Clutch issues with'00 Caterham

[FE07]

Guys- got in the car today for a blat and couldn't get the car into reverse.  Lots of grinding gears.  The clutch is hydraulic.  When I last had it with George Alderman in Wilmington,DE- he adjusted the clutch so that it had about 2-3 inches of pedal travel in total directly off of the firewall.  It's been this way for the past 4 years.  Made it super easy to heel/toe quickly.  I have noted recently some difficulty at times getting into 1st and- have to push down more firmly on the shifter to get into reverse.  Checked fluid- maybe 2 mm down.  Adding fluid didn't make any difference.  I know there is some adjustment for the push rod into the clutch master cylinder.  How would I know if it's something with the slave cylinder?

 

Thanks!

[MV8]

Try a quick double pump and see if it will fall into gear. If so, probably the master internal seals failing.

[DavidL]

If the slave cylinder is external, try adjusting the linkage?

[IamScotticus]

Failing an adjustment, Bleed with a pressure bleeder.

If you have a external slave, try a pressure test by jamming the pedal down with a stick overnight and observe the position of the slave push rod.

I suppose the same test can be done with a concentric slave with the rears off the ground and in gear.  Try to turn the wheels in an hour.  If the wheels turn freely, you don't have a seal problem.  If there is resistance,  the clutch has closed due to a pressure loss.

Edited August 6 by IamScotticus

[FE07]

Well- not sure what it was but it seems to have resolved with driving the car around.  Might have been the clutch disc stuck to the flywheel and driving it around freed it up?

 

Thanks for the suggestions.