Great guys out there- a quick story

[Theshandman]

Yesterday in the Atlanta area, it was painfully hot (96-ish). I drove my Cobra from home up to the NW side of Lake Lanier, near where the Chestatee River feeds into that lake. Approaching hwy 53 & 400 there was a stuck red flashing traffic signal that resulted in a one mile backup on 53 east bound and 1/2 hour inch by inch approach to the light. You better believe it was hot with the high temp, the sun beating down and no breeze. I kept a close eye on the water temp which with the rad fan continually running never got above 75C according to the SpeedHut gauge. Ok, the cooling system is working well.

Finally cleared the light and just beyond is Big-D's BBQ. An oasis! In for a sandwich and a frosty Coke in blissful air conditioning. Then back out to complete the trip. As I exited the parking lot on to Hwy 53, the clutch ped went to the floor with a sickening mush feel (first time I've experienced that symptom, but I only have 700 miles to date) with the trans 'stuck' in 1st gear. Killed the ignition and rolled back into the parking lot. Raised the hood, checked the clutch res but saw no issue with the fluid level. Ahh, I thought, must be the hydroscopic aspect of the hyd clutch fluid; the water vapor must have boiled and killed the compression factor of the fluid, a thought made even more believable by the fact the cockpit tranny cover was too hot to keep a hand on for more than a second.

Just about then, Andy H, an Atlanta Cobra Club member rolled up in his family car, got out and said "I drive a Cobra and whenever I see one parked I have to get out and chat up the driver, especially when I see the car's hood open". What a great guy. We talked about what was going on and he agreed the issue was steam in the line thanks to the heat. "Give it 10 minutes to 'cool' down a bit and you'll be fine. And oh by the way, I'm a car mechanic, live a few miles down the road with a pretty complete garage. If things are worse than expected, call me and we'll come get your Cobra, bring it to my garage and fix whatever ain't right". I gave it 10 minutes to cool down and yep, clutch action was back to norm. This weekend it'll be new Dot3 and a re-bleed. Man, I love the Cobra Car Community!

[Blitzboy54]

That's fantastic. Sounds like you hit the jackpot.

[KippRacing]

Good to see there are people that are still willing to help out others these days.

[AtlantaCobra]

Great story. I was with those guys this weekend at the annual Georgia Cobra Club Mountain Cruise. Make sure you join us next time. All great guys and Billy heads up the club and facebook page.
I'm in the Duluth area. Hope to run into you one day.
-Greg

[J R Jones]

With 700 miles it seems less likely that the fluid is aged/contaminated. Obviously heat boiled the clutch fluid, and not the brake fluid?
These are the various fluids and boiling points:
Dry Boiling Point Wet Boiling Point
DOT 3 205°C/401°F 140°C/284°F
DOT 4 230°C/446°F 155°C/311°F
DOT 5 260°C/500°F 180°C/356°F
DOT 5.1 260°C/500°F 180°C/356°F

You should see what fluid your M/C and S/C can tolerate.
You should look for proximity to a heat source and consider shielding.
jim

[Alec]

Sounds like I need that guy's number as well, JIC!

[Bill Elliott]

With 700 miles it seems less likely that the fluid is aged/contaminated. Obviously heat boiled the clutch fluid, and not the brake fluid?
These are the various fluids and boiling points:
Dry Boiling Point Wet Boiling Point
DOT 3 205°C/401°F 140°C/284°F
DOT 4 230°C/446°F 155°C/311°F
DOT 5 260°C/500°F 180°C/356°F
DOT 5.1 260°C/500°F 180°C/356°F

You should see what fluid your M/C and S/C can tolerate.
You should look for proximity to a heat source and consider shielding.
jim

Yea, dont wanna snipe this thread but this deserves some attention I believe . I live in Central Texas where we have been at 105 degrees for quite some time, kinda normal for here. So what I don't understand there are lots of cars here in these kinda temps and I don't here of this problem. I would like to hear others thoughts on what caused this.

[M22_COBRA]

Southern hospitality is real y'all. I lived in NC for 15 years and GA for the last 2, and if you looked stranded enough folks would definitely pull over and help. Cobra or otherwise.
Now that I'm in northern Michigan I question when my build drops if I will get the same result when I break down. lol.

[MB750]

I have to wondering how close exhaust tubing gets to your clutch line. Glad it seemed like a fast solution though.

[KDubU]

Great story!

[CraigS]

Look into DEI heat insulation products at Summit. They have many varieties and sizes. I like this style because the velcro closure means you can wrap it around an existing line w/o taking anything apart.
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/dei-010458

[BradCraig]

Good Stuff! it's been so dang hot here in NC I just keep it in the garage until evenings.