Triumph Repair: 1500 clutch??, clutch master cylinder, clutch system

Question
hello jim
the russet brown with the fuel problem is running and
sounding very sweet...fuel! fire! compression!..nice one it
worked! (petrol pump was letting in air so wouldn't pump!
fixed the problem by simply screwing the pump down
correctly and finding the 1342 combo. ) this weekend im
going to tackle the clutch..the pedal is very soft and light to
pump..i did ask a triumph shop for a clutch disc thinking it
was this that was the problem..he wouldn't sell me one
until i had checked the whole clutch system, at this point
my head went all fuzzy and i couldn't understand what he
was saying other than "pah..you triumph owners!" so could
you let me know what im supposed to be doing and
checking for? i know this must be a lengthy process but if
you can let me know by the weekend i would be really
grateful as its a bank holiday here in the UK and i would be
able to tackle it then
kind regards and thanks a lot for all your helpful advice.
marc

Answer
Marc,

The clutch on the Spitfire is hydraulically controlled.  When you step on the clutch pedal you pump some fluid from the clutch master cylinder (right next to the brake master) through the steel tube down to the clutch slave that's attached to the transmission release arm.

What typically happens is that either you get air in the system or the hydraulic seals let go.  There are two methods to remove air from the system.  

The first is to remove a seat, the front carpet and the trans tunnel to expose the clutch slave.  There's a 7/16" bleed nipple on the slave... what works best is to put a piece of 1/4" inner diameter clear tube (vinyl) onto the end of the bleed nipple so you can watch the fluid come out.  If you have a RHD Spitfire you may need to get a friend to help out by pushing down on the pedal as you open the bleed nipple.  Close the nipple before letting up on the pedal.  Keep checking the fluid level in the reservoir as it's easy to bleed the system dry... then you have to start all over again.

The "American" method is to top up the fluid reservoir then prop the clutch pedal against the firewall using a piece of lumber we refer to as a "2 x 4".  Let it sit for several days... gravity tend to send most of the bubbles up to the reservoir.  Sounds crazy... but it's how I get my race car clutch working after sitting for the winter.

If that doesn't cure the problem or you notice fluid leaking then it's time to rebuild or replace the master and slave.  If you do one, do the other as it's likely about to give out also.

If that still doesn't cure the problem and you verify that the clutch release arm is being pushed in but the clutch action is still not satisfactory then the problem might just be with the clutch mechanism itself.  

That's a discussion for another day.


Cheers,

Jim