What did you do to your X1/9 today ?

Some will hate it, but in lieu of spending upwards of $2K to get the imminently usable seats recovered I sourced these "period funky" covers that I THINK work just dandy with the car's aesthetics. She's coming together now!

Ciao!

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Started the X yesterday for the first time since parked for the winter. Forgot to put the tender on it, so it barely started. Let it come up to temp & remembered it tended to run a little rough at idle last few times I drove it. I did the cap, rotor, & wires this summer and was putting off the plugs since they're so much fun. Today I remembered I had a new set of plugs on the shelf so I installed them. Old plugs were terrible. Starting thinking about it & they've been there since the 90's. Maybe 30ish K miles, but a lot of time.. Started right up & purred on idle. If it hadn't snowed Fri, I'd be zipping around the block.
 

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Started the X yesterday for the first time since parked for the winter. Forgot to put the tender on it, so it barely started. Let it come up to temp & remembered it tended to run a little rough at idle last few times I drove it. I did the cap, rotor, & wires this summer and was putting off the plugs since they're so much fun. Today I remembered I had a new set of plugs on the shelf so I installed them. Old plugs were terrible. Starting thinking about it & they've been there since the 90's. Maybe 30ish K miles, but a lot of time.. Started right up & purred on idle. If it hadn't snowed Fri, I'd be zipping around the block.
Those old plugs actually don't look that bad for how long they've been in there. :)
 
swapped the crusty, rusty, leaking clutch slave cylinder for a shiny new O'Reilly special. Used brushes and the better part of a can of brake cleaner to pretty up the trans case.
Flushed lots of nasty looking fluid with a PITA cheapo "one person bleeder". Which I didn't trust so used a 4' long 2x2 with a long screw coming off the side to push down on clutch with left hand, while checking the fluid in the tube through the opening over the gas cap, close bleeder with right hand and use the screw as a hook to pull the clutch pedal back up. No bubbles but no input-lever movement until the clutch pedal is over halfway down. It wasn't exactly great before (clutch bit about 2" off the floor) but maybe a big air bubble behind the new slave piston? Read a bunch of threads, will unbolt slave and tilt it so bleeder is high point, then bleed some more. Got to order some nice flexible hose and throw away the stiff stuff with cone-shaped "adapter" that popped out of the bleeder unless I held it there...
Also will run to Ace for proper rod nuts. Home Depot only had ones with flanges, to which I sandwiched a washer which probably isn't needed so the whole thing takes up a lot of space.
Reading threads, seems mine is missing the return spring from cylinder to lever. Pedal returns fine, not needed then?

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Image4723285887223256166.jpg
 
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swapped the crusty, rusty, leaking clutch slave cylinder for a shiny new O'Reilly special.
Flushed lots of nasty looking fluid with a PITA cheapo "one person bleeder". Which I didn't trust so used a 4' long 2x2 with a long screw coming off the side to push down on clutch with left hand, while checcking the fluid in the tube through the opening over the gas cap, close bleeder with right hand and use the screw as a hook to pull the clutch pedal back up. No bubbles but no input-lever movement until the clutch pedal is over halfway down. It wasn't exactly great before (clutch bit about 2" off the floor) but maybe a big air bubble behind the new slave piston? Read a bunch of threads, will unbolt slave and tilt it so bleeder is high point, then bleed some more. Got to order some nice flexible hose and throw away the stiff stuff with cone-shaped "adapter" that popped out of the bleed unless I held it there...
Also will run to Ace for proper rod nuts. Home Depot only had ones with flanges, to which I sandwhitched a washer which probably isn't neede so the whole thing takes up a lot of space.
Reading threads, seems mine is missing the return spring from cylinder to lever. Pedal returns fine, not needed then?
View attachment 69980
well done you. I have no spring on mine, others may disagree.
 
