[Roadsters] Clutch slave cylinder problem (I believe?) ….

[Michael Breen]

Hello,

My question is about the connection of the clutch slave (operating) cylinder
push rod to the clutch withdrawal lever.

Recently, I started noticing a gradual worsening of my clutch pedal
effectiveness in allowing me to switch gears smoothly. It became necessary to
repeatedly depress the clutch pedal in order to allow for a relatively smooth
gear shift. This was all gears. Today, the clutch goes to the floor with no
resistance and I am unable to shift into any gear (I can hear the grind if I
attempt to shift). Also, if I attempt to start the car with the clutch
depressed, while in a gear (I can put the car in gear when the clutch is not
spinning), the car will lurch forward as if I did not have the clutch
depressed. So all this tells me that the clutch is working, but the hydraulics
in the master or slave is not functioning.

My theory on what has happened here brings me back to my specific question
about how the slave push rod interacts with the clutch withdrawal lever. Is
there supposed to be a nut screwed on the push rod that allows the push rod to
move the clutch withdrawal lever? My slave push rod is positioned through the
lever, but there is nothing forcing the lever either forward or backward, so I
am hoping a nut worked its way of the push rod over time and that is why this
problem became gradually worse and then finally, when the nut fell off
completely, it stopped working all together.

Diagrams I have reviewed seem to indicate that their is a withdrawal lever
"Push Nut" that appears to be connected to the slave push rod to allow the
lever to be pushed in a forward motion. I do not have this on my slave
cylinder, so I am hoping this somehow fell off, although I don't see how that
could happen if it is enclosed on one side by the slave and on the other by
the withdrawal lever.

Does this theory hold any water?

Also, I see there should be a return spring involved here, but I cannot see
how it attaches , as my slave cylinder does not have a connecting point for
the spring, as I have seen in diagrams of Roadster slave cylinders.

I have a 68 SRL311.

Your advice/help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Mike

Michael Breen
anpost at gmail.com