320 clutch feels different

[Ralphbrown]

Hi there, so I took my e21 to Skye with me for a holiday and it drove perfectly the whole 200 miles there. Was great to drive and really enjoyed it.

However, since then my clutch has been feeling different, is really light and the bite point is very low down. When the engine warms up it feels better and more or less what it was like before. It also grinded going into reverse this morning when the engine was still cold.

I still have a 200 mile drive home to do and am a little concerned about the clutch. Any ideas what it could be?

Thanks

[Jeroen]

This may have to do with temperatures dropping, the moment seals start to leak on clutch master and slave cylinders, always a winter issue. Always check the fluid level first of course to make sure the clutch hydraulics are not getting air in.

The master is right behind the pedal behind the under dash cover, leaks are usualy pretty easy to see and feel. The slave is pushed inside the gearbox bell housing and usually leakes inside the bell housing so that one needs to be removed for a proper check. Its just two 13mm bolts holding it in place. If no leaks are visible I'd try to bleed the system.

[Ralphbrown]

Thanks for your reply.

Yeah it's pretty cold here in Skye, is the resovoir on the master cylinder? I have no tools with me so can't really fix it here but will have a look for leaks tomorrow morning. I just need it to get me home really, is there any temp fixes I can do? It seems fine once the engine warms up thankfully.

Here's a photo of it if anyone is interested



Thanks again for your advice

[Jeroen]

Not sure what the situation is for RHD cars but prolly the reservoir is at the end of the cylinder indeed.

Fabulous photo btw!

[Ralphbrown]

I'll have a look tomorrow morning, thanks for your advice

Took me a while to find that spot aha well worth it though

[Duracel79]

For RHD the reservoir is in the engine bay attached to the drivers side suspension turret and the clutch cylinder is also in the engine bay bolted to the bulkhead. There is a small flexible pipe attached between the two.

As Jeroen said I'd first check the fluid level isn't low and maybe try bleeding the system. Or even a fluid change if you don't know when it was last changed.

HTH

Ben

[Ralphbrown]

Hi there, checked the clutch resovoir this morning and it was empty and no sign of any leaks which is strange. I've topped it up and I'll just keep an eye on it. All I need is for it to get me home and then I'll put it on the ramp and investigate further. Thanks for the advice. Really appreciate it.

Thanks again

[Jeroen]

keep us posted, the stuff must be going somewhere!

[drjim]

As I recall the master leaks into the car (when it leaks) and the fluid runs under the carpet in the drivers footwell.

[E21-driver]

Nice car and nice photo.
To improve the situation for a while, you can open the bleeding nipple of the slave cylinder and push out the fluid . After a long time it may got some water inside. This makes the feeling of the clutch bad, and it appears mainly when the weather is getting cold. You will need a second person to push the pedal and hold it, same proceedure as brake bleeding.
I had the same problem with my E30s.
For long term, the slave and the short line of the slave need to be changed. If the master is not leak (the one behind the pedal).
Murat

[Ralphbrown]

Made it home, didn't have any issues on the way and the car drove great. The resovoir doesn't appear to be leaking anything since I topped it up so don't know what went wrong. I'll be keeping an eye on it and will check it over when I can get it on the ramp. I plan to put it off the road for the winter at the start of November. Assuming I can get my jeep fixed in time that is.

Thanks for all your help

[Moutinho]

hi, i also have a 1979 320/6, and had the same problem! i was pushing a little bit hard, when i felt the clutch pedal very light... open the hood and the reservoir was empty... fill that up, and didn´t have that problem any more. don´t know were the fluid went... if you discover the problem, let me know!

[Ralphbrown]

Mine appears to be leaking from the slave cylinder but very slowly. Lost about 1cm of fluid from the resovoir in 5 days. I'm going to fit a new slave cylinder during the winter when the car is off the road