I Know i know its a car but i just signed up the the Mini owners club and got a few responses and then nothing. So i though a few of you guys on here have owned a Mini at some stage in your life and i know Foamy still has his.

Basically i went to Southampton on Saturday to meet the guy i booked with a flat bed to collect the car (but he never showed up) mega pissed off!

Any who, the car has been stood for a year and is still in great condition, no rust bar a few blisters on the paint round the rear window. pumped her caster wheels up and charged the battery and she fires up (on the 5th try)

Now here is the biggest main drama i have, the clutch don't work. Mike (the owner and my brother in law) drove it to work one day fine parked up and done an 8 hr shift, clocked out started her up and no clutch? the pedal is really light and there are no leaks from the slave or master cylinder and fluids are fine. You can select gear when the engine is off you just cant dis-engage the clutch.

Any ideas

Sorry again to talk about a cage, just got no help from the "Pro's"

Clutch cylinder seals collapsed/failed, common problem, easy way to test is open the bleed nipple on the slave cylinder and press the clutch pedal, if the fluid flows out and is pressurised the seals in the master cylinder are fine and its likely to be the slave cyl,

seals are piss easy to change, can do a set in about 15 minutes, take the master cylinder (or slave cylinder) out, remove the circlip from the bottom, slide the piston out and change the seals, then reverse process and bleed

Same thing happened to Piddler (my 2nd mini) when i left it parked up for about 4 months

Simple enough. Few possibles.

Master cyl not allowing fluid back. unlikely but possible.

Slave cyl stuck siezed. Same as above.

My personal favorite on a car that has been stood is the clutch its self siezing. Happened to me twice. Once on a rangy the other on an old mk2 escort.

Might free up but the spanners will be out. Least is an easy one. The clutch on a rangy is a barstrd. Everything weighs a ton.

Ye i thought it was the clutch plates had stuck together so i sat in the car with foot on the clutch peddle with her in gear and had me mate rock the car to see if that would free her up, but nothing. could have tried starting her up in gear but its got a prototype body kit on it and i didnt want to brake it bouncing down the kerb or on the lumps of mud.

it would be unusual for the clutch to stick (being a 1988 yours is probably a Verto), even so a good bump start in gear with the clutch in should free up the plates, try bleeding the clutch line and see if there is actually any pressure in there

Noise loosen off the drain nipple on the slave cylinder and pump the clutch pedal to see if you get any fluid out under pressure, if not then new seals, easy. Probably easier to replace the master and slave cylinders than piss about with seals and fluid and they are cheap.

Yer this is what im thinking, just wanted to see if there where any cheap fixes to try first (eg hammer and WD40 lol)

I had a mini many moons ago with a similar clutch problem , it turned out that the return spring in the master cylinder had collapsed and would not return the piston, not saying this is your problem but the symptoms match,

If you're still stuck at the end of the month and you can get to either Benson or Hungerford, bring a mars bar and i will sort it for you

I would if i could Foams, only thing is that its not Taxed or MOT'd, gotta sort this drama out first so that i can get it from Southampton to Yeovil and get her MOT'd and all the interior put back on. O and guess what i got for her too!!!??? Rear window louvers / spoilers!

peel back the dust covers on the slave cyl, if its leaking you'll see it there.

(past owner of 1962 mini minor)

assuming it is the master cylinder seals (check the seals are supplying pressure using the method i mentioned) it can be done at the road-side using a 13mm spanner, circlip pliers, long nosed pliers and i think an 11mm for the hyd union (i cant remember),

remove the split pin from the clutch pedal, undo the 13mm nuts securing the master cylinder body to the bulkhead, undo the union and remove the unit.

with the unit out you may have to press the piston arm into the body to allow the circlip to come out easier, with the circlip out the piston and seals should slide out, changing them is simply a matter of swapping like-for-like with your new set, reassemble in reverse order, fill with brake fluid and bleed the system

Okey frokey, Thanks guys i have a few things to try out now ONCE i get the pissing thing to Yeovil lol. i could have done all this by now if the delivery driver turned up on Saturday but sadly he turned out to be a knob.

Morning all, hope you had a good Easter break?

Well i finally got the old girl, not that much wrong with her to be honest but what is wrong with her is long winded and annoying. I fixed the clutch which took the whole of 10 mins, slave cylinder piston stuck so a squirt of WD40 and re-bleed the system sorted that out.

Ive re-bled the brakes as they where jammed on. Now its the hard part, the electrics, nothing on the stalks work (no indicators, wipers, horn etc) but they all work when i but + - wires straight from the battery. using a circuit tester (old indicator ) i have found that there is no power going from the stalk itself so i need to figure this one out.

After this its onto cleaning the carbs and giving it a good over due service

the electrics on vehicles this age can be prone to being a bit dodgey at best, check your plugs underneath the dashboard where the stalks plug in to, all you can do from there is trace it back

Ive read that the indicators get their power through the Hazard switch (which mine is broke) is this true and possible reason why i have no turn signals? ive finally found a wiring diagram for the whole mini but to the un trained eye (mine) its a bit of a cluster fuck. but im sure after a few cups of tea and a smoke i can crack it.

tbh bud i have no idea where the power comes from, i was always told at work when checking the vehicles that the indicators and hazards should always be on different circuits, so if one fails you always have the other, but minis seem to be a law unto themselves

well it is a mini adventure...

Problem is your vehicle has too many wheels. Try losing a couple, see if that improves things!!

Yer i agree Tasky, she is no match for a bike but sadly i have to get shot of my Mg as she drinks far too much fuel. (on a fun day bad day she will do 9 mpg)

Well i have fixed the indicators and hazards new relays and a strips and clean of the hazard switch terminals. Horn now works as i have actually put an earth cable on, clutch works (WD40 and bled the system) brakes work after a bleeding.

Now here is the new problem, i have no wipers. The motor works as i have bench tested it, but when i turn the ignition on and operate the stalk there is nothing? i have followed the wires from the stalk to see where they go (like a fuse box) but it just goes straight to the motor.

another drama i think is causing the not working thing is that the plug that goes into the motor has been cocked about with. there are 5 wires on the plug, one of which is black (which i read on line is earth correct?) that has been cut and plugged into the red wire coming out of the motor itself?????

Now Mr Foamy could you at some point take some pics of all the wires on the motor so that i can see where they are plugged into etc. i have wiring diagrams but i find actual pictures better help.

Much love and thanks