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Re: Clutch bleed best of both worlds

To: Enrique Claure <spaninc@ceibo.entelnet.bo>
Subject: Re: Clutch bleed best of both worlds
From: Barney Gaylord <barneymg@ntsource.com>
Date: Sun, 07 Nov 1999 02:27:39
At 10:16 PM 11/6/99 -0400, Enrique Claure wrote:
>....
>1. How much travel must the fork have? No info on this in they Haynes.

One half inch minimum for full pedal travel.  Accept no less.

>2. Can I get some pointers as to how the pedal must feel after a good bleed?

The pedal should move freely with the force of one finger for the first 1/8
inch of travel before picking up the motion of the piston in the master
cylinder.  If this is not correct, you should be able to adjust the length
of the pushrod between the pedal and the master cylinder.  With the jam nut
released you should be able to turn the rod on the adjusting threads with
your fingers.  When it gets too long it starts to bind, then turn it back a
bit so it doesn't bind and try the finger on the pedal again.  When you get
about 1/8" of free play at the pedal, lock up the jam nut on the pushrod.
This does not apply to MG Midgets, which do not have an adjustment there.

Pedal pressure increases quickly from nil to moderate in the first 1/3 of
the travel of the pedal as it picks up the load of the clutch pressure
plate springs and starts to release the clutch disk.  For the rest of the
travel to the floor the pedal pressure increases only slightly, as it
already carries the full force of the pressure plate springs, and the only
increase in force is from a slight increase in deflection of those springs.
 Otherwise the full travel should go smoothly with no hitch in the git
along and no binding allowed.

When you release the pedal it should follow your foot firmly all the way to
the top of the stroke as fast as you can pick you foot up (but don't slip
your foot off the side of the pedal).  If there is significant hesitation
in the return of he pedal, that is a good indication that the clutch slave
hose may be clogged and in need of replacement.  This condition is often
accompanied by a momentary slippage of the clutch when you lift your foot
from the clutch pedal with the throttle down, as it takes a while for the
pressure plate to come back to rest tightly against the clutch disk when
the fluid flows slowly.

Barney Gaylord
1958 MGA with an attitude
    http://www.ntsource.com/~barneymg


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