I've used the broom stick method to bleed my clutch before. It works better than listening to someone complain that - my leg is tired, how long is this going to take?, why do you have to do this?, why can't I have a beer while I'm doing this too?, you have the music up too loud! etc, etc, etc, etc...

While you can see that you don't have to have a spring on your clutch slave, you should have one to pull the throwout bearing away from the pressure plate. The early (4spd) spring was quite robust, but the later (5 spd) would get the job done.
 
I've used the broom stick method to bleed my clutch before. It works better than listening to someone complain that - my leg is tired, how long is this going to take?, why do you have to do this?, why can't I have a beer while I'm doing this too?, you have the music up too loud! etc, etc, etc, etc...

While you can see that you don't have to have a spring on your clutch slave, you should have one to pull the throwout bearing away from the pressure plate. The early (4spd) spring was quite robust, but the later (5 spd) would get the job done.
For clarity Mike are there two springs in the stock configuration? Or just one that is secured at the slave and the throwout activation lever?
 
For clarity Mike are there two springs in the stock configuration? Or just one that is secured at the slave and the throwout activation lever?
All model years had a spring on the clutch pedal. Early cars had a spring on the clutch lever pulling it towards the clutch slave cylinder. Late cars had a spring on the clutch lever pulling it towards the flywheel. This would keep the throw-out bearing in constant contact with the clutch diaphragm, and thus make the clutch self-adjusting. And people reconfigure these to suit their needs / desires / philosophies / outlook on life etc.
 
swapped the crusty, rusty, leaking clutch slave cylinder for a shiny new O'Reilly special. Used brushes and the better part of a can of brake cleaner to pretty up the trans case.
Flushed lots of nasty looking fluid with a PITA cheapo "one person bleeder". Which I didn't trust so used a 4' long 2x2 with a long screw coming off the side to push down on clutch with left hand, while checking the fluid in the tube through the opening over the gas cap, close bleeder with right hand and use the screw as a hook to pull the clutch pedal back up. No bubbles but no input-lever movement until the clutch pedal is over halfway down. It wasn't exactly great before (clutch bit about 2" off the floor) but maybe a big air bubble behind the new slave piston? Read a bunch of threads, will unbolt slave and tilt it so bleeder is high point, then bleed some more. Got to order some nice flexible hose and throw away the stiff stuff with cone-shaped "adapter" that popped out of the bleeder unless I held it there...
Also will run to Ace for proper rod nuts. Home Depot only had ones with flanges, to which I sandwiched a washer which probably isn't needed so the whole thing takes up a lot of space.
Reading threads, seems mine is missing the return spring from cylinder to lever. Pedal returns fine, not needed then?

View attachment 69984

View attachment 69980
Not sure I quite understand what you've done in the red circle (below):
Image4723285887223256166.jpg

Isn't the rod threaded so it can be adjusted with a single nut?

As @ng_randolph said, some Xs had a spring going one direction and other X's going the opposite. Personally I prefer having a spring where the yellow arrow is in the above pic. And you can find a generic spring at ACE that will do.

Not to be confused with the smaller spring at the blue arrow. I prefer to eliminate that little spring and make the rod connection more solid. But it works either way.
 
Some will hate it, but in lieu of spending upwards of $2K to get the imminently usable seats recovered I sourced these "period funky" covers that I THINK work just dandy with the car's aesthetics. She's coming together now!

Ciao!

View attachment 69958View attachment 69959View attachment 69960View attachment 69961
Immaculate collection you have there.

