W202018 [1994] Manual Clutch

[julianps]

Hi, I just got a car and the clutch biting point is not far off the floor, which seems wrong and trying to hill start without a regular handbrake is stressful.

Because it's a fluid clutch I had it bled-out but it didn't change it much but as a fluid clutch should be self-adjusting I'm guessing the clutch itself is not the problem.

Q1) Haynes and MB show a special tool (like a fish-n-chip-shop fork) for using to test the clutch plate thickness; as I'm not a tool maker does anyone know where I can get hold of one of these?
Q2) Are the master/slave cylinders on these prone to wearing out such that they stop moving sufficient fluid/the clutch activator sufficiently, hence the low biting point?

Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

 

[carat 3.6]

Hi, I just got a car and the clutch biting point is not far off the floor, which seems wrong and trying to hill start without a regular handbrake is stressful.

Because it's a fluid clutch I had it bled-out but it didn't change it much but as a fluid clutch should be self-adjusting I'm guessing the clutch itself is not the problem.

Q1) Haynes and MB show a special tool (like a fish-n-chip-shop fork) for using to test the clutch plate thickness; as I'm not a tool maker does anyone know where I can get hold of one of these?
Q2) Are the master/slave cylinders on these prone to wearing out such that they stop moving sufficient fluid/the clutch activator sufficiently, hence the low biting point?

Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

Are you sure it hasn't had a clutch fitted recently? That would explain it.

If it isnt slipping, and the clutch is not dragging when changing gear it is working as it should.

Hill start's are not as bad as you think. Bring the clutch to the biting point and pull the handbrake release.

Edit: I've got a diesel here with the same low biting point, feels strange at first but you get used to it.

 

[julianps]

Thanks for that; not sure about the clutch change as it's a recent acquisition and there's no receipt for that.

Why would a new clutch put the biting point down at 99% pedal depression; I'd have guessed the first few depression would push the actuating lever in (assuming it's properly bedded into a, well lubricated, socket on the control arm) and the fluid level in the reservoir would fall to compensate? Top it up and good-to-go; no?

BTW, the last brake fluid change was done at Kwik-Fit over a year ago, and they never bleed the clutch lines as part of the job. When I had it bled-off the b/f was "filthy".

The challenge is that the clutch "grabs"; it starts to engage at about 99% depression of the pedal and is fully engaged at 98% so it takes someone far better at manual transmission than me to balance the car at 16:1 on that clutch (stalled my car five times on my driving test and in 35 years haven't gotten much better ... ;-)).

 

[carat 3.6]

The only other thing it could be, some cars have a plastic spacer between the slave cylinder and gearbox. Maybee use 2 large washers as spacers and try it like that? It should take some preload off the slave cylinder.

 

[julianps]

Yeah, I had wondered whether, tangential to that, there might be a slight distortion in the leaves of the spring that were in essence pushing the release bearing away, in-turn pushing the activation arm/rod backwards and setting up additional free-play.

if the rod gets pushed I can't prod a tool through the spacer and get an accurate gauge. Not that I have the tool, or know where to get one.