create an inspection hole in bell housing

macafee2 · 2nd September 2019, 16:29

Has any one created an inspection hole in the bottom or side or indeed anywhere in their bell housing, so they can check for clutch slave leakage?

Thoughts and feasibility?

This would make checking for a leak so much easier. I appreciate you may not want to create the inspection hole with bell housing in place and so it would be done in case of a "second" suspected failure, not the "first" when bell housing is already off

macafee2

sworks · 2nd September 2019, 18:31

You can buy borescope / endoscope cameras quite cheaply and even as accessories to your mobile phone. Rather than making a hole why not use a camera down the slave cylinder pipe grommet? To be fair though, if they leak it doesn’t take much for it to be obvious

macafee2 · 2nd September 2019, 19:03

Quote:

Originally Posted by sworks

You can buy borescope / endoscope cameras quite cheaply and even as accessories to your mobile phone. Rather than making a hole why not use a camera down the slave cylinder pipe grommet? To be fair though, if they leak it doesn’t take much for it to be obvious

I was not sure if can you access the grommet from above?

Does fluid drip notably from the bell housing if the salve is leaking? Is the slave "quite a way" from the bell housing to engine joint?

borescope / endoscope sounds good.

macafee2

trikey · 2nd September 2019, 20:54

There is also a removable rubber bung on the tim plate between the bellhousing and the engine block, this would easily take a typical endoscope camera.

macafee2 · 3rd September 2019, 15:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by trikey

There is also a removable rubber bung on the tim plate between the bellhousing and the engine block, this would easily take a typical endoscope camera.

I think I know where this is, missing on my Tourer. Don't know if my saloon has it.
I'll get under the tourer to see how accessible that is, thank you

macafee2

Rich in Vancouver · 4th September 2019, 02:13

It would be more likely to ooze. The dust on the slave would absorb most of the fluid making it look black and muddy.
If the leak was more than an ooze (drip, squirt, gush...) the slave would stop working before you had a chance to check as there isn't a lot of fluid in the system.

RogerHeinz57 · 4th September 2019, 08:36

I remember working at a Renault Trucks dealership in south London, and one of the recall/mods for a specific range of cab units was the release bearing used required greasing during maintenance operations. However the B18 gear box and bell housing had no provision for such service procedure.
The recall/mod required there to be a hole carefully sited and drilled in an exact location to allow an aero quip style adaptor to be fitted from outside. This fitted with a grommet and bracket allowed the greasing of the release bearing as a scheduled job. I guess there was sufficient research into the design of the bell housing structure to allow such hole to be made without compromising strengthening webs.
I suspect a sight hole may help in one way with the aid of an endoscope, but you won't get a good line of sight if you want a peep hole as the zone you need to see is the box end of the bell housing and line of sight would be impossible without the scope to hand. The rubber bung insulating the two metal pipes that feed the slave can be removed allowing access for a small endoscope which would be a far easier approach

2nd September 2019, 16:29	#1
macafee2 This is my second home Rover 75 Saloon & Tourer Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Lincoln Posts: 14,908 Thanks: 1,630 Thanked 3,032 Times in 2,181 Posts	create an inspection hole in bell housing Has any one created an inspection hole in the bottom or side or indeed anywhere in their bell housing, so they can check for clutch slave leakage? Thoughts and feasibility? This would make checking for a leak so much easier. I appreciate you may not want to create the inspection hole with bell housing in place and so it would be done in case of a "second" suspected failure, not the "first" when bell housing is already off macafee2

2nd September 2019, 18:31	#2
sworks Been absent for a while… Rover 75 Tourer, Classic mini Cooper S, Abarth 595 competizione, MG TF and a Hyundai Tucson PHEV Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Cumbria Posts: 13,065 Thanks: 1,033 Thanked 1,686 Times in 1,040 Posts	You can buy borescope / endoscope cameras quite cheaply and even as accessories to your mobile phone. Rather than making a hole why not use a camera down the slave cylinder pipe grommet? To be fair though, if they leak it doesn’t take much for it to be obvious __________________ ................................................. 'Marmite' Possibly one of the most famous 75 tourers produced! left the production line as the last of only Three Rover 75 tourers produced in Trophy Yellow. 48 hours later Longbridge closed. The last sold ordered 75 Tourer. Paid for by the Phoenix Four and handed over by John Towers to the Warwickshire Northampton Air ambulance service as a Rapid Response vehicle Last edited by sworks; 2nd September 2019 at 18:33..

2nd September 2019, 20:54	#4
trikey Premium Trader Rover 75 Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Devon Posts: 33,760 Thanks: 8,837 Thanked 14,831 Times in 8,030 Posts	There is also a removable rubber bung on the tim plate between the bellhousing and the engine block, this would easily take a typical endoscope camera. __________________ Lest we forget..

4th September 2019, 02:13	#6
Rich in Vancouver Gets stuck in MG ZT-T Join Date: Jun 2016 Location: White Rock, BC on Canada's Pacific Coast Posts: 849 Thanks: 338 Thanked 367 Times in 210 Posts	It would be more likely to ooze. The dust on the slave would absorb most of the fluid making it look black and muddy. If the leak was more than an ooze (drip, squirt, gush...) the slave would stop working before you had a chance to check as there isn't a lot of fluid in the system. __________________ ZT-T190, Anthracite, LHD, Left the Line on June 24, 2002, Sold new in Switzerland, spent time in Germany, Imported to Canada in September 2021

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4th September 2019, 08:36	#7
RogerHeinz57 I really should get out more....... A Reasonably Priced Car Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Burton Latimer Posts: 2,530 Thanks: 408 Thanked 1,064 Times in 712 Posts	I remember working at a Renault Trucks dealership in south London, and one of the recall/mods for a specific range of cab units was the release bearing used required greasing during maintenance operations. However the B18 gear box and bell housing had no provision for such service procedure. The recall/mod required there to be a hole carefully sited and drilled in an exact location to allow an aero quip style adaptor to be fitted from outside. This fitted with a grommet and bracket allowed the greasing of the release bearing as a scheduled job. I guess there was sufficient research into the design of the bell housing structure to allow such hole to be made without compromising strengthening webs. I suspect a sight hole may help in one way with the aid of an endoscope, but you won't get a good line of sight if you want a peep hole as the zone you need to see is the box end of the bell housing and line of sight would be impossible without the scope to hand. The rubber bung insulating the two metal pipes that feed the slave can be removed allowing access for a small endoscope which would be a far easier approach