Paul:
Boy what a flurry of answers for a simple problem. I hate it when there
are two problems going on, which is what it sounds like here.
If the fluid is leaving the master cylinder reservoir, it has to be
leaking from one of the two cylinders, or from a joint in the system. I
take it that you are not seeing a puddle, so the most likely culprit is
the master cylinder. As prev. noted the slave and master tend to fail
as a pair, and I think you have just demonstrated this. Chances are,
the pumping to bleed the system toasted the worn seals in the master
causing it to follow the slave on the way to the Summerlands.
The master will usually take a rebuild kit if the bore is not badly
gouged, but the best bet is to replace master, slave and hose at one
time. That way it is done and you don't have to worry about it. If you
took your car to a shop, that would be the correct answer as you are
paying their labor. If you are doing the job yourself, then weigh the
rebuilding alternative. Most of us home mechanics have learnt' how to
speed shift from saving money by rebuilding units that end up failing on
the road. On that note, if there is any question, always replace the
slave hose when replacing the cylinder. There is no way of checking for
an internal hose failure and it is a royal pain when it happens. The
clutch system starts acting like an automatic transmission. You let out
the clutch, then wait for a while, after which the car lunges away.
A few points from the discussion. You are correct, and points to you
for catching the slave bleeder nipple. Lockheed has always shipped them
with the nipple in the wrong hole, probably to prevent damage during
shipment. Looking at the box, relocating the nipple makes it less
likely to penetrate the packing and be damaged. I think the repros are
shipped the same way.
The system should bleed pretty easily, unlike the Midget 1500 which can
be a right pain. Pumping the system has always worked effectively for
me, but nowadays I use a pressure bleeder, as I spent too much of my
youth pumping brakes for other mechanics and would not ask it of my
wife.
John pointed out the problem with the early repro hose fitting. I
believe that has now been addressed and all units on the market have
been re-machined for correct sealing where the slave hose attaches.
Definitely something to check though. Btw. The repros are on the
market mainly to ensure that a supply of this part exists. Supply of
the original cylinders has been a bit worrisome, so alternatives have to
be sought.
When the discussion wandered over to servo hose, there was a question
about the material supplied by Moss Motors. Unfortunately there is not
a ready supply of the original type of hose available, so Moss Motors is
supplying a US manufactured hose designed specifically for servo
applications. Regular fuel or light duty vacuum hose is not suitable.
Hope this helps.
Kelvin.
Paul M. wrote:
> Man, I screwed something up and I can't for the life of me figure out
> what I did...
>
> I had a bad clutch slave cylinder on my 1971 MGB. The new one arrived
> today and I kind of hurried through the swap, thinking it was a
> no-brainer (in a rush to try to make a local car show...) Everything
> seemed to go well with the swap and the bleeding, but now I have no
> pedal whatsoever - it goes right to the floor as if there was no
> hydraulic pressure at all. It's such a simple swap, what could I have
> done wrong?
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