[6pack] Clutch situation

[Gary Fluke]

Fellow listers,

Today was the hottest day of the year so far in the Pacific Northwest, and at
a very busy intersection in the city of Seattle, my TR6's clutch quit working.
The useless pedal went to the floor but the clutch remained engaged.  The
clear plastic tube had popped off the barbed metal fitting at the end of the
metal tubing that comes from the clutch master cylinder.  I don't think there
ever was a hose clamp on the barbed fitting.

Since there was no hydraulic fluid available within walking distance of where
we were, I bought some crankcase oil at a nearby grocery store and poured it
in the clutch master cylinder.  I had my girlfriend pump the pedal in order to
fill the line down to the barbed fitting before I reconnected the plastic tube
to it.  Taking the hose clamp from the crankcase breather tube and using a
screw driver she had in her purse (I learned not to knock her extremely heavy
purse long ago), I secured the plastic tube to the barbed fitting.  I hoped
that I would be able to pump up the clutch enough to use it to limp home as
surely there was some air in the line below where the tubing came off.  Also I
was, of course, using mere crankcase oil instead of the correct hydraulic
fluid.  After about six or eight pumps of the clutch pedal I was getting
clutch engagement right at the top of the pedal travel, just like nothing had
ever happened.  We continued on our way with the clutch working perfectly for
the rest of the day.

I expect to flush out the clutch hydraulic system with hydraulic fluid.
However, why should I?


Gary
'73