I have a 1973 TR6, which I have owned for ten years. Having just graduated
from high school at the time, I knew very little about cars at all, to say
nothing of triumphs. Oil in the carburettors? Who'd a thunk it!? Anyway,
I ended up rebuilding the engine and gearbox myself, (had to do the gearbox
twice before I got it right) and the suspension and some minor rewiring to
patch up all the stupid things the previous owner did to it. I drove it
every day for two years, and it always ran beautifully. I drove it almost
600 miles to the 1990 NW Triumph Drive-in in Sequim, Washington and won an
award for the farthest distance driven! That summer of 1990, between june
and the end of august, I drove it about 8000 miles! The only trouble I
have had with it is the clutch hydraulics. And, it is a doozy! I have not
driven it, for all intents and purposes, since august of 1990, because I
moved away to go to the Art Institute of Seattle. After graduating and
then working up there for a few years, I finally moved back to Oregon and
got the TR back... I had left it at my folks' house. Now that I have a
garage, I am am preparing it (as my budget allows) for daily service again.
And, I will have to begin again chasing this clutch problem. I'll explain
now, and maybe someone out there can give some advice, or has had a similar
problem:
Right away when we bought the car (1986) it had clutch trouble. Eventually
we removed the 'box and found that the release fork had been welded to the
shaft, and in the wrong orientation! Duh! Then we found that the reman.
clutch cover was held on by 5 proper bolts and one self-tapping screw, and
the previous owner had flipped the ring gear around thinking (apparently)
that the bevel meant that it was worn out!! (he didn't know why he had
trouble with the starter!!) All of this was put right, including a new
clutch assembly, and for good measure we (Dad and I) replaced the hydraulic
cylinders, too. Clutch operation was restored, but only temporarily. Time
went by, and pretty soon I rebuilt the motor and the 'box, and overhauled
the cylinders. Well, the cylinders would never hold up. I have rebuilt
the cylinders as many as TEN times in what adds up to a couple of years!
During that period, I also replaced the master again, with an early .75"
bore master (new). This failed in short order as well, and was subject to
several rebuilds before I went back to the first .7" master. Typically,
after I rebuild the cylinders and drive the car even just 100 miles or
less, a visual inspection of the reservoir will show that it is filling up
with tiny black particles. Gradually, as the car is driven, the pedal (the
point in the pedal travel where disengagement occurs) moves slowly towards
the floor. Finally, the clutch will not disengage, and the fluid is opaque
black. This cycle only took THREE WEEKS for one period. Back in 1990 it
had seemed to stabilize and slow down somewhat, but the fluid in the
reservoir was always black, and the clutch operation was never optimal,
except for immediately after a rebuild. The particles settle out a bit,
too. In the bottom of the reservoir is what looks like black mud. Also
in the spring or summer of 1990 I replaced the hard pipe and nylon flex
pipe that connects the two cylinders, as a last ditch effort. It did not
help the problem, either. Now, about fluid. I have used only Castrol
Girling LMA fluid for cleaning the parts and for operation, (incidentally,
I did lightly hone the bores a couple of times, I think), with one
exception. Coming to the conclusion once that the seals were being
destroyed by the fluid, I tried one "rebuild cycle" with silicone fluid.
Same results!!! I went back to the DOT4. I was ordering the parts from the
Roadster Factory, so I know I got genuine parts. I don't get this. Has
anybody out there had any trouble remotely similar to this? Does the fluid
in your clutch hydraulics turn black at all, or does it stay clean and
clear. In preparing the car for service again, I have rebuilt the
cylinders again. That was several months ago, and the fluid is still clean
and clear. Of course, I have not driven the car at all during that time!!!
Anyway, I expect that once I do drive it, the cycle will continue. My
next step is to buy new cylinders again and start from scratch. I hope
someone out there has some advice for me on this!
Thank you all,
Pete Chadwell
1973 TR6
1970 TR6 (parts)
1973 Datsun 240z
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