Resurrecting my dad's 3CV

[FJmonkey]

Not sure how Pat missed that, it is mind boggling... That's one of his favorite stories.   

[orc4n]

While I'm glad to see that I'm not the first to fall for that, I'm now more intrigued to hear about this cat and spear story 

[Pat Conlon]

Ok, ok, The classic's come back: Years ago, I had this cat who was an absolute pest in the garage. I could not leave my sockets on the floor, or any nuts, bolts or miscellaneous parts for that matter...she would sit watching me and as soon as my head was turned, she would dash in and bat away anything she could get her paws on...She thought it was funny. She got real good at hiding so I would think she was in the back yard, I would go in the house to take a leak or grab a soda and she would pounce, scattering my shit everywhere. Fucking cat....I had to learn put my tools and any parts in a bucket...even on my workbench....fucking cat.
This cat was fearless, I had to think she was partially deaf. I could start my FJ and she would sit right beside it. One day I started my FJ with the clutch slave off...and just like you have found out, the clutch pushrod shot out, I heard a Yeeeeeowwww the cat dashed out the door...never to set foot in my garage again.

I should have done that years earlier. It was worth the lost oil.

[fj1289]

Don't think I've ever heard the long version of that!   

Classic!!!  We almost need an "FJ Lore" section ...

[orc4n]

When browsing the forum for info I'm always delighted when I stumble upon a story like that
Will update soon, once I get the new brake & clutch lines I'll start working on that

[Dads_FJ]

Ok, ok, The classic's come back: Years ago, I had this cat who was an absolute pest in the garage. I could not leave my sockets on the floor, or any nuts, bolts or miscellaneous parts for that matter...she would sit watching me and as soon as my head was turned, she would dash in and bat away anything she could get her paws on...She thought it was funny. She got real good at hiding so I would think she was in the back yard, I would go in the house to take a leak or grab a soda and she would pounce, scattering my shit everywhere. Fucking cat....I had to learn put my tools and any parts in a bucket...even on my workbench....fucking cat.
This cat was fearless, I had to think she was partially deaf. I could start my FJ and she would sit right beside it. One day I started my FJ with the clutch slave off...and just like you have found out, the clutch pushrod shot out, I heard a Yeeeeeowwww the cat dashed out the door...never to set foot in my garage again.

I should have done that years earlier. It was worth the lost oil.

In the Mid 80s I worked at a garage while putting myself through college, and the shop dog Dusty, a female German Shepherd, would take bolts and brake springs etc. and drop them in the toilet. No shit (no punt intended).  Learned quick not to keep parts on the ground next to me...

[giantkiller]

I too shot the push rod across the garage. Didn't spear any animals though.

[orc4n]

The new brakelines arrived. Was surprised, that the clutch line is replacing the whole assembly, including the piping. I'm thinking of routing it the same way and buying new new rubber mounts, because mine are either stuck on the old brakelines and/or deteriorated.
I managed to clean the banjos bolts using a small ultra sonic cleaner. Except the paint, they look good as new, so I'm planning on reusing them.
The brake&clutch master cylinder finally got unstuck using a grease gun, currently still working on cleaning the greasy mess. However the clutch slave cylinder is still stuck. When applying the grease it did move out of the housing, but the seals gave way, resulting in the cylinder still being stuck.
Am I out of luck here and need to buy a new clutch slave assembly? I couldn't find a piston online :/

I also wanted to replace the cain and sprockets, but realised I need to finish the brakes first 

Will take apart the calipers soon. The rear master cylinder wasn't stuck, but the brakes were still sticking - and the brake fluid had a rotten smell, so replacing the seals is probably a good idea anyways.

Anyways, deadline of "registering + riding it before the end of the year" is quickly approaching, but I'm still hopeful 

Henrik

[fj1289]

Getting through all these details properly will be worth it!  Just takes time.  And effort.   And money.  And time.  And more time.   

[VanIsleFJ]

Congrats on resurrecting your Dad's old bike.  It will be worth it in the end.   Do start off slowly when you start riding.   These are big heavy bikes.   Happy New Year and have fun!

[orc4n]

Update: I got the hydraulics nearly done. I removed all three calipers and did a complete rebuild. The hydraulic fluid gummed up all the seals, so I had to use a grease gun to force the pistons out. Lotta fun to clean up afterwards

After carefully scraping out the deep gunk out of the nook where the seals go, I replaced them, no issues so far. New steel flex lines are installed as well.

I bought a new clutch slave cylinder off of ebay for like 30 bux, because the piston was stuck in mine. Haven't put fluid in system yet.

One issue I still have is bleeding the front brakes. Rear brake was easy, but at the front I'm at the point where after pumping a few times, I get nearly sufficient brake pressure - but there's obviously still air in the system. I tried: Normal bleeding, reverse bleeding (both from both bleed screws), bleeding at all union bolts, as well as tying the brake handle to the bar over night. Anyone got any other tips? I'm using the connecting piece with a double banjo bolt, so I got three brake lines in total.

[Billy Bananahead]

What i do if i'm having a bit of trouble at the lever is to disconnect the banjo union at the caliper then fill the reservoir with fluid. Hold the brake union with my finger and thumb and then pump the brake lever a few times then let go of the union and keep doing that until a flow of fluid comes out of the pipe. Once a flow of fluid is coming out connect the banjo back on the caliper and hopefully you should be then able to bleed up. Good luck.

[fj1289]

Did you also crack the banjo at the reservoir?  Maybe also try looping the top hose back into the reservoir and see if you get air there.  The master cylinder might need to be bled, or maybe the master cylinder is letting air into the system?

Another thought - unbolt the calipers and tap on the with a screwdriver handle as you twist and turn them - might free up some trapped air and get it to the bleed screw.

Might also try pumping the pistons in the calipers out a bit and then pushing them back manually to force fluid back up the system - JUST BE CAREFUL NOT TO OVERFLOW THE RESERVOIR!

[orc4n]

Thanks for all the input - This update is 50/50, frustration and good progress 

Frustration: Still no pressure at the brake lever. Symptoms are weird - I always get pressure after tying the lever to the grip overnight, but it always reverts back after a few minutes. I tried all your tricks @fj1289, but still no success. Honestly will probably leave this a mechanic who'll change the tires as well. Just not worth my nerves anymore.

Progress: Getting pressure on the clutch lever was super easy though. However, frustration: The clutch plates are sticky.    I put the transmission into gear while having the engine running, no dragging and no slipping, but it only disengages at larger torque differences (like revving the engine a bit). Should get better with time, right?

And another progress: Synced the carbs. Runs waaaay better at idle now. But, again, frustration: The engine bogs and nearly stalls when applying throttle aggressivly (twisting nearly as fast as I can). Is this normal, or do I have a vaccuum leak somewhere? 
The engine also slightly dips below idle after revving (like 100rpm for about 5 secs), but the pilot screw is a) already at 3 turns out, and b) revs drop more slowly when making pilot richer as well.

As always, cheers for the help - hope to get her on the road soon 

[giantkiller]

Good progress. Remember, those tires are rock hard, well past their expiration date....Dont ride the bike until you get fresh rubber down there.

Yep I got to drift Pat's bike around a couple of corners before I changed his tires. And they weren't that old. Was kinda fun. Didn't go much more than 55mph. And only a couple of miles before I changed them.