Stiff clutch pedal

Peter Coomaraswamy

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I would try the easiest things first, crack the bleeder on the slave and work the clutch, if you push all the fluid out and the pedal is floppy then your problem is between the slave and the clutch. Put in a new slave, they're cheap, if that doesn't fix the problem you'll have to operate.
 

Ohmess

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Did the car ever sit for a long period of time? Sometimes the inner lining of the rubber hoses in our cars can let tiny pieces of rubber lose into the system, and when these pieces find a new home, they can cause problems. I discovered some very small rubber pieces in the brake pressure regulator for my rear brakes. If you have this issue in the clutch hydraulics, it would most likely show up in the clutch slave valve.
 

Honolulu

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A clutch that engages too suddenly (assuming it isn't a racing style five-puck installation) will be the result of the throwout bearing sticking on the tube it rides on. Had this with my E36 and could not for the life of me figure it out. Finally let a shop do the work, they had to remove the trans, not cheap (but I am),

When I was in my teens I recall driving my mom, grandfather and aunt around in my uncle's Bronco. The thing had a sticking throwout bearing, but I didn't know throwout from knockout at the time. I tried to release sooooo gradually, but the d*mm thing would go from coasting to fully engaged in a fraction of a second. I got some heat about that, and felt like sh*t, having just recently learned to drive and not knowing it wasn't my fault at all. I think my aunt mentioned something about the clutch but grandad was a bit of a tyrant and wouldn't hear of anything contradictory to what he already knew: the kid couldn't drive. Eff that, now I know better.
 

Bmachine

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A long time ago now, I found a 3 series slave that was 22mm diameter instead of the 20mm I had, so 20% greater area and correspondingly less force on the pedal.
I'm intrigued by this option. Seems like this would be a relatively easy way to adjust the effort required. Are there different slaves that would work on a 265?
 

lloyd

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I'm intrigued by this option. Seems like this would be a relatively easy way to adjust the effort required. Are there different slaves that would work on a 265?


Sorry to disagree with what others have posted, but it has always been my understanding that, assuming all other components remain the same, the larger slave bore typically reduces pedal travel but increases pedal effort. Conversely, smaller bore results in more pedal travel with reduced pedal effort. It has been argued that using OEM-style flex hoses permits a slight expansion and some pedal "cush" versus firmness. Thus, if this theory is accurate, hoses clad in braided stainless or kevlar may provide a firmer clutch (or brake) pedal action.

This issue is more commonly addressed in connection with master cylinder choices, but obviously, clutch hydraulics follow the same principals. Respecting brakes, travel and pedal effort tend to be more of a personal preference especially considering so many other variables, including power assist, friction materials, leverage (obtained by various mechanical linkage configurations) and tire sizes, compounds and pressures.
 
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