Duratec clutch slave cylinder

[Elv15]

Well my car really stranded me for the first time. The slave cylinder for my hydraulic clutch blew out. It's pretty obvious when it happens! Luckily I was only about two blocks from my wifes office. I just put it in 1st and started the car and was able to limp over there. I got a ride home and grabbed the trailer... now it's sitting in the garage...and leaking brake fluid.

So, I need to replace the slave. It is a concentric slave in the bellhousing - so the engine has to come out. Oddly enough I don't really know what's in there since I bought the engine & transmission assembled as a unit. I suspect it is one of these: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MONDEO-MK2...-/250928655829.

Looking around it seems like there are a few different options: the Mondeo slave (above) and a Saab slave http://www.sbdev.co.uk/Duratec/Bellh...components.htm.



Anyone have any idea if the Saab setup is better/worse than the Mondeo?

Chris, have you thought about changing the slave when you do your transplant? Are you switching your flywheel / clutch?

Tom

PS: at first I thought this was dumb, but now that I think about it, it seems like a really good idea: https://www.pegasusautoracing.com/pr...asp?RecID=4968

[moosetestbestanden]

Yes yes and yes. The clutch and flywheel were included by Ammo, and trick bits they are too. :D

I haven't done any homework as of yet about the slave. I'll snap a couple of pics for ya as it's all split in two at present.

I'm sure Sean / Magnus will be along directly.

Edit: it looks like this: here and here

Update: Raceline have them, it's a Mondeo unit, cost about 150 quid. Just put it on the money pile Jeeves old boy.

[Elv15]

Hey Chris,

Thanks. I think the important thing is to make sure that the slave does not travel too far. If it travels further than it's factory limit it will explode/burst and you not only have a mess, but have to take the engine out again.

In an ideal case you want to have a few mm between the throw out bearing and the clutch plate fingers when the clutch pedal is up and the clutch disk is new. As the disk wears the fingers will move towards the bearing. You want the bearing to almost touch the bearing at the limit of the disk wear. In order to set this gap up correctly you need to have spacers behind the throw out bearing. I'm quite suspect that our spacers may have the wrong dimension since they were made by hand (by you know who).

Tom

[Sean]

Tom - You might be able to glean some info about this off of BC. Tech Talk, specifically.

[Doug Liedblad]

Here's the SAAB unit. http://www.eeuroparts.com/Main/PartD...px?id=4776308G

A rebuild is easy as it's just a couple of O-Rings. Not sure why it blew out unless the stroke wasn't set correctly.

Michael Murphy should send you the SAAB rebuild kit part numbers. I think kits were available from local sources.

Please post photos of the type you have.

Thanks.

Doug

PS. So far the only real advantage I can see for the annular hydraulic TOB is that you have to remove the engine to fix it. I have the lever arm and external slave cylinder.

[moosetestbestanden]

PS. So far the only real advantage I can see for the annular hydraulic TOB is that you have to remove the engine to fix it. I have the lever arm and external slave cylinder.

Caterham have them here at a little less than the Raceline price.

[moosetestbestanden]

Caterham clutch orings and spacers here

Not sure what the difference is between the 2 shown, other than about 25 Sterling. I'll find out when I call.

[moosetestbestanden]

Tom, I don't know if you've opened it back up yet - photo is the Mondeo unit that you undoubtedly have.

The circular plate behind is 10mm thick. Caterham show 2 on their website, one for a Duratec at آ£13.75 and the R400 one at آ£42.00. (ex. VAT). They look pretty much the same. Huh?

Anyway, I'm yanking all of this tomorrow to have a good look at everything before I decide whether or not to source another entire unit (at آ£140.00 - frickin ouch), or get the rebuild bits and refresh it, or do nothing at all and put everything back the way it was. If it ain't broke etc. etc. etc

Personally I think your failure was almost more unusual than it was unfortunate.

Note the o-ring type thing dangling around the input shaft. It's actually a very finely wound steel spring ring that appeared when I split the engine from the bellhousing. I don't know where it goes as this didn't occur the last time I did the ol' pull-er-roo. Do you or anybody else of the annular variety :-O out there know?

[Doug Liedblad]

Chris

There is a seal around the input shaft, inside the tube that the input shaft goes thru. See A in attached. I might have one in my spares. Otherwise check BAT British American Transfer out of Florida. There are other sources for T9 bits around too. http://www.batinc.net/merkur.htm

You can see the seal sort of just behind the nosepiece the TOB rides on. Remove the four bolts and it's pressed in the back end. See T9 part1 page 16A-7

Also check the spigot bearing inside the end of the crankshaft as it may have a spring as well.

[moosetestbestanden]

Hey Tom, did you buy the slave listed on ebay?

Edit: See what Mic (he built the Duranail I believe) says about the spacer here.

[Elv15]

Thanks for all of the tips. I have not taken mine apart, but I'm sure it looks just like yours Chris. It is odd that Mic is suggesting a thinner spacer. I would have thought the opposite. I'm not a fan of this unit (since it broke on me) and wonder if the Saab unit has a longer stroke...

[moosetestbestanden]

I finished dismantling mine last night. The rigid pipe was a bee-yitch - you can't get the slave out until you remove it and you can't remove it unless you can get a wrench on it. It has flats machined (or whatever) into it near where it threads into the slave. You'll need a *short* 9mm open end wrench, or tiny vice grips maybe. The tube is thick walled so crushing it probably isn't a problem. Mine was Loctited in. Ugh.

I'm mystified by his comments as well. Frankly mine always worked great w/ the 10mm plate & the AP clutch I had in the car.

As far as re-building mine, well, I'd have to take it apart 1st. I did that with a 10 speed derailleur when I was in 9th grade. It came apart very nicely. It never went back together again.... so I'm replacing it as a precautionary measure, and to introduce yet one more change in this project (i.e. another opportunity for me to make what may be a very time consuming mistake).

So, if you're of a mind to buy one (rather than rebuild) at the link you posted, make it 2 and I'll send money - I don't have an ebay account. It's fully آ£100.00 less than the others I've found :-/. Do tell.

And lastly, in order to add some OT life to this thread...

I reckon there's no guarantee that the Saab unit is / will be any more reliable than the Ford unit. Of those 2 car companies, one is still in business...:-O

P.S.: the inside of the bellhousing you have most likely does *not* look like the one in the photo you posted. Mine certainly doesn't. There's little flange wingy things and shit all around per the photo I attached above. Wheee.

[Elv15]

Hey Chris,

I'm going to order from the Ebay listing. I'll order one for you too.

Tom

[moosetestbestanden]

DUDE! PM me your pertinent info.

Edit: To outlanders.... I am compelled by state law to use the word 'dude' in these circumstances. :-P :-D

[moosetestbestanden]

Hey Tom, did you pull it and split it yet?