Date: Sun, 14 Nov 1999 16:45:33 -0800
Reply-To: "Thomas D. Hanlon" <hanran@EARTHLINK.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: "Thomas D. Hanlon" <hanran@EARTHLINK.NET>
Organization: The Hanran Enterprises, Inc.
Subject: Re: Clutch Master Cylinder Access-84 Westfalia-Thanks,
and Repair "How To" suggestions
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
To: Jim in New Mexico
Alastair in BC
Vanagon List
Cold weather seems to have helped cause the 15-year old clutch master cylinder
to fail. I spent 15 nights going to, visiting in and returning from Banff
(3,500 miles round trip) with interior, overnight, temps reaching 28 degrees
(cold for desert people.) I returned home, limping along with a leaking
cylinder which I topped off about with 3/4 of a pint on the five-day camping
journey.
After draining the portion of the brake fluid reservoir serving the clutch,
draining the balance of the fluid remaining in the line from the reservoir to
the cylinder into a narrow stuffed olive jar (to avoid the mess promised in all
of the three manuals I have), I removed the cylinder, leaving the piston shaft
in place as Alistair suggested, to find an almost congealed mass of brake
fluid, a sorely pitted and rusted internal shaft and pitted and rusted interior
cylinder walls. I had "changed" the brake fluid within the last six months
when I installed a rebuilt clutch slave cylinder. Clutch systems may require
separate drainings.
I replaced the clutch master cylinder with a new one by first connecting the
union, loosely, and by using a round screw driver shaft in the lower bolt hole
to hold the cylinder in place as I fitted the upper, and then, the lower bolts.
I rebuilt the scored cylinder, whichI 'll keep as a spare,by honing and
replacing the seals with a Beck-Arnley basic kit of seals, at a cost of $15.00
at NAPA. Pelham has the kit at about $11.00.
Three HOW TOs I have on on clutch cylinder and slave repairs suggest "pressure
bleeding." To avoid that expensive and tedious process, at the time I replaced
the slave, I installed Speedbleeders (see the site speedbleeders.com) on four
wheels, and on the clutch slave cylinder, at a cost of about $7.00 a bleeder,
since I intend to keep the Westy in the family permanently.
Thanks to Jim and to Alistair.
Tom Hanlon
Palm Springs, CA
84 Westfalia
Alistair Bell wrote:
> the pin/piston shaft stays in place. Just drain the fluid resevoir (to save
> a mess) and undo the pipe union then the two bolts holding the cyl to the
> frame. The cyl will drop down and out. The piston shaft stays with the
> pedal assembly. Installation is the reverse, a little silicon grease on the
> new cyl dust cap wil allows the piston/pin to slip in easier. It is
> sometimes easier to connect the pipe union before the mounting bolts (gives
> you more freedom to engage those pipe threads).
>
> Alistair
>
> >Listees,
> >
> >In the process of installing a new clutch master cylinder to replace a
> >leaking cylinder, I am unable to figure out the access to the cylinder.
> >Haynes, Bentley and Peter Russek address the "how to" of removing the
> >cotter pin from the piston shaft, and the subsequent removal of the
> >cylinder, but none tells how to access the pin to remove it. The
> >cylinder is mounted above the clutch pedal, behind the panel above the
> >foot well.
> >
> >Can anyone advise me?
> >
> >Thanks.
> >
> >Tom Hanlon
> >Palm Springs, CA
> >84 Westfalia
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