Since getting my '66 FHC S1, I’ve been perplexed why my clutch seems so stiff. Perhaps you saw in another thread I just replaced all the hydraulics, except for the hard lines and went back to the short slave with the manual clearance adjustment. With no hydraulics connected the pedal moves effortlessly from full up to full down. With the hydraulics connected the clutch action is consistent and direct, but still just as stiff. I have an original diaphragm style clutch in the car with 61K miles on it. 2nd owner PO of 40 years says he never changed it. The TOB looks original too w/about an 1/8" of material on it. It all seems to work great except for the effort.
I crudely measured force to push the clutch with my electronic bathroom scale, The absolute readings don’t matter as much as the variance. The E type, 50 lbs. at its greatest resistance. That compares to my '64 Porsche 356C @ 10 lbs. (cable system), '67 MB 250 SL @ 20 lbs. and 2000 VW Beetle @ 12 lbs. both hydraulic systems, using the same methodology. So, the difference is significant.
I don’t have the opportunity to try other E types, don’t see them around here much. I can only ask here.
For those of you with other vintage cars, is the E type clutch significantly stiffer (I’ve heard the Aston Martin is worse), or is my diaphragm clutch for some reason unusually stiff? I don’t know where else to look for an issue.
I have a 2k beetle and a 64 E. The E clutch is easily 5X as stiff, maybe more so. But mine is spring type so not a great comparison. I’ve only driven one later car, Drew’s 67 and I recall that being maybe 2-3x as stiff as my Beetle (which to me feels almost entirely without effort at all).
So long as your hydraulics are new and the lines clean and without obstruction It’s likely as good as it gets. I think part of the issue it that there isn’t a ton of mechanical advantage to the fork. When my line was obstructed I could barely press the pedal in. It took herculean effort which I don’t possess.
I agree with Erica; if you’re comparing pedal effort on an E to a modern car, don’t. My big Healey is maybe only 2/3 as heavy, my Honda S2000 is very light. If the action is even and consistent, you may just have to get used to it.
There is no issue with the car, which is why spending on new hydraulics changed nothing. My advice is to drive the car more. Your body will adapt to the effort very quickly if you let it.
Your body will soon develop muscle memory to the point where the E seems normal and an occasional run in a modern manual will seem very light. It happens all the time with brakes. I jump in a little rental car and the brakes seem stupidly grabby and over-assisted for the first few miles but by the first snack or fuel stop it’s totally forgotten m. Two weeks later I get home and my okd cars fit like slippers and I have to press the old-school pedals harder again.
The worst thing you can do with a Jag is not drive it enough. Your call.
Actually, spending on the hydraulics did change something. It gave me a nice, high consistent pedal with a very direct feel. My cylinders were shot. You are correct, however, that it changed nothing with the effort. No doubt you get acclimated to what you drive most often.
I had this problem with my XKE early on in my ownership back in the 70’s. Turns out that someone had cross referenced a master cylinder with a larger diameter piston than stock. Made it pretty heavy but worked fine. Switched it out later when it leaked and discovered what the problem was.
Though my cars all have the coil spring pressure plates, I’ve heard that one feature of the diaphragm spring clutches that feels a little strange at first is that the pedal effort is greatest at the beginning of the stroke, and once past the mid point the effort actually reduces. I wonder if this is contributing to the apparent feeling of stiffness?
It’s a curious thing that now I approach these types of things in terms of my own “progressive dilapidation”. At 60 things I would have thought nothing of in my youth now raise an enquiry into how long I might be able to manage a particular issue. I try hard to keep myself somewhat capable and relatively strong (for an older bloke) so as not to be denied my E Type or Morgan Plus 8, in particular, as I age. Paul.
When No1 son first tried my E’s clutch he complained he’d need a friend to help him.
Now, my clutch is f#cked. Something is bent or broken, making it much harder to operate. The pedal is slow to return to its rest position. One day I’ll strip it and get it working correctly, but in the meanwhile I’ll carry on driving it - probably 750 miles during next week as I visit a number of prehistoric sites in Cornwall. Hoping for mostly dry weather.
That somewhat ruins my theory about E-Type clutches. We have the 9.5 “Chevy” style on the 3.8 - because I wanted it lighter for the little woman. It is very heavy, but smooth. Every single component is new.
My theory was the suppliers streamlined inventory and only now stock what used to be the heavy duty, optional clutch. I was sure this explained the stupid high effort on our clutch. Now, since you report the 40 year old clutch has the same issue my theory seems weak. The clutch works great and the action is as smooth as any (I rebuilt the pedal box and the fork pivots are in excellent shape, etc.). The AP clutch just has too much clamping pressure, as, apparently, do some others.
I have informed potential buyers of this issue while assuring them all works just fine. BTW, replacing the resleeved clutch master with a brand new one made an ever so slight improvement in smoothness which requires a calibrated leg to discern.
Hello John,
I prefer to repair the existing cylinders by installing a Stainless Steel Sleeve, and use Stainless Steel Pistons. The following pictures are of a Slave Cylinder and not Master, but the same applies for each. The first picture shows the SS Pistons I use (the original Carbon Steel Piston is on the left) and the second picture shows the Cylinder assembled ready for the rubber boot to be attached.
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