Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

oldtimer · Guest

Driving home yesterday along twisting rural roads, with other vehicles,I
decided to change down.I pressed my foot down where the clutch should be, and had been,but made no contact! I couldn't stop,couldn't even look down, so just had to maintain the status quo during the short distance to my place.
I had a brief look just before I got home,still on the move,but the brief glance failed to spot the clutch pedal.There appeared to be a void alongside the brake pedal!
Closer inspection at home located the clutch pedal.It had swung back into a horizontal position, making it impossible to see from the driver's seat.
The rod to the master cylinder from the pedal had disconnected but it is a threaded rod attached to the pedal by a stirrup-like clamp,drilled to accept a clevis pin which also goes thro' the pedal and secured by a split pin.All these were in place.How the rod had managed to rotate so far as to unscrew itself is a mystery.

buzzy bee · Joined: 23 Nov 2007 Posts: 3382 Location: South Cheshire

...and slighty unerving at first! I would have thought! hehe

Roger-hatchy · Joined: 07 Dec 2007 Posts: 2135 Location: Tiptree, Essex

Should there not be a lock nut.
If memory serves me right all the ones I have encounted have had lock nuts.
Both brake and clutch rods on the DLM have them.

Must have been unerving though and good job you weren't too far from home.

Roger

PS visions of driving round and round the block till you run out of fuel Mr. Green

oldtimer · Guest

Yes there is a lock nut which can be positioned at the point to give correct travel/ adjustment of the pedal but it must have ,not only slackened but then rotated the rod a considerable number of times(about an inch and a quarter from the locknutto the end of the rod).
Lucky it wasn't the brake pedal which made a bid for freedom!!
That will be checked today.

Riley Blue · Joined: 18 Jun 2008 Posts: 1751 Location: Derbyshire

A couple of months ago, the brake pedal in my Riley suddenly 'went high' - I had to lift my foot another two inches to be able to press it. Turns out the circlip on the rod had either broken or dislodged letting the rod push part-way out.

Lucky me, if it had pushed all the way out - no brakes!