Hi,
I have an unusual (I think) problem with the clutch on my 80 Spitfire.
I was driving to the Heartland MG meet and pulled into a McDonald's.
The clutch felt just a little strange as I was coming to a stop.
Well, when I came back out, the engine cranked over kind of slow then
started up. I let off the hand brake and pulled it out of first -THEN I
started rolling back which seemed a little odd. It wouldn't go into
reverse without grinding, as a matter of fact it wouldn't go into any
gear without grinding.
Pumping the clutch made no real difference. It helped a little but not
much. The pedal feel is normal as far as I can tell, but I can't
shift. (I know this sounds like a clutch that isn't fully bled and not
disengaging completely, but read on.)
We decided to take my Spitfire and put it in the garage and just take
Pat's 250 to the show. On the way to the garage, I discovered that the
clutch is slipping and I can't go over 60 mph. That sounds like it
isn't engaging well enough. So this sounds like opposite ends of the
problem - the clutch won't engage fully and it won't disengage fully.
The clutch has around 20,000 miles (I have never worn out a clutch that
quick). I recently rebuilt the master and slave cylinders and flushed
the lines so I could change to silicone fluid. The master cylinder is
still full of fluid. I see no leaks from the slave, the bolt that the
throwout arm pivots on is in place. That is about all I have been able
to determine so far.
Does anyone have any suggestions? At the moment, my best guess is the
rebuild on either the master or the slave failed. Neither were leaking
when I rebuilt them, which was done solely for the purpose of switching
to silicone.
Thanks,
Roger Elliott
80 Spitfire
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