[DeTomaso] clutch question

[jderyke at aol.com]

You likely have a sticky piston for whatever reason- varnish, a machining defect etc. Varnish will build up on any surface and its VERY difficult to bore a close- diameter 3" deep blind hole! But believe it or not, there is such a thing as grease for brakes! It's made by Lucas and others and is recommended to be used in brake and clutch master and slave assemblies as well as caliper pistons during rebuilds. A 2 oz tube from almost any auto parts store will last you a lifetime; mine from an old Kragens is a good 20 years old. While you're doing the greasing, check for a rusted-in-half internal return spring. 

Don't even want to speculate on what the drip is from. Clutch slave cylinders are very simple hydraulic assemblies that are only asked to hold about 250 psi in operation, so the seals are not very robust. First try the grease- at $3 or so, its about the cheapest potential fix you have had! My best guess- J Deryke
 

 

----Original Message-----

From: Christopher Kimball <chrisvkimball at msn.com>
To: Pantera list serve <detomaso at poca.com>
Sent: Tue, Feb 11, 2014 10:36 am
Subject: [DeTomaso] clutch question



I need some opinions.  Some time ago, I noticed my clutch pedal had a bit too much play before it engaged, so I adjusted the piston on the slave cylinder so that there was only a slight bit of play before the pedal engaged.  At that time I noticed a drip or two of clutch fluid around the slave cylinder, but it was a very tiny amount, so I didn't do anything about it (I replaced the slave cylinder about 5 years ago with a long-throw one).


Last weekend, I was driving to an event, and stopped at a stoplight.  Usually, I shift into neutral when I'm stopped--that way I don't have to sit for any length of time with the clutch depressed.  This time, however, for some reason, I kept the car in gear while stopped and kept the clutch pressed to the floor with the car in gear.  When it came time to release the clutch, it acted as if it was stuck to the floor with chewing gum.  As I lifted my foot, the pedal suddenly popped up, engaging the clutch so quickly the car died (how embarrassing...).  I tried again, and it felt stuck to the floor again, but not as much.  I then pumped it a bit, and it worked fine.


As long as I leave the clutch out and only depress it when I actually need to switch gears--not leaving it depressed for any length of time, it works fine.  I'm about to take the car to my mechanic for him to go through everything in preparation for the very long drive to San Diego, and I'm wondering if there is anything I should tell him to specifically look for in regards to this weird problem.  Could it be I just over-tightened the slave cylinder adjustment?


Thanks for your help!


Sincerely,


Chris
 		 	   		  


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