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MG Midget and Sprite Technical - Bad parts again? clutch master

Hello Gent's
Yesterday I realized that I have lost 1/2" clutch padal travel.
I looked at the pedal arm / clutch master clevis pin junction, yep, a tremendous wear in the push rod holes.
The clutch master and the clevis pin was renewed in mid May 2017, approx. 4000 mls ago. CMG1005 aftermarket (I think)
I would never assemble such things without thoroughly greasing them.
I wrote a complaint to the supplier, will se what (if) he replies....
Jan
Jan Kruber

If the master cylinder was fitted to the car with out any grease applied to the pedal arm / clevis pin / push rod then I don't see how that is the fault of the manufacturer ?

Its obviously a problem area on these cars and regular greasing is required to prevent wear.
C MADGE

Sorry Jan ignore my previous post, I miss read yours.

If it was properly greased I'm surprised that it could wear that much that quickly :(
C MADGE

C, I must admit that i have not greased the joint since fitting it.
Maybe the fitting of the 5 speed gearbox and the clutch kit for it has speeded up the wear, the clutch is firmer that the old one, I think......
Jan
Jan Kruber

I find it surprising it should wear that much in only 4000 miles, even if it were poorly lubricated. I wonder how much of the wear that you now see was actually poor machining with an oversized hole in the first place and was there before it was even fitted?
GuyW

Weld up the hole redrill and reassemble with a new clevis.
The heat treatment makes the pin the wear point
O K

Guy:
There was no play in the clevis pin / push arm joint when I fitted the new parts
O K:
I can sort it out, but I think, like Guy, that the wear is premature, that's why I contacted the supplier (Moss) during the weekend.
They allready replied yesterday, they are interrested so far and asked for photos, so I recorded a movie clip that very clearly show how and where the wear is.
I look forward to hear from them.

Is it possible to take the pushrod out of the master without draining the clutch hydraulic system?
Jan
Jan Kruber

I had the same happen on a clevis I did not grease. They wear so quickly without lubrication, it's quite amazing.

I had a spare M/C that I robbed the push rod off and replaced it without disturbing the hydraulics. A tricky and fiddly operation though!

Lesson learnt, grease it up!
Malcolm Le Chevalier

almost certainly cheap far eastern manufacture, made of steel as soft as cheese.....
David Smith

The fork should be relatively hardened so that it is the easy and cheap clevis pin that wears, not the other way around!
GuyW

Jan
It all depends on the type of master cylinder.
Early combined typ should be removable.
Later seperate I think not easily
O K

Moss is responding very quick as usual like the few other times I have complained, I praise them for it, actually.
They wrote: "The clutch fork shouldn’t do that and I haven’t heard of it happening before. What I will do is send you another fork and clevis pin free of charge."

Now, how often do you guys grease thoose joints and which lube do you use?

I consider using motorcycle aerosol chain lubrication, it is penetrating and once dry it is extremely sticky. Just a thought....
Jan Kruber

For what it's worth the lubricant I recommend for this sort of application is called Triple Guard.
My reasons are it is super sticky so it doesn't fall out and make a mess. It's utterly impervious to water so it's great as a sealant/lubricant for anything exposed to the weather. It's not copper or zinc metal loaded so it's not sudden death to bearings like coppaslip.
It's intended for underwater propshafts so you can remove the prop after years without having to hammer it off but it also works fine as a bearing grease. I use it in the hubs of our launching trailer for example. It ain't cheap but it works
Greybeard

I received a new pushrod and clevis pin from Moss for free as promised. Now is the question, is it possible to to replace the pushrod without draining the hydraulics?
I see the circlip, but I don't dare to take it out sofar. The master is an aftermarket CMG1005, the one with a plastic reservoir.
Jan Kruber

Does something hold the pushrod in? Surely it's just a question of being able to get the pushrod fork over the pedal horn, and then pulling it out, leaving the boot etc. in place on the master.
Nick and Cherry Scoop

When I did it, I removed the M/C from the pedal box. Which was fairly easy as I have a braided flexi clutch hose.

I removed the boot and circlip, then the clevis whilst holding my finger over the end to stop the piston coming out.

I held it in with tape or cable ties etc. (be inventive!) whilst I repaired the clevis. You can just carefully swap them over and get the circlip back in. You might need an assistant.

I did lose a bit of fluid, but didn't have to bleed the system.

Malc.
Malcolm Le Chevalier

Blimey! What a difference from the earlier MCs. Must be an improvement, I suppose.
Nick and Cherry Scoop

This thread was discussed between 08/09/2018 and 19/09/2018

MG Midget and Sprite Technical index

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