Alternate circlip for the clutch slave cylinder?

[alfadave]

Evening Eric,

I asked Steve at SJ Sportscars who sold me the repair kit.......

WD 40 and heat was his reply!

I remembered earlier that I had to butcher the last slave cylinder out, and replace it.

[512BB]

Quote: 'Just been trying to remove my slave cylinder.

Got the circlip/spring/ hydraulic connection off.

The aluminium body is seized into the hole in the gearbox.

Any tips for removing it!'

I had one of those earlier this year on a Sprint I was selling. The car had been standing for 16 years. No amount of tapping / bashing with a wood block and a lump hammer, then a large steel rod inside it and the lump hammer would move it. I had long since given up on the thought that it was reuseable. I ended up cutting it in half with a hacksaw blade, which was easy enough, and out it popped. Cut across the cylinder, not lengthways. The ali body had completely fused itself in the cast iron sleeve, all the way round. That will not happen with the new one I fitted.

Leslie

[alfadave]

Did you apply copper grease before fitting?

[2cams70]

Best not to use copper grease anywhere near hydraulic components. I’d be using a silicone or brake assembly grease. Mineral oil and rubber brake components aren’t a happy combination. I know it’s external but mineral based grease over time with still attack the rubber dust boot over the cylinder if it makes contact with it.

[alfadave]

Is it possible to adjust the nuts to move the pushrod, to allow the seal to be replaced with the slave cylinder seized in position?

Maybe not.......just clutching at straws!

[Quart Meg Miles]

I don't think so, not while it is on the car anyway. I tried to do It recently but believe I had to move the circlip into the long intermediate groove first, then it was possible.

I had been considering depressing the clutch lever with some sort of cramp to gain space but the risk to my mortality dissuaded me.

[billwill]

I have a vague recollection of making some modified tips for my circlip pliers. They had a cup-like depression in the ends facing away from each other; this could be squeezed into the gap in the retaining ring of the clutch, then squeezing the pliers opened up the ring enough to slide it onto the main clutch-slave body.

The tips were like tiny spoons.
Sort of like a reverse-action tweezers.

[512BB]

'Did you apply copper grease before fitting?'

No, I applied this grease. You can stand your spoon up in it, it is so thick. Good luck finding some, it was used in the aero industry.

Leslie

[alfadave]

..........I've ordered some brake assembly grease!

Looks like yours has been around a while.

Padsaw/grinder out today to try to remove the old one.

Were the original slave cylinders made from iron?

[512BB]

No, never. Crikey, you will want to be very careful using a grinder, its a simple job with a hand held hacksaw.

I had the manifold and exhaust off at the time, and that made it much simpler to bash it through after I had cut it in half.

Good luck.

Leslie

[mikealdren]

Aluminium grease would be fine too, copper grease actually promotes corrosion with aluminium/steel interfaces.

[EricB]

Thanks guys, for all the comments on the circlips. I did get hold of a snap ring at at local supplier with the same ID as the standard new circlip I got from Ray at RD. Was a little thinner and not as stiff.

Then went to my local Snap On dealer and got their pliers (#SRP18) at $100 CDN (about $75 USF), Tips look like the ones marklowe shows in his comments. I had looked around and seen nothing applicable from my usual suppliers. So, went to the best source. Should work well with the standard circlip as I can easily open up the circlip ends.

[alfadave]

The circlip from Burton Power measures 1.5mm thick.

Twin eyed circlips from my local supplier are 1.1mm

The groove in my new slave cylinder from SJ measures 2.7mm wide.

So quite a bit of "slop" even with the correct item?

[2cams70]

You can go ahead and use the incorrect circlip at your own risk. Given the choice of a flimsy standard circlip versus the OEM thicker circlip I know which one I'd personally choose. A piece of paper flexes easier than a piece of cardboard if you want a simple analogy. A flexing circlip risks wearing away the sharp edge of the locating groove on the outside of the cylinder over time with the end result being it's eventual dislocation. I'm sure if a thin standard inexpensive circlip was good enough Ford would have used one originally These cars however cover minimal mileage these days so it may or may not be a problem.

I'm not sure what the issue is with needing special circlip pliers for the proper clip. I've removed them by just using a standard pair of quality internal circlip pliers. Use the straight type with tips pointed slightly away from each other and not the ones with tips bent at 90 degrees. A reasonable pair should cost around $20-$40

[alanr]

I agree. The standard circlip is just fine and the correct item for the job! There seems to me to be some sort of obsession here with always changing things that are just ok as they are.
Ok so it is fractionally harder to fit/remove than one with ears but it is not that difficult to fit and remove and not worth the risk of creating a bigger problem down the line.
Stick with the original circlip, Ford Motor Company knew what they were doing when they created this type of circlip!

Alan