Type 9 stuck

[john milner]

An hydraulic system rarely totally packs up. Changes may be notchy or time/pump is needed to regain pressure but it will almost certainly be enough to get home. When a cable breaks it needs to be fixed on the spot or the car is driven with no clutch or not driven at all. As I carry a cable I am able to repair when on holiday etc.

[SM25T]

Cable is a ten minute fix. When my slave cylinder seized it was instant and not usable. Uneconomic repair at CC parts prices.

[DJ.]

At least you guys get the choice of cable or hydraulic.

On my Sigma car, the slave cylinder is concentric in the bell housing, and last year I drove to Scotland from the south coast. By the time I reached my destination, I was having to pump the pedal and hoped it would improve once it cooled. The next morning there was no resistance to the pedal at all, the AA couldn't fix it and I was recovered 500 miles home

I looked into changing to a cable, or even an external slave cylinder, but it would have required a new bell housing and the cost was prohibitive.

[SM25T]

I see that as a bit of a retrograde step !

[DJ.]

So do I, but apparently the 'clutch action of a concentric slave cylinder is better' and 'they are generally very reliable'. I was rather unlucky as it had been fine on a long run just a couple of weeks earlier, but it is at the back of my mind that I could get stranded at any time.

[john milner]

The cable took me at least three hours to fit the first time mainly because of the stuck yellow bush. Due to wear and technique the bush is getting easier to extract but is still not an easy job to do in the wrong location with limited tools. At home I can do it now in about 45 minutes.

I believe the main reasons why hydraulics are used in most cars over cable is routing, being relatively maintenance free and when they go wrong generally work poorly for a while rather than pack up. In my case even if total hydraulic failure were to occur I have a cable in the boot to bail me out. 

I am wondering if a loose yellow bush interferes with hydraulic operation but one that is difficult to remove suits hydraulics better. For me there is a small difference in the operation of cable v hydraulic but hydraulic is the one I prefer. As most people with an informed opinion seem to significantly prefer cable and have an easy to remove yellow bush something may be different.

As for prices:

CC new 5/8 master is £82.15 + delivery

Merlin Motorsport new Girling 5/8 master is £70.08 + delivery

CC VVC clutch cable is £34.93 + delivery

Demon Tweeks Girling 5/8 refurb kit is £12.33 delivered (although only time will tell if it lasts)

[SM25T]

Just don't look at the CC price of the slave cylinder !

[revilla]

I don't understand why you need to remove the yellow bush at all. Surely the old cable just pulls out and you pass the new cable through it in situ?

[john milner]

The cable would not pass through the yellow bush so it had to be extracted. The bush had to be put over the cable and then the whole thing pressed back into the hole in the bellhouse. See posts 12-19.

When I need a slave cylinder I will almost certainly switch to cable due to cost.

[ECR]

When you're next in the area of the yellow bush, do as you suggested, fettle the hole in the casting to make the bush a nice sliding fit (it doesn't have to be precise) and then if necessary, also fettle the bore of the bush so it is an easy fit for the thread. It'll make changing the cable on that dark roadside night a lot less stressful.(not that I wish it on you ).

The only reason I can see for a bush in that location is as a sacrificial wear item. The cable could have just been routed into the aluminium but with the movement of the cable and the thread passing through the casting it would eventually wear it. 

Good luck John  

[john milner]

I did think about fettling the ali but it is such an awkward place I decided I would be doing it badly and blind. If I end up on cable I will have to do this as it would make a roadside repair a doddle.

[ECR]

On reflection, I would guess that it is probably the o/d of the plastic bush that needs fettling as the hole in the casting will have been machined and it "should" be to size. Certain (a lot ?) of plastics are hydroscopic and when they absorb water they swell slightly. Perhaps that's happened here ..... The current offering from Caterham is actually machined alloy not plastic.

[john milner]

Thanks my assumption was the hole was cast. I had not considered the bush being deformed by anything other than the metalwork. Certainly a lot easier to put right.

[Nigel Riches]

A quick cut with a hacksaw along the length of the bush should allow it to be installed or removed easily, but offer enough tension to hold it in place. Don't go filing the hole where it fits, this is more likely to be accurate as against a cheap plastic top hat bush. 

Nigel