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MG MGB Technical - Clutch goes to floor

Got in the B (70 roadster) just now, to drive it to get my road test for the next 6 months.
Made it to the stoplight at the end of my street, and when the light went green, I went to grab first, but the clutch pedal just went straight to the floor.
After waving the traffic around me, I managed to push it to the side of the road to check things out.
clutch cylinder - full inside, dry outside. check.
clutch pedal - moves smoothly on hinge, with only spring tension, as though not connected to anything.
I was able to start the car already in 1st and drive around the block and back home, so the clutch itself engages.
It feels like the connection between the pedal and the cylinder just gave up the ghost.
Had to get back to work, so I just left it.
How hard is it to get to the link with the pedal in the pedal box, and what is likely to have given up the ghost in there after 34 years?

Guess the B really didn't want to get tested today.
R. Martin Rogovein

Sounds like the clutch master or clutch slave may have worn out. Had you noticed anything prior to this incident? Crawl underneath and locate the clutch slave. Have an assistant depress the clutch pedal while you watch for movement of the slave cylinder. If none, open the bleeder valve and have the assitant depressthe pedal again and see if fluid is being forced through. If none you'll need to remove the pedal box cover, disconnect the line going to the clutch slave and again check for fluid being forced out of the clutch master. If none rebuild or repace the clutch master. May as well do the clutch slave too.
william fox

After many years, the clutch failed on my BGT one morning on the way to work. No leakage from the master cylinder so thought something must be up with the slave. Rebuilt that to no avail. When I took out the master cylinder, I was cleaning it in preparation for new rubbers when a small metal nugget, about 3 x 2 x 2 milimetres came out of the main cylinder. Inspection with a torch showed this had come away from the cylinder bore and was causing the clutch system to fail. Without the engine running, you could pump up the clutch to engage first but then it would go straight to the floor again. New master cylinder solved it immediately after a good bleeding.
Martin

solved.
one side of the 'saddle' bracket to which the top of the pedal is pinned had broken off.
From the looks of it, it broke some time ago, but the cotter pin and the other side held it together until now.
Gee, maybe the fact that the DPO replaced the pin holding the pedal to the bracket with an old flathead machine screw with a hole bored in the end had something to do with the failure of an otherwise low-stress part?
Anyhoo, managed to improvise something to make it drivable, and the parts for a proper repair are on order.
M.
R. Martin Rogovein

This thread was discussed between 04/05/2004 and 05/05/2004

MG MGB Technical index

This thread is from the archive. The Live MG MGB Technical BBS is active now.