Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Morgan Three Wheeler & Super 3 Clutch hydraulic failure

There is lots of relevant clutch info in this THREAD.
In the past, I have assisted a friend to resolve a similar issue to yours. We went through the process of replacing the master cylinder which did not fix the issue. Therefore, it was clear that the internal slave cylinder needed replacement. According to a well known Morgan dealer, this is a fairly common failure point. My friend used the fact that the engine needed to be removed to have the Phil Bleazey Centa modifications done at the same time. So it turned into an expensive exercise but he did end up with a better car than before he started! AND, one of the old Centa rollers was breaking up so the Centa would have needed attention sooner or later anyway.

The presence of the external slave in the parts book is what prompted the question, so I’m thinking it’s possible to convert? My engine is coming out in October so I’ll ask the nice man at MMC for his opinion.

I would start by asking the guys at VITESSE as they supply the Mazda gearboxes to Morgan.

Thanks Bunny, I’m onto it.

Is it possible to convert? Vitesse says unfortunately not. There isn’t the space for the external cylinder and one of the external cylinder mounting lugs is shaved off to make the gbx fit in the tunnel.

I used a genuine LUK slave cylinder with Landrover & Volvo cast into it. Cost about £70 off fleebay

I had clutch failure at around 19000 miles, it was a strange failure no hydraulic leaks, pedal felt and operated normally but the clutch would not release fully. It was repaired under warranty, dealer found that one of the springs in the friction plate assembly had broken and was trapped in the release mechanism. I think a few of these springs have been found to be broke but still in place have a good look when stripped.

There are at least two M3W's about with the external clutch slave cylinder, one belonging to a German owner and the other to someone in the UK that I have seen but cannot remember where. I suspect that if MMC went to the bother of listing them in the parts book there are some more?

It would still take an engine removal to make the modification. In a machine like this I think having something that is buried in a position that requires dismantling the front half of the vehicle to pull the engine to get at it makes no sense.

A few observations which confirm much of what has already been said :-

A recent strip down ( yesterday) has shown the broken spring problem and when part of the spring finds its way out of the housing it can jam the clutch and prevent it from releasing. A broken spring left unattended can be disastrous for the flywheel and pressure plate when fragments of spring steel find their way in between. This one was examined and found to be good two weeks ago so I think the fracture was present (hair line) but undetectable - for this reason I would recommend a new or refurbished ( with new springs ) friction plate at every opportunity. I sell a refurbished friction plate for a bit under £100:00 a new flywheel/friction plate/pressure plate assembly will cost in the region of £1200:00 - it makes sense to replace.

I have heard that the slave cylinder can fail without signs of external leakage but suspect this to be tied in with spring failure.

Approximately 50% of the clutches I dismantle have broken springs!!!

If you have had a broken spring issue with part of the spring stopping clutch release then replace the slave cylinder as well because it will have been tipped at an angle by the obstacle and they are quite fragile. There are lots of makers of concentric slave cylinders ( CSC ). Not all genuine but all of the factory ones I have seen carry the Volvo mame + part number 8675052. They also carry the FTE logo +part number 6795. searches for either will come up with lots of makers with no idea of country of manufacture - buyer beware, as they say.

I would agree with Vitesse - there is not a lot of room for an external cylinder.