[DeTomaso] Help needed with clutch slave

[cengles at cox.net]

Dear Forest, 

Thank you for the straightforward pragmatic approach. I've tried the engineering method and get confused every time with the clutch slave cylinder adjustment. Simple is good. 

Warmest regards, Chuck Engles


---- forestg at att.net wrote:
>
>
>Mike,
>You are making this way too complicated.
>Chris,
>Screw the stop bolt in a couple of turns and then check the free travel of the pedal. Keep doing this until there is about 1/2" of free travel at the pedal and you are good to go.
>Forest
>-------------- Original message from MikeLDrew at aol.com: --------------
>
>
>>
>>In a message dated 5/7/09 23 37 18, chrisvkimball at msn.com writes:
>>
>>
>>>I think it's the pedal. It feels like nothing is engaging until the
>>>pedal has been pushed about an inch down, then it seems as if all the action
>>>happens after that.
>>>>>
>>>>>>>That means that for the first inch of pedal travel, you're not > actually releasing the clutch. The clutch fork inside the bellhousing is
>>just
>>>swinging through free space, doing nothing, until it finally touches the
>>>throwout bearing which then starts to release the clutch. You have adjusted
>>>the pushrod on the slave cylinder much, much too short.
>>>
>>>>I'm afraid I don't understand. If I turn the screw to begin pulling out
>>>the piston, that would be like pushing the pedal part way down, and isn't
>>>that partially engaging the clutch? I've heard that's a bad thing to do.
>>>
>>>>>This presumes that your pushrod was properly adjusted. You're looking
>>for a certain overall length of the piston/pushrod combination such that the
>>face of the piston in the slave cylinder is as far up into the slave
>>cylinder bore as possible, and the fingers of the clutch fork are almost (but
>>not
>>quite) touching the throwout bearing. The factory specification is just a
>>hair over three inches for the overall pushrod length, but that is for a
>>stock slave, and stock clutch. Since you have all aftermarket components now,
>>you have to determine the correct distance by feel (although it will
>>probably be something close to that).
>>
>>Disconnect the spring from the clutch arm. Remove the pin connecting the
>>pushrod to the clutch arm. Remove the bottom snap ring holding the slave
>>cylinder in its bracket, and slide it up an inch or two to get it out of the
>>way.
>>
>>You can now easily move the clutch arm by hand. You will easily feel
>>where the fingers of the clutch fork touch the throwout bearing. Back it off a
>>hair; that's now the target location when everything is put back together.
>>
>>Lengthen the pushrod whatever amount you deem necessary (your first guess)
>>and then slide the slave back down, reconnect it to the clutch arm, and
>>secure the bottom snap ring. Chances are that it will be somewhat difficult to
>>slide the slave back into position, because the piston will naturally want
>>to extend, and you'll be compressing it as you're sliding the slave down.
>>
>>By trial and error, you should be able to adjust the length of the pushrod
>>so that when the piston is almost fully compressed, the clutch fork will be
>>just slightly off the throwout bearing. It's a good idea to leave just a
>>small amount of space inside the slave cylinder, to allow for clutch wear.
>>(As the clutch disc wears thinner, the fingers on the clutch will 'grow'
>>rearward, and there needs to be a little free space in the slave cylinder to
>>account for this, or else the fingers on the clutch fork will start resting on
>>the throwout bearing, burning it up and possibly causing the clutch to
>>slip).
>>
>>When you first step on the clutch pedal at this point, there should be
>>relatively little motion at the clutch arm, and perhaps a half-inch of free
>>motion at the pedal, before you feel a marked difference in your foot and the
>>clutch begins to release. This ensures that you are getting the most out of
>>the available pedal travel, using almost all of it to actually control the
>>clutch.
>>
>>You don't want the fingers to be touching all the time, because the
>>throwout bearing will burn up and the clutch may slip.
>>
>>Does that all make sense? It sure sounds confusing to me....:>)
>>
>>Mike
>>