[Spridgets] Rivergate clutch issues

[Greg Gowins]

Got lots of good things to check from folks.  Luckily, it ended up being a
master cylinder issue, not anything related to a bent fork or things being
out of tolerance.   I must have had a stubborn air pocket, the master
cylinder pushrod not moving until the pedal was halfway down should have
been the clue.  I've been fighting this gremlin off and on for months.   It
finally moved under its own power for the first time since 2000.  Will have
to do some more shakedowns, but getting it inspected and registered is
closer than ever.  Thanks to the folks who sent tips my way.

Greg

On Wed, Jul 5, 2023 at 10:59 AM Greg Gowins <emailme at greggowins.com> wrote:

> Hello all,
>
> I've been having a heck of a time getting gremlins worked out of my clutch
> hydraulics with my Rivergate 5 speed.   The clutch never seems to
> engage, and all I get is grinding when trying to get into gear.   When I
> press the clutch pedal in, the pushrod at the slave doesn't start to move
> until the pedal is about halfway down.  I took the slave cylinder off the
> transmission, and I can see the piston moving inside when I press the
> clutch.  I attempted to see if there was an air pocket in the slave by
> pressing in the clutch, then trying to press the pushrod in to see if
> anything bubbled back up, but it was solid.   I remounted the slave, and
> tried adjusting the pushrod, but if I make it too long, it doesn't move at
> all when the pedal is pushed in.  When I shorten it, I get pushrod
> movement, and I can't move the fork anymore by hand when the clutch is
> depressed.
>
> I'm not sure what else at this point to check. It seems to me that the
> pushrod should be moving sooner in the pedal travel than it is.  When Mark
> and Jack came out to help me last year, they discovered a few things that I
> had done wrong when I originally installed the conversion kit.  We got
> those resolved, and re-measured, and things appeared to be in tolerance.
>  Any hints or ideas of other things to check are greatly appreciated.
>
> Greg Gowins
> '69 Sprite
> Driftwood, TX
>
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