HJ45 clutch slave push rod (2 Viewers)

[Ryusuke]

Hey guys this is my first encounter with any forum full stop.
I've joined up with the hopes of getting some insight, opinions, and advice for a 1979 HJ45 with a H engine, 4 spd manual.

What i'm currently looking for is for specs on the push rod for the clutch slave cylinder.
The original rod got bent and broke by previous owner decades ago and dodgily re-welded.
I only discovered this when the clutch was failing and the rod broke.

From the books i've been able to see the push rod had a different tip, the one i have seems to be off something else.
It had significant wear which suggests it never seated properly and potentially was binding with the fork in its' stroke.
Since the part is impossible to find i plan to either make a new one OR re-weld this one but i am in the dark in terms of it's correct length and the shape of the end rounded nut.

I'll just say one more thing which is going to make everyone question my sanity.
Last week when i started it up for the first time in 2 years the clutch was very very stiff, almost stuck.
Eventually after gradually applying pressure on and off slowly it moved, but i discovered the clutch was working in reverse.
It was only engaging when i pushed the pedal to the floor.
When clutch was out the gear box was free to change gear.
It was genuinely functioning in reverse, i could only move the car with the clutch pedal to the floor.
I observed the slave cylinder moving the fork correctly, there was fluid in the system.

I struggled with it through the day trying to work out the issue but eventually the push rod snapped anyway.
When i moved the fork with my hand i was able to get the clutch to engage and disengage, but it was extremely easy to do with my hand.
I would shift the fork, start the car up and feel the car jump, that was how i was able to determine that it was biting, same method for checking that it was disengaging.
That day ended in my spending 4 hours straight ratchet strap winching the car out of the way, in the pouring rain till 7pm.
It's on a very remote and extremely difficult to access property that no towing vehicle can access, hence why i am embarking on making this thing go again.

Anyway, next week im going to replace the slave cylinder and see what the clutch wants to do next, but does anyone have any insight into what the hell was going on with the clutch in the first place?

Here it is the day before the clutch died.

 

[charliemeyer007]

There is a diesel section around here somewhere.

I would just grind up the two ends and weld it back together. There should be lots of adjustment in that threaded end cap to make the clutch work. If you can't make it work, pull it back out and add/.remove a section of the rod.

 

[45Dougal]

Haven't had the clutch out of my HJ45 yet, but it's a job in the pipe line...
You shouldn't be able to engage and disengage the clutch with your hand.
Maybe I misunderstand, but the massive spring inside the clutch housing should hold the plates very tight together. Nothing except the hydraulic force of the slave cylinder should force them apart easily.
Sounds like you need a clutch.
The cylinders are readily available. The clutches are readily available in Australia - where are you?
If you know a US supplier then let me know
From what I've seen, I believe that the cylinder and push rod are the same as the petrol models.

 

[B y r o n]

If you are having issues with the clutch slave and you current push rod is broken, the solution is simple. Shop for a new slave cylinder and many times they come with a new rod.

 

[65swb45]

A picture of the part of the clutch fork that the pushrod rests on would be helpful in advising.

 

[Ryusuke]

Ok so i have a little update, i did manage to score a new slave which came with the new rod! Was not expecting that.
Interestingly the rod is completely different to the old one, about 5cm's shorter in fact, not to mention the tip is just a rounded ball.
I suspect the farmer previously just welded on an extra piece of a bolt and didn't have any idea how long the rod was meant to be.
Makes sense because i found that the clutch was biting really high up on the pedal stroke (when it was driving 2 years ago), hopefully it'll have a better bite point.

Quite concerned about the fact i can partially operate the clutch fork with such ease, i will just pop this slave on next week and assess.
I'll also see if i can get a view of the diaphragm springs, dont have any stands though so it'll be a very limited view.
I am in Aus so i'll start looking around for clutches in the meantime, thanks everyone.

 

[B y r o n]

You might want to double check that the slave is actually mounted in the correct location.

 

[Ryusuke]

New update: i have installed the slave cylinder with push rod and the clutch seems to be working just fine!

When i went to reverse the car back into parking position i accidentally pushed the piston completely out of the slave cylinder.
So i took it off, put the piston back in, increased the length of the push rod then re-installed.
I haven't had a chance to floor the clutch again cause i just wanted to put it all aside for now.
But for now i'll use the clutch pedal with care.

As for the clutch working in reverse before, the only thing i can think of is that the old push rod was so long that i was actually pushing the clutch plate forwards manually.
So it had gone well beyond pushing the springs and started pushing the plate itself.
Still a bit of a mystery though, my mechanic still thinks i'm completely insane.

 

[B y r o n]

Make sure you have your clutch pedal set per the FSM specifications. This should help ensure you are not causing the slave to move to far.