Davie's Activa Clutch

[daviemck2006]

It's been an epic job Jim! My parts ordering needs some serious upgrading lol. List of wrong parts arrived, clutch, handbrake cable, seal. I did manage to get tha correct pads and discs though! And once it's home I still have the rear discs and pads to do. At least if they are the wrong parts I can blame Chris, he got them and gave me them with the car lol. It's nice to see it on its wheels. I'm sure I will soon be enjoying it again. Much thanks to you for doing it for me. Had I had to put it to a garage it would really have unaffordable for me and would have to be either sold spares/repairs or parked up u til I could save up the money for it, which could have taken quite a time yet.

[CitroJim]

And we now have a working clutch car has moved a short distance under its own steam today... More details later...

[CitroJim]

To get the clutch hydraulics working I needed to devise a way of bleeding the system, which by its nature is sealed for life and not intended to be bled...

Luckily I had a spare set of hydraulics in stock on which I could practice a method of drilling and tapping the hexagonal connector on the end of the slave cylinder to accept a short M3 screw... This worked OK:

Tapping:



Bleed Screw in place:



The drilling was done using a small hand drill and a very sharp 2.5mm drill bit.

I then moved to do the same on the car... Space is tight and the end of the slave cylinder needed supporting with a block of wood:



Job done:

I put a tiny O ring under the screw to ensure fluid tightness...



Bleeding in progress:

Use a wad of rag to catch the bled fluid



The Master cylinder needed topping up and it is a devil to get to. I lives under the bulkhead by the heater matrix connector. The lid can just be prised off and then the top-up can be managed using a funnel on the end of a piece of plastic tube..



The lid of the master cylinder has a warning on it that says that it must not be removed...

The hydraulics use ordinary DOT brake fluid and not LHM...

So, just the gearbox oil seal and then all is sorted...

[daviemck2006]

[emoji106] [emoji4] I may book an easyjet for next Tuesday, that would be best for me, it gives me two and 1/2 days to get home, using b&b. I don't think I will do it in one go, I was pretty knackered by the time I got home on Sunday, but that was after 5 or 6 hours wandering around the meet. I have decided I am coming down personally, not accepting a couple of kind offers I have had to get it up the road, either partially or right to my door. But thank you th the people who offered, you know who you are, it was and is appreciated.
Then again I should really wait until the new seal is got and in with no leaks and Jim is satisfied all is well before booking any travel plans!

[CitroJim]

Then again I should really wait until the new seal is got and in with no leaks and Jim is satisfied all is well before booking any travel plans!

Davie, yes, I'd be happier.. I really want the car to have a good shake-down before it makes the journey north...

So please, if you don't mind, hold off on any definite travel plans just yet until I give the green light

[superloopy]

Jim ... i'm interested in this step of the rebuild

When you say a small M3 screw you mean a self tapper or something different?

How did you manage to prise the end off that blue cylinder and wouldn't that itself allow air into the system?

Just curious that's all as i've seen various posts about the hydraulics being sealed for life and i'd managed to store a couple of new/used systems justin case disaster strikes but it looks like you're saying all will be well?

[CitroJim]

When you say a small M3 screw you mean a self tapper or something different?

No, An ISO Metric M3 threaded setscrew of about 5mm in length Mike... I drilled and tapped the hexagon on the end of the slave cylinder. See the first picture! Basically drill a 2.5mm hole on the face of a convenient hexagon and then tap it using an M3 taper-tap.

A self-tapper would never do. The hexagon is made of steel but it's not mightily hard and is about 3mm thick where I tapped into it.

How did you manage to prise the end off that blue cylinder and wouldn't that itself allow air into the system?

I never touched the blue cylinder, there was no need. They will not come apart at all...

looks like you're saying all will be well?

Yes, it's not easy but it's a way of recovering a duff one. Bleed it exactly like you would conventional brakes... Pedal down open bleed screw, close bleed screw, pedal up and repeat until it's all good. Keep an eye on master cylinder level

[Hell Razor5543]

It might be worth calling into Poundland. Sometimes, in their car section, they do funnels with flexi spouts.

[CitroJim]

It needs to be a very small one with a small spout James..

I used a funnel that was about 30mm across at the top and about 200mm of 8mm diameter pipe on the end of it. Anything much bigger and it won't go in...

[CitroJim]

How did you manage to prise the end off that blue cylinder and wouldn't that itself allow air into the system?

Mike, by way of clarification, the slave and pipe shown in the first two pictures mounted in the vice in my workshop is NOT the one from Davie's car, it is a spare I had in stock as a complete spare that was complete but dry of fluid almost... Hence why I used it as a proof of concept and as a practice-piece....

Didn't want to do anything to the one on the car until I was 100% sure of what I was doing

[daviemck2006]

I'm just itching to get it again it's so close! I will be good and not book anything yet

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[BenC5HDi]

[emoji106] [emoji4] I may book an easyjet for next Tuesday, that would be best for me, it gives me two and 1/2 days to get home, using b&b. I don't think I will do it in one go, I was pretty knackered by the time I got home on Sunday, but that was after 5 or 6 hours wandering around the meet. I have decided I am coming down personally, not accepting a couple of kind offers I have had to get it up the road, either partially or right to my door. But thank you th the people who offered, you know who you are, it was and is appreciated.
Then again I should really wait until the new seal is got and in with no leaks and Jim is satisfied all is well before booking any travel plans!

Do you want picking up at the airport and running up to Jim's still Davie?

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[Hell Razor5543]

What I love about this forum is that members will go the extra parsec to help each other.

[daviemck2006]

That would be good Ben, but the travel plans are on hold until him gets the seal fitted and the car tried out.I will keep you in the know for when I travel. I'm not going to jump the gun

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[daviemck2006]

What I love about this forum is that members will go the extra parsec to help each other.

It's absolutely brilliant James. I've also had offers of driving the car up to me and I drop off at the airport if I'm not well enough to drive the distance. I just love this forum. It's by far the friendliest and most helpful one I have ever been on.