Yeah, I think this must've been me! This is where I am in pursuit of this
problem (which has persisted for more than ten years!)...
The clutch is working fairly well right now. In the past it has been known
to fail only THREE WEEKS after either doing a rebuild of both components,
or replacing the components with new. However, the discoloration
continues. The fluid becomes almost entirely opaque after a week or so of
driving it every day. I cannot see the bottom of the reservoir. In fact,
using a piece of white cardstock for a gauge, I insert the card into the
reservoir to see how far down into the fluid I can see. The card
disappears completely only a half-an-inch into the fluid! Several
responses I got from that original posting had to do with the finish in the
master cylinder. I think that these guys were on the right track. It has
been suggested that I need to polish (not hone) the bore of the master
cylinder, that the finish that exists now is grinding up the rubber seals.
Now, the only problem I have with this is that since this problem happened
even with a BRAND NEW master cylinder (not just rebuilt), then the parts
coming from Lucas/Girling are defective. This seems unlikely to me.
However, it does make sense that in my case, perhaps the more I use the
clutch, the more the bore is "polished" just from regular use, thus, the
problem occurs less and less as time passes. The discoloration continues,
though... I dunno, it is a very frustrating problem for me.
Other suggestions were to have the components re-sleeved at White Post
Restorations. They take the components and install brass sleeves, as well
as assemble with all new parts. They claim that, for all intents and
purposes, the cylinders are indestructible after this process. It costs
$175 per cylinder, though!!
Let's hear some more about this problem from some other folks. And, where
is TRF on this one!!???
Pete Chadwell
1973 TR6
>A few months ago, a list member complained that the hydraulic fluid in
>his clutch master cylinder had turned murky shortly after rebuilding the
>master and slave cylinders, and asked if anyone knew the cause. Most
>respondents said that their fluid stayed clear, and suspected some
>incompatibility between the rubber seals and the fluid. A couple of
>people responded that they had the same problem, even though they were
>using Girling parts and Castrol LMA DOT 4 fluid.
>
>When I rebuilt the master and slave cylinders on my son's Spitfire
>almost two years ago, I had the same problem. We even flushed the system
>to get fresh LMA all through the system, but within an hour, a greyish/
>purplish sediment was already starting to enter the master cylinder's
>reservoir.
>
>This week, the master has started to leak, and I've ordered another
>rebuild kit. I used the official Girling kit last time, but I suspect
>that the seals were deteriorating from the start.
>
>Has anyone else had this problem, or can recommend a couple of does and
>don'ts during the rebuild?
>
>Thanks...
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