Hi guys, Christ what a ball ache the poxy master cylinder is to get at.
So a year ago a garage changed my clutch slave and master cylinder, I had no time so let them do it, only they did not push the fluid elbow in on the master cylinder properly, it was letting by and caused a soft pedal . So I removed it fitted the elbow correctly and refitted with new reservoir hose also.

I tried reverse bleeding up from the slave first and after that didn’t work I stared pumping the pedal, opening and closing the bleed valve, that didn’t work either.
Was simply sucking up and pumping out the guild from my bleed bottle. I Was getting really frustrated by this point. I filled the reservoir up and still no fluid was filling the new line or the new master cylinder, not even by gravity, I thought this was due to an air lock, so I unbolted the pushrod from the pedal mount and allowed it to travel more and the fluid now filled the system, but the problem I have now is over coming the pressure to refit the push rod to the pedal.
Really proving impossible. I have unbolted it from the fire wall now so hopefully this may help.
Any advice greatly appreciated
Thanks

3 things I'd try:
1-loosen the receiver cylinder on the transmission so you're not working against the spring. Less working space on a 300D than a 240D but you can get to the top bolt with a 12 or 13 mm socket and an extension or two. Tighten it back up when your sender cylinder is back in place.

2- Put a line over the bleeder on the receiver cylinder and put the end in a jar of brake fluid like you're bleeding it. Now you can compress it without losing your bleed. It will take make up fluid from the brake reservoir next time it extends. Don't forget to close the bleeder.

3- It's not fun to install or remove, but the clutch and ( i think ) brake pedals are on a cast frame that bolts to the firewall, you can remove this if it helps, but you'll disconnect the hose that runs to the brake reservoir, probably.

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Dd:
In her wisdom, Mother Benz supplied production W123s with clutch master cylinders (and the accompanying push rods) in two flavors: a cylinder with a "high" piston and a short push rod, and a cylinder with a "low" piston and a long push rod. Mismatches occur frequently; based on the description of your tribulations, you have a cylinder with a "high" piston matched with a long push rod. As you are discovering, it is quite difficult to reinstall the push rod when the system is full of fluid, even when the pedal-to-push rod eccentric is adjusted to maximum clearance. Further, even if the push rod were to be reinstalled, the piston would be pushed down into the cylinder so far that bleeding would not be possible.

Thanks both

So my clutch master cylinder is wrong then?

Frank

If this is the case then I should be able to allow the system to gravity bleed with the rod at its upper most as it’s disconnected and then if possible get the rod reconnected with the bleed valve open in a bleed bottle, with pipe. This should all then work correctly