Sure enough, the clutch master cylinder (thanks, Og!) is empty and close examination reveals the slave cylinder has become...incontinent. Ew. Sneezed the stuff right out.
Rather a lot of rust on the slave, the cute little banjo bolt where the hydraulic line connects to it and, presumably, the not-viewable mounting bolts as well. Given that the line itself is all of maybe 3/16" OD, I will only try to do this myself if the towing fee is outrageous, as I can see it turning all too easily into an end-to-end replacement of the entire system. Fiddling the new line into place, unhooking the master cylinder linkage from the pedal arm and bleeding the darned thing each look to be exquisitely fiddly and/or awkward tasks. An MGB, this car is not; I've done this exact job on one (or maybe two -- people will put DOT 3 fluid in them and it eats up the seals)* of those and it was fairly straightforward.
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* If you buy an MGB from someone's front yard (garage, whatever), you can just about count on having to rebuild or replace all or part of the clutch and brake hydraulics. It is at that point that you will appreciate the wide-open, lawnmower-simple layout of the mechanicals: except for a fiddly clearance in removing the clutch master cylinder (not a problem in the right-hand-drive version), none of it is difficult to get to or hard to figure out.
BUILDING A 1:1 BALUN
4 years ago
12 comments:
I've replaced the slave cylinder on a Triumph Spitfire a couple of times. I consider them disposable.
The aluminum cylinders are pretty much throwaway. Cast iron can be rebuilt if the bore is OK. Be sure to use the correct fluid. Often as not, it's brake fluid. As an experienced brake engineer, I recommend DOT 3.
Dot 4 is the only thing that will work in a Land Rover as well. THe natural rubber seals are destroyed by the 3. I still have bottles of Castrol GT LMA sitting around here.
That banjo bolt is not as daunting as you think, and if you take out the electric fan (A couple screws and an electrical connector) it gives you a wad of room to work. The good news is the threads and etc. of the cylinder are inside the housing, and therefore relatively rust free.
Try a box wrench on the banjo bolt. You have almost nothing to lose in that if it brakes, you're just back to the towing part. And, if it brakes, you throw the bolt away- a new one comes with the cylinder, most times, which is a $27 part from Autozone. The other two bolts should be a cakewalk.
I do this stuff because I'm too stupid to let anyone else do it, and frankly, I don't trust anyone. I once did this to my Probe in the snow on a tollway oasis. (I took to carrying a spare in the trunk, I lost them a couple times during its 280,000 mile lifespan.
We have an alter to Lucas in the shop. Call if you need back up.
Hyundai will give you access to the shop manual in exchange for your VIN and an email address:
https://www.hyundaitechinfo.com/
If I were closer...
Not a hard job, just a pain in the nethers.
That' the thing -- if I do this myself, I will be working outside, in the cold, on a very tight timeline and mostly in the dark. This is not a prescription for doing a good job.
it shouldn't be an expensive repair, if you don't have a dealer rip you off. A small local shop would be the best and they could probably do it for under a couple benjamins.
me, I see the difference between that and the #27 for the part and decide to keep the balance. And I'd find a willing accomplice to transport me till the weekend when I could do it justice in the daytime when it's warmer, and spend evenings dismantling the small things I could at my own pace. Best of luck either way, it's a pain not to have your ride work.
Instead of having it towed, fill up the reservoir and drive it to the shop! As long as the leak isn't too bad, you should be able to get there before it all leaks out.
Rob K: D'oh!
Or as my first shop supervisor in the Navy explained it: "Shoulda asked The Lazy Man first."
My experience of filling the cylinder and driving to the shop is that it ends up dumping lots of brake fluid onto my feet and the floor-mats. This wasn't a Kia/Hyundai product however, so YMMV. It might just remove lots of paint from the engine-side of the firewall and fender.
Is it true that the reason MG decided upon a hydraulic clutch when they changed from the T-models to the MGA, was because they had not been able to devide any way for the cable to leak fluid on to the garage floor?
The rust in the system means both cylinders will need to be removed, disassembled and thoroughly cleaned then reassembled and installed, or if you're not doing it yourself the less expensive route is to replace them with new units. As far as the hydraulic line is concerned insist upon 316SS tube, preferably passivated tube, even if it needs to hand crafted to fit. It will never rot.
When I built my '66 stang I used 316 ss tube on all of my brake and fuel lines. At the time I worked for a company that did A LOT of business with a plating company that also had a passivation line which passivated my tubing for next to nothing. After 10 years I have yet to see a speck of rust on any of those lines and other than an annual visual inspection they've been maintenance free. Worth the extra expense!
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