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Ladies and Gentlemen
Earlier this year I started to notice that I needed to top up the clutch fluid every now and then. I checked the clutch system for leaks and could not find any. All looked good, there were no cracks in the flexible pipe and the unions were dry.

A few weeks later my clutch failed and a strip down identified that my clutch thrust bearing was worn out. The clutch unit and thrust bearing was changed and all seemed fine for a few hundred miles when the clutch failed again. A quick check under the car and I could see a semicircular bit of thrust bearing face hanging out of the Gearbox bell housing drain hole. The bearing had failed again. After a more detailed examination we discovered that the inside of the clutch flexible pipe between the master and slave cylinder had perished internally and it was acting as a non return valve keeping pressure on the thrust bearing when my foot was off the clutch.

Neither me not my mechanic could see any deterioration of the pipe and we only found the fault by pulling back the running our finger and thumb up and down the pipe which felt like a python which had swallowed a pig.
So when you or your mechanic are next under your car I recommend that you inspect the flexible pipe between the clutch pedal and the Clutch Slave Cylinder attached to the side of the gearbox bell housing. If the pipe feels lumpy change it.
This problem could happen to any car with a hydraulic clutch.

Neil

What a pain that was. On advice I installed stainless steel flexible pipes from day 1, on clutch and of course the brakes.

Are they completely stainless steel or are they stainless steel covered? If they are completely stainless steel where did you get them from?

Neil
The pipes are formed from extruded ptfe surrounded by braided stainless steel. They take much more pressure than the synthetic rubber ones. Lots of places will make them up to your measurements. I actually had my brake pipe 25mm longer as I felt the ones supplied were a tad short. Mine came from Rally Design in Herne Bay.
I also replaced my fragile cam oiling pipework with similar material when I saw it on a visit to Crosthwaite and Gardiners. It comes as a harness complete with banjo bolts and washers. Looks very tidy and is used on their racing Jaguar engines.

Neil
I’ve just read your comments on cracking brake hoses from 2014 mentioning you ordered the new ones 1 inch longer. How strange we both thought the same?!

Thanks Ray.
The items I had fitted 1 inch longer were my dampers.

Apologies Neil

It was 4jagsJohn in the same article who had his brake pipes 1 inch longer

Regards

Ray

Thanks Neil for bringing clutch pipe problem to our attention I with indeed check mine. By the way how old was your clutch pipe. Cheers John.

My flexible had been on my car for 6 years. There was nothing visible but we found the problem by pinching the pipe along its length.