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[Randtor]

I have read in the owner's manual how to do this, but I am confused on one ( ummm, actually several, lol!) issue(s).
 
(1) The manual states: "Turn the rod until ALL end float is eliminated."
Does this mean to turn the rod INTO the piston until it stops (ie the piston is pushed all the way into the cylinder), or is it to turn the rod OUT? When I turn the rod out, eventually the end of the rod comes up against the clutch cross shaft arm (the piece with 3 holes in it), and of course, the hydraulic fluid is pushing on the piston, thus there ends up being no play in the rod at all. So, I assume the rod should  be screwed all the way IN, against the piston, until there is no play...
Then I know how to adjust the nut (/16 in play) and the rest.

One other question... I read somewhere that the 2nd hole on the cross arm shaft should always be used for the TR3. Is that correct?

I seem to have very little leeway with my clutch pedal. I raise it almost all the way up off the floor before the clutch engages. By adjusting the push rod properly, is this the only way to get more pedal (ie, get the clutch to engage sooner as I lift the pedal off the floor)? Would it help to maybe use the lower hole on the cross arm shaft?

Thanks all,
Rand

[TR3driver]

There's something wrong with your description, Rand.  The spring should always force the piston to the bottom of the cylinder bore; and it should stay there even if you remove the pushrod entirely.  If not, you may have a spring inside the slave (which is wrong for a TR2-4, but correct for later TRs).

When the book talks about removing the play, they mean to turn the pushrod out of the clevis until the piston is bottomed in the bore, and the clutch lever is as far to the rear as it will go easily (meaning the throw-out bearing is up against the clutch fingers inside the bellhousing).  Note that different sources give different values for the clearance; I believe it should be 0.1" (2.5mm) for cars with Girling hydraulics (front disc brakes).  You can increase this value if you want a lower pedal, but I would check to be sure there isn't some other problem, first. 

One thing to check is that the master cylinder piston is returning solidly against the stop in the cylinder, and there is some freeplay in it's pushrod (.010" will do).  You can also increase this value to get a lower pedal.

Also check that there is no hydraulic pressure remaining in the slave when the pedal is released.  Although not common, sometimes the soft line to the slave can break internally, and act like a check valve, causing a high pedal (and rapid clutch wear or even slipping).

IMO, the pushrod should always be installed in the hole that lines up best with the slave cylinder.  Normally, that is the center one.  Having the pushrod at an angle to the slave puts side force on the slave piston, which will wear the bore out of round and lead to leaks.  The extra holes are there because this part (like all of the castings on a TR3) was shared with other cars.

[Randtor]

There's something wrong with your description, Rand.  The spring should always force the piston to the bottom of the cylinder bore; and it should stay there even if you remove the pushrod entirely.  If not, you may have a spring inside the slave (which is wrong for a TR2-4, but correct for later TRs).

Hmmm, I think that may be my main problem Randall. I did not have a return spring attached at all. i found thisout when I was looking at the owners manual. I bought a spring but didn't attach it before I started to try and adjust the rod. Now that I have read your description, i see that I need to attach the spring before I do anything else.

Also check that there is no hydraulic pressure remaining in the slave when the pedal is released.  Although not common, sometimes the soft line to the slave can break internally, and act like a check valve, causing a high pedal (and rapid clutch wear or even slipping).

Again, with no spring returning the piston to the bottom of the bore via the push rod, I still have a lot of hydraulic fluid in the slave. I will attach the spring first, and then finish adjusting the rod, with a clearance as you suggested, and then see how my pedal grabs. Once I see how that goes, i can then check the master cylinder if need be, but I believe that is ok. I think my main problem will turn out to  be the complete lack of the return spring. Once that is properly in place, hopefully the rest of the adjustment process should be easy, and I hope to get better pedal travel as a result.

IMO, the pushrod should always be installed in the hole that lines up best with the slave cylinder.  Normally, that is the center one.  Having the pushrod at an angle to the slave puts side force on the slave piston, which will wear the bore out of round and lead to leaks.  The extra holes are there because this part (like all of the castings on a TR3) was shared with other cars.

Thanks again for your helpful imput Randall. I will keep the rod in the second hole as this is the one that lines up properly, and is the original position as far as I can tell.
Rand