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MG MGA - Master cylinder or clutch t/o bearing?

Last night I went out to the garage to do some clean up. I park the A so that it has to be manuevered (pull forward, back up about 3 times) to get out of the garage. I started it up and let it get warm and then got in to move it out. As I put it in first gear and began to barely let out the clutch pedal, the clutch immediately engaged and the car began to move forward with VERY LTTLE pedal travel. It engaged right up nearly at the floor. As I then put in the clutch pedal to move the shifter from first into reverse, the car continued in gear with the pedal all the way down and the shifter would not disengage. It stayed in gear! I applied the brakes to stop the car and the engine quit. I was then able to move the shifter out of first. I restarted it and tried backing up only to have the same thing happen in reverse. The pedal then returned to a normal or more familiar position and I was able to move the car.
Does this sound more like a hydraulic issue or a clutch problem? I replaced the slave cylinder last fall and up to this time have had no indication that I might be having clutch problems. master cylinder?
What are your thoughts?

Clayton
C. Merchant

It sounds like the master to me.
Jeff Schultz

Any leakage? Could be slave too. Several people have had problems bleeding all of the air out of the slave due to it's mounting angle. I've had to remove they slave from the trans while leaving the line intact, hold the piston with a clamp and bleed with the bleeder facing so as to get ALL of the air out.

j
John

Hydraulic. Seems to affect mine more when the weather changes. You can pump the clutch to get more release if you have to. I tend to wait until they leak to replace or rebuild. But putting a kit in will probably help, try the bleeding trick first.
Tom

It's the seals in the MC. I had the same thing a few years ago, and decided to replace all the seals and rubber hoses in the entire hydraulics in the car. The test of doing the MC clutch seals first fixed that problem, before I did the rest.
dominic clancy

There is no check valve in the clutch master like there is in the brakes. Because of this, you can't pump up the clutch like you can with the brake. If it seems like you can pump them up, then it is most likely a bad seal in the master.

Because there is no check valve, the clutch harder to bleed than the brakes. However, if the clutch had been working fine, and then started acting like this, then air in the lines is probably not the problem. Most likely cause is the master. If the slave was bad, fluid would be leaking out.

Jeff Schultz

What Jeff said is it.
Car sat too long? Clutch master seal stuck in cyl and didn't return or seal didn't seal properly on first attempts cold. When you replace seals stretch the spring.
R J Brown

Thanks for your input all. I was thinking m/c based on the fact that I replaced the slave last fall and have driven all spring and summer long without any leakage or other problems that would indicate air in the line or a clutch problem.

Dominic-when you did your rebuild, what kit did you use? I have heard and read here all kinds of horror stories about bad rubber and improper sized seals.

Jeff- I agree that pumping the clutch pedal would have little if any effect unless the pressure built enough to free a sticking piston or seal.

Randy-The car has not sat long. It is driven regularly at least once or twice a week. Prior to this occurring on Sunday, it was driven on Friday.

Anyone have any bad experiences with rebuild kits that should be avoided from the usual sources?

Clayton
C. Merchant

This thread was discussed between 10/10/2005 and 11/10/2005

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