1969 L60 Clutch Woes

[Slackd]

So new owner to my ‘69 L60 and all seemed well, until it wasn’t. No clutch issues to note then all of a sudden clutch would not engage. Pedal tension went soft and gear changes began to grind (2nd and 3rd). Just trying to wrap my head around where to start.

Thoughts? Ideas? Prayers?

Dave

[RiverPatrol]

Check the fluid level to start.

[Slackd]

Thanks. Will do.

[jwgreen]

The master cylinder or the slave cylinder may had taken a crap. Like River said, check the fluid level, if its good then you have to start checking the hydraulic system.

[Slackd]

I was very low on fluid, added fluid and now working but definitely have a leak at the slave cylinder seal.

Q: any opinion on Bar’s Hydraulic Clutch Stop Leak? Does this stuff work? Will it create other issues within the system? Seems a little too good to be true.

Thanks all
Dave

[r1lark]

I was very low on fluid, added fluid and now working but definitely have a leak at the slave cylinder seal.

Q: any opinion on Bar’s Hydraulic Clutch Stop Leak? Does this stuff work? Will it create other issues within the system? Seems a little too good to be true.

Thanks all
Dave

Didn't even know they made that! If you try it, let us know how it does (or doesn't).

I probably wouldn't use it, but that's just me. My Patrol doesn't have a hydraulic clutch, so I'm not sure how available or costly new slave cylinders are.

[RiverPatrol]

The seals are so old in your hydraulic system I wouldn't recommend using any stop leak. Slave cylinders can be found pretty inexpensively on eBay.

[Johnny Roadkill]

Second that - just replace it or have a brake shop counterbore your existing cylinder and add a stainless steel sleeve and new seal.

Then, if your Patrol is like mine, you get to enjoy something that always tickles me - bleeding the clutch solo while sitting in the drivers seat, probably even easier in a LHD

Cheers,
D

[soft60]

All,

I also have a 69 with similar clutch issues - one day pedal was soft at first depression, but then one pump and the clutch worked fine. Like an idiot I neglected to investigate, left it for 3 weeks, and next time I tried to engage the clutch the pedal was dead-soft and no amount of pumping would cause it to engage. No I have a dead Patrol in my garage. Master reservoir has fluid, but depressing/releasing the clutch pedal causes the level to rise/drop in the reservoir by about 1 cm, but not much else. No leaks are apparent at the master or slave.

Before I try to bleed the slave or pull the master, I thought I should ask for the wisdom of the group to help me diagnose and solve this issue. I am not a mechanic or even particularly smart or handy, so please use small words and explain the basics to me.

Here are my questions:
Does the rising/dropping level in the reservoir mean that the piston is not generating pressure due to a blown seal or some other issue? And should I therefore replace or repair the master as described in this thread?
Or is this likely a minor air-in-the-line issue that could be cured by bleeding the slave cylinder? If the latter, where is the bleed screw on the slave cylinder? What I find is a brass block with the fluid line coming in from below and a what looks like a loc-tite-sealed screw where I expected the bleed-screw to be located. Is that screw the bleed screw? If not, where is it?

Or am I missing something entirely?

Thanks
Soft60

[RiverPatrol]

It looks like someone may have replaced the slave cylinder with the wrong one or something. You can see where the sheet metal has been cut away to make room for it. It seems the bleeder screw might be on the other side of that brass block, which would make it pretty difficult to get to. It's a little hard to tell the orientation from the picture. Usually, to bleed the slave cylinder you can access it from inside the cabin. There is a big square rubber cover on the side of the transmission cover just below the hand brake. When you remove that the slave should be right there with the bleeder accessible.

Clutch_slave.jpg