Seized clutch pedal

[miniandy]

hi,

the mini has been sitting for a while and the clutch pedal won't move at all, and i have bent it trying to push it down! Any suggestions as to what is wrong?

cheers

[Cooperman]

Take out the two bolts holding the slave cylinder onto the clutch cover. Press the pedal and see if it moves now. If it does, the clutch linkage is seized up. If not, it's either the slave cylinder or master cylinder.
Then, once you know which it is, you can strip down the offending bits and sort it out.

[Dino42]

<...If not, it's either the slave cylinder or master cylinder...>
or even the pivot on the pedal box. Mine had rusted solid.

[miniandy]

Cooperman - I have taken the two bolts off and pressed the pedal and it moves freely. I presume this would indicate that the linkage is to blame? Any hints on what part, or how to free it?

Cheers

[Cooperman]

Best to strip it all out to be sure of getting it right. I would fit a new slave cylinder as it is obviously not the master cylinder. I would remove the clutch cover - you can do this with the engine in-situ, just jack up the right hand side of the engine after un-doing the engine mountings. It only needs to go up an inch or so to get the cover off. Whilst it's all down, fit a new operating arm, new clevis pins and re-grease the arm ball at the bottom where it goes into the release bearing carrier. Also make sure the release bearing carrier is free and slides easily.
Check that the arm has 0.020" clearance on the clutch stop and you may need to re-set the overthrow stops. If you need more info on how to do this, just email me privately.
Don't b****r about with this, just strip it all out and do a thorough job - that's my advice anyway.
I hope this helps.

Peter

[miniandy]

Hmmm. This sounds a little too complex for a driveway DIY-er! One last resort could be to stick the car in gear, turn the engine over, and hope it frees itself?

Andy

[Cooperman]

If it's the actual linkage which is seized up that won't work. If it's the clutch plates which have become corroded together it moight. I guess it's worth a try before you strip it out.