Dear Listers,
My TR7 clutch hydraulics have failed, only 2 years since I rebuilt them.
Naturally, I want to know why. I have the following suspects:
1. The fluid was contaminated, and had changed from dark green to dark grey.
Does this sound like engine oil?
2. I previously replaced the slave cylinder with a recon'd unit. This had
been honed, and I objected (Haynes and factory manuals warn against honing
them); I was told that they (TR Spares) trusted the judgement of the guy who
rebuilds the things for them. Has anyone else had trouble with a honed slave
(or master) cyclinder?
3. The rubber boot on the back of the slave cylinder had a small tear at the
hole that the rod exits through. There is oil leaking at the back of the
engine, and some gets onto the exterior of the slave cylinder. Could the oil
get onto the shaft (either from the mounting hole on the transmission plate,
or elsewhere from within the bell housing) run up the shaft, past the piston
and onto the internal rubber seal?
I'm going to assume 3. is correct, and try to modify the rubber boot by
building-up the seal around the hole with silastic. (I have to figure out
what to coat the rod with so the silastic doesn't stick to it.) I'm also
going to put brake grease on the rod, and maybe silastic on the joint
between the cylinder and the transmission plate.
I'm not sure if I should assume 2. is a problem, and get the thing sleeved.
(If I do, I guess I'll sleeve the master at the same time.)
I'll be grateful for your comments & advice. Thanks.
Allen Nugent
Graduate School of Biomedical Engineering
University of New South Wales
Sydney 2052 Australia
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