Club 80-90 Forums

1984 Westy 1.9 manual in Bristol. - Mechanical experience = clueless

Hi There

Driving the other evening i couldn't get the van out of first gear, i depressed the clutch and came to a halt - Thought at first i'd left the handbrake on! I managed to get the van home the next day with difficulty selecting/deselecting gears, third seemed to be the easiest to select.

So as it sits outside the house now, i can select the gears with the engine off, but as soon as the engine is running can't select any. If i select first before starting the engine then keep the clutch down the van jumps forward as if starting in gear with clutch up. Checked the fluid reservoir and it was very low, below the clutch inlet pipe, so probably air in the hydraulics i think.

At this point i would normally take it to garage, but as it won't budge...

I topped up the reservoir and I've tried bleeding the slave cylinder but can't get the bleed screw to move. Have tried bleeding by undoing the nut at the bottom of the master cylinder, as suggested in another thread here, and doesn't seem to be air in that end - fluid flows clear with no escaping air.

So my question is (eventually!) if it is air in the hydraulics do the symptoms sound right and if air has got in from the reservoir end can i get it out by bleeding in the way i've tried or do i need to free the seized slave bleed screw at the back. Or am i barking up the wrong tree completely (the master cyclinder was replaced a few months ago).

Thanks in advance.

Jon

Manuals say to pressure bleed the system, the only way you will get all the air out of the system is to let it out at the highest point, so think you will need to get the bleed screw lose.

I would buy a spare on first just in case you chew it up getting it loose, you will also need some thing like a gunson pressure bleeder, would be worth flushing new fluid through the system while your at it.
To stop the bleed screw seasing in future put some copper grease on the thread and screw back in.

To have been so low on fluid would suggest you have a leak, have a good look around.
Give the nipple a sharp tap on the end, not too hard to loosen.

Thanks for that.

I have noticed some fluid drips on the inside of the front tyres (had previously put this down to seeing our neighbour letting his dog relieve itself on my tyres!), so i guess there may be a leak in the break hydraulics - good job the clutch stops working before the breaks do!

Jon

Just as a follow up. I've had a mechanic look at it and he says the release lever is moving and that the problem is likely to be the clutch itself. His main reason is that the pedal is not 'floppy'. I'm still thinking that as the fluid was below the intake pipe in the reservoir there must be air in the hyraulics. Still haven't managed to bleed it yet, even tried bleeding at the tube into the slave (broke the spanner).

So, if there was a little air in there is it possible i'd have some pressure on the pedal and movement of the lever - just not enough to operate the clutch?

Jon

This sounds exactly like what very recently happened to ours,i was actually on the way to the garage so they could look at it but i only made it about 2 miles and had to call for rescue lol,just like yours the gears were fine until i started the van until it finally gave in.We had recently had the slave replaced,but ended up with a new clutch and release bearing etc,now its fine
Where i took the van they told me i won first prize for the most buggered clutch they had seen lol

cheers steve