The seat covers are definitely unique... although I think they work on that color X1/9 better than they would on any other body color.
 
swapped the crusty, rusty, leaking clutch slave cylinder for a shiny new O'Reilly special. Used brushes and the better part of a can of brake cleaner to pretty up the trans case.
Flushed lots of nasty looking fluid with a PITA cheapo "one person bleeder". Which I didn't trust so used a 4' long 2x2 with a long screw coming off the side to push down on clutch with left hand, while checking the fluid in the tube through the opening over the gas cap, close bleeder with right hand and use the screw as a hook to pull the clutch pedal back up. No bubbles but no input-lever movement until the clutch pedal is over halfway down. It wasn't exactly great before (clutch bit about 2" off the floor) but maybe a big air bubble behind the new slave piston? Read a bunch of threads, will unbolt slave and tilt it so bleeder is high point, then bleed some more. Got to order some nice flexible hose and throw away the stiff stuff with cone-shaped "adapter" that popped out of the bleeder unless I held it there...
Also will run to Ace for proper rod nuts. Home Depot only had ones with flanges, to which I sandwiched a washer which probably isn't needed so the whole thing takes up a lot of space.
Reading threads, seems mine is missing the return spring from cylinder to lever. Pedal returns fine, not needed then?

View attachment 69984

View attachment 69980
Over the years that I worked on x's I found the best way to bleed the clutch was to get a bottle with a pump on it, attach your hose to the slave bleeder and open the bleed screw then start pumping, back bleed the system and let it overflow from the reservoir. It worked every time, got all the air out from the slave and the master. Bleed until you have nice clear fluid overflowing, no tilting or jacking the car up, you get a great solid pedal.
 
Over the years that I worked on x's I found the best way to bleed the clutch was to get a bottle with a pump on it, attach your hose to the slave bleeder and open the bleed screw then start pumping, back bleed the system and let it overflow from the reservoir. It worked every time, got all the air out from the slave and the master. Bleed until you have nice clear fluid overflowing, no tilting or jacking the car up, you get a great solid pedal.
I recall someone suggested using one of those old style "pump oil cans" for that:
41KPH+-GbVL._AC_SY580_.jpg

You can get one very cheap at Harbor Freight. I have not tried this technique yet, but I intend to when all of the new brake and clutch components get installed. Since I'll also be replacing the reservoirs and feed lines maybe it can be done with the feedline sitting in a bottle before the reservoir is attached...to avoid some of the overflow mess.
 
My question (& maybe Dr Jeff) is why the washers between the nuts?
the nut flanges have flutes cut into them and I thought that facing one another might lock them together too hard. Probably wouldn't be any issue just my thought assembling. Seems to be just enough space with the slave piston/rod in it's resting position, but yeah I don't like the washer in there either and may remove it. If bleeding with the slave unmounted and rod pointed downwards gets more air bubbles out, and/or reverse bleeding does the trick will probably just leave it as is.
My local Home Depot's metric hardware selection is slim pickings. Nearest ACE is over 20 minutes away... but may shoot over tomorrow to see about clear flexible tubing and maybe another one of those tiny pump oil cans (mine is filled with oil) to give reverse bleeding a shot.
 
For clarity Mike are there two springs in the stock configuration? Or just one that is secured at the slave and the throwout activation lever?
As Bjorn pointed out above both early and late slaves had springs. But the early one (attached to the obvious places on the slave and actuating arm pulls the throwout bearing off of the pressure plate. The later, lighter spring mounts to the actuating arm and a tab secured to a trans/engine mating bolt.
The problem with the later setup is that the throwout bearing spins whenever the engine is running. Therefore it is prone to wearout sooner. When it wears out it sounds like someone threw a handful of marbles into the bellhousing, but it goes away when you depress the clutch.
One way to prevent the throwout bearing in the later setup from being in constant contact with the pressure plate is to take the late, lighter, spring and attach it as the early spring was - slave to actuating arm.

Once the throwout bearing wears out with the later setup, its probably time to replace the clutch/ pressure plate, so its time to R&I the trans anyway?

BTW - the late actuating arm can be swapped into the 4 spd case. I prefer it to the setup the 4 sped uses. YMMV
 
Last night was one of the twice-a-week 'car nights' with Dad. It was also his 90th birthday.
He was upside-down with his head in the footwell working with me to get the clips on the heater box, after we lubricated the squealy bearings in the fan motor.
It was a good night.
 
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