Mechanics in here please - Clutch arm sheared

mattyprice4004 · 10 Jul 2009 at 21:20

It seems the join/weld between the arm that goes to the slave cylinder and the shaft into the gearbox has sheared, causing the slave cylinder to pop apart.

Pics:

Is it time to get it towed in? Absolutely gutted.

Where the arm meets the shaft into the bellhousing, the metal is bent and there is a clean shear on one side of the weld.

Anyone have any idea what happened?`

iaind · 10 Jul 2009 at 21:23

rover416i said:
Anyone have any idea what happened?`

Sorry

TaKeN · 10 Jul 2009 at 21:24

Ouch!

Looks a bitch of a job to do with a welder in there, I'm no help sorry mate

mattyprice4004 · 10 Jul 2009 at 21:28

Lol its cool guys, just at a loss as to why it sheared. Pedal just sunk to the floor, felt just like when the slave cylinders kept popping in the Fez.

TaKeN · 10 Jul 2009 at 21:32

Probably a weak arm, and years of life have made the input shaft go abit tight to the point where said weakness has said bye

On a plus side.. it looks like steel and not alloy so you can weld it pretty easily. How hard is it to get to?

mattyprice4004 · 10 Jul 2009 at 21:36

Damn hard tbh, it's going into the garage.

One last chance, I mean an alternator going is hardly critical but something like this is pretty damn heartbreaking.

I wouldn't care if it was some Punto or something, but when you give it the beef it has genuine character - couldn't just get a cheap Eurobox to get me by.

Lethagized · 12 Jul 2009 at 02:37

Calm down fella. It's only a bloody slave cylinder. Will cost £20 from a scrappy and a sunny afternoon fitting it.

unKle · 12 Jul 2009 at 03:16

RobRX-7 said:
Calm down fella. It's only a bloody slave cylinder. Will cost £20 from a scrappy and a sunny afternoon fitting it.

Look closely at the picture - it's not the slave cylinder that's the issue. But I agree it's not the end of the world!

It will cost more in labour as I imagine to do it 'properly' the clutch arm/shaft will have to be removed, which, I imagine, the transmission will have to be removed. Then the arm/shaft to be ground and cleaned for a decent weld to be applied. Might be lucky and have it repaired in situ. Can't be quoted on that as I haven't worked on the 600's before.

Tom|Nbk · 12 Jul 2009 at 03:23

rover416i said:
pretty damn heartbreaking.

Surely things like this are part and parcel of owning an old Rover and you should come to accept this and just sort it out

BigglesPiP · 12 Jul 2009 at 03:26

Drop the box.
Remove the slave cylinder and armature.
Bend back, and weld.
Refit with new armature.
Refit gearbox.
Bleed clutch.

Prolly take a pro less than 2 hours. Prolly take me the better part of a day.

Fuzz · 12 Jul 2009 at 08:30

You want to tow it in because of one broken weld !!

If you can get your hand in there you can get the welding torch in there... What's the issue.?

If this is an old landy as someone has mentioned then you naturally have to own a welder to complement it.

Look on the bay and buy one and weld it yourself (it's not hard at all to learn MIG welding.

) You can teach a monkey to MIG weld is the saying

No need to take the box off IMO

dalin80 · 12 Jul 2009 at 09:33

BigglesPiP said:
Drop the box.
Remove the slave cylinder and armature.
Bend back, and weld.
Refit with new armature.
Refit gearbox.
Bleed clutch.

Prolly take a pro less than 2 hours. Prolly take me the better part of a day.

its about a 4h job.

but you might not need to get the box dropped, there might be enough room once you clear some of the junk out of the way.

Hxc · 12 Jul 2009 at 09:53

Why are you so negative? Stuff breaks and has to be repaired...it's sorta how owning a car works..

Dogbreath · 12 Jul 2009 at 10:53

The problem has probably been caused by the clutch release shaft partially seizing in it's bushes, and the resulting stress has cracked the weakest point i.e. the welded section. Not an uncommon problem and certainly not a problem isolated to Rovers.

You might get it working for a while just by welding it and working plenty of oil into the shaft bush at the top, but ideally the shaft should come out and be cleaned up and greased (box out job).

InvaderGIR · 12 Jul 2009 at 10:56

Hxc said:
Why are you so negative? Stuff breaks and has to be repaired...it's sorta how owning a car works..

My thoughts too.

Buy a pattern part, replace, enjoy...but just don't be quite so harsh on the clutch pedal.

Conanius · 12 Jul 2009 at 11:51

You've bought a rover, its the better part of 15 ish years old, and cost maybe a grand?

You cant really be this dismayed its got issues, can you?

agw_01 · 12 Jul 2009 at 12:22

Dogbreath said:
certainly not a problem isolated to Rovers

What problem is?

Hell, even BMWs are suffering from head gasket failure these days :eek:

mattyprice4004 · 12 Jul 2009 at 13:10

360 quid all in, dropping it in sometime next week. That includes a new clutch - the other one was quite high.

Got myself a pattern part off eBay, very hard to find but one guy had them, £25 posted

Hope this sorts it!

GeX · 12 Jul 2009 at 14:51

i think you'd have been better off spedning ~£150 on tools, and doing the job yourself - they're not difficult to work on. putting my mates 220coupe back together, got the box on and then found the release bearing still in the clutch box.. box was disconnected and back off, bearing refitted etc within an hour.

Berger · 12 Jul 2009 at 15:31

GeX said:
i think you'd have been better off spedning ~£150 on tools, and doing the job yourself - they're not difficult to work on. putting my mates 220coupe back together, got the box on and then found the release bearing still in the clutch box.. box was disconnected and back off, bearing refitted etc within an hour.

Getting it on and off is easy.

Its just the time consuming part of taking everything off the car to get at that stage.