S.M. at 4:45.
Anyone had a similar problem with their clutch Master Cylinder?? Is the
piston binding inside the cast aluminum bore? Doesn't aluminum expand more
than steel? I just recently overhauled it with new seals and polished the
bore. Works perfectly when it's cool. Is the spring too weak? All of the
above?? Thanks for any input before I tear it apart again.
TTFN,
Bob
Robert L. Palmer
UCSD, Dept. of AMES
619-822-1037 (o)
760-599-9927 (h)
rpalmer@ucsd.edu
rpalmer@cts.com
|