Use it or lose it!

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Use it or lose it!

Postby ACourtney » Tue Mar 24, 2020 10:01 pm

During this enforced lock down many Midas owners may find themselves with some spare time to do a bit of maintenance on their cars. I would suggest that at the very least you should start the engine, warm it up thoroughly and then just drive it back and forwards a few times. Better still, if the car is taxed and MOT'd then take it out for one of those essential trips.

Last weekend I saw a prime example of what happens when a car isn't used for a few years and left under a car cover. I fully sympathize with the owner, he has spent the last few years having to make long journeys to take care of an elderly relative and so has not had the time to use his car.

The fault that had appeared was a slipping clutch and that usually means a failed crankshaft seal and oil on the friction surfaces. There was quite a lot of oil around the engine and gearbox, but most of it was from the rocker cover gasket. When I removed the clutch cover there was no sign of any oil leak. There was a lot of black dust, which I carefully removed whilst wearing a good quality dust mask - Remember these cars were built before the ban on using asbestos for clutch plates and brake pads.

I then turned my attention to clutch housing cover and realised that the clutch lever arm was almost totally seized up. I could only move it by placing a 3ft length of scaffold pole over the lever (I could have probably moved it with a shorter length scaffold pole, but that was the length of the bit I had to hand). What had clearly happened was that the steel lever, aluminium housing and zinc plated clevis pin had all corroded in the damp atmosphere under the car cover causing them to jam up. The owner had commented on a strange feel to the clutch pedal and whilst the pedal had given him enough mechanical advantage to move the clutch open, the jammed up lever was acting like a damper and so it was re-engaging at a much slower rate than normal. Hence the slippage.

The clevis pin was totally jammed up in the housing. I tried penetrating oil and applying heat, but in the end it only moved after I had drilled down the middle with a 4mm drill bit (I had a spare in stock). And with the clevis pin removed, the lever arm needed quite a bit of, errr, leverage to get it out. I cleaned up the lever arm and chemically blacked it to give it some protection against corrosion in the future and also cleaned the surfaces of the housing. Then I reassembled it with a smear of copper slip on the mating surfaces. and a good wadge of grease around the ball end of the lever. With the new clevis pin in place, the lever moved freely and the release bearing plunger moved in and out smoothly.

Image20200322_104306 by Alistair Courtney, on Flickr

The owner wanted me to check the friction surfaces to make sure that they had not been damaged during the slipping. In fact the friction surfaces of the flywheel and pressure plate were both rusty, so I treated them with Hydroxy-C gel before reassembling the clutch.

Image20200321_112108 by Alistair Courtney, on Flickr

Image20200321_151852 by Alistair Courtney, on Flickr


I got it all back together again and it is working properly. I just don't know when the owner will be able to collect it!

Take care of yourselves as well as your Midas, but most importantly stay safe.
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ACourtney
 
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Re: Use it or lose it!

Postby Geoff Butcher » Mon Mar 30, 2020 9:33 pm

A cautionary tale. Thinks: when did I last start the engine of my Alpine? :( I'll do it tomorrow, I really will!
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