It's not always just clutch hydraulics...

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tucsonsean

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Here's pics (hopefully) of my clutch banjo and pedal pivot. I knew I was bleeding it right.
 
Any ideas as to why they are chewed up like this. I'm putting another pedal and banjo in, and I don't want to have to do it twice. In replying to another clutch thread, I think I mentioned that someone (prior to me) had brazed a gob of metal to the end of the slave rod (making it longer) and had reversed the studs on the slave and mounted it inside the bracket (moving it closer to the clutch lever) in an effort, I assumed, to make up for the play in the pedal.

Is there a larger, more systemic problem I should investigate?
 
Just a followup: Replaced banjo and slave (thanks, Rodney--again). Salvaged a straight pedal from a wreck. Operation successful!
 
tucsonsean said:
Any ideas as to why they are chewed up like this. I'm putting another pedal and banjo in, and I don't want to have to do it twice. In replying to another clutch thread, I think I mentioned that someone (prior to me) had brazed a gob of metal to the end of the slave rod (making it longer) and had reversed the studs on the slave and mounted it inside the bracket (moving it closer to the clutch lever) in an effort, I assumed, to make up for the play in the pedal.

Is there a larger, more systemic problem I should investigate?
Click to expand...

I`m curious as to what you did about the slave rod with the added extension. I just found the same thing when I removed the slave from my 86 SE. Did you re-use that rod, or did you have to go a whole different route to get your car running again? My car will not go into any gear right now, with the engine running, that is, so I would really appreciate any help you can give me.
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I ordered one of Rodney Dickman's double-seal slave cylinders, and his adjustable banjo. The cylinder comes with a new rod (as do his rebuild kits); I just threw out the "lengthened" one. Bled the system thoroughly, and now it shifts as well as you can expect a 27-year-old system to shift. P.S. Bleeding a Fiero hydraulic clutch system is a topic for an entirely different thread, but make sure you bleed the slave as well as the master cylinder. You might also check to make sure your shift cables aren't binding or hanging up.
 
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I didn`t order one of Rodney`s slave cylinders, since I had access to an MR2, but I did get his adjustable banjo. I think you mentioned that you also replaced the clutch pedal, but wouldn`t the adjustment on the banjo eliminate the need to do that, even if the pedal was bent? In my case, the fact that a 7" rod was used on the slave, does indicate that something was bent, but I`m surprized that the car ran so well, for so long, using that modified rod. I think I`ve read just about every post on clutch problems that`s been posted in this forum, and quite a few of them clearly states that increasing the length of the slave rod will not solve any problems with clutch disengagement. I really don`t understand how the heck it worked with mine. I`m starting to wonder if either the slave cylinder bracket is bent, or if the clutch arm is slipping on the tranny.

Anyway, I`m still not getting any action with the clutch. The car still won`t go into any gear, with the engine running, and if I put it in gear and then start it, the clutch will engage within 1" of pedal release. Actually, it will start to "creep" without releasing the pedal at all. The pedal seems to be quite firm, so I doubt if there`s any air in the system, but I`ll do another bleed anyway, just to be sure.

I`m not going to get into bleeding procedures in this post, but I think I read on some of the posts here, that if you got 15/16" of "push" on the slave rod, then your bleed is OK. It also said if you only got 7/8" of "push" then it`s not OK. Is this system so delicate that 1/16" of rod action can mean the difference of success or failure? I hope you can get back to me on that.

Thanks for the reply.
 
Adjusting the banjo won't compensate for a bent pedal any more than brazing an extension on the slave rod will. Someone else on the forum explains it much better, but if the pedal is bent, it puts the pivot point too close to the master. Basically, it shortens the pedal's travel, which in turn limits the distance the slave can extend the rod.

Also, I think you need a little over an inch of extension to guarantee disengagement--the tolerances are very close on a Fiero. And if you have an older clutch arm with the insert, and the insert is worn out or missing, you still might not get disengagement.

And you shouldn't assume there's no air in the system just from the 'feel' of the pedal. Until you bleed the system until there's NO air coming out of the bleeder, AND bleed the slave until there's NO air coming out, you can't be sure.

Finally, if this is your first Fiero, you must accept some things on faith. One is that bent clutch pedals are a problem, especially for earlier years, if not now, then eventually if you have an older steel/aluminum pedal.
 
Did thorough bleed and things got a little better. Removed all freeplay from clutch pedal and it improved a little more. Removed select levers (a job in itself) and replaced the bushings and things improved a whole lot. All forward gears now working fine, but still having a little trouble with reverse. Will slide in some times, but most times have to shut off engine to find gear. Will have to keep working on that. Thank you very much for your help. It is much appreciated.
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when trying to place in reverse have you tried placing it in first and then immediately going into reverse?
 
+Melsyg5. Reverse is unsynchronized, so putting it in first helps align things.
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Don`t know what to do now. Don`t know if I should pursue this further and try to find a complete cure for reverse, or write this off as "job complete" and just drive it as is. At least it`s driveable now, so maybe I should leave well enough alone. ?????????
 
I have never owned a Fiero and havent looked in a owners manual but it clearly states in the manual for my 69 Corvette to place the muncie trani in a forward gear before attempting to engage reverse to prevent the problem you experienced. Have you looked in the Fiero manual if it mentions the same thing concerning reverse engagement.
 
Checked the Fiero manual, but there`s nothing there that says anything about the procedure you described. However, if it works for a Corvette, then that`s good enough for me. I`m just going to drive it that way and see what happens.

THANK YOU for your input, and to all that contributed to this thread.
 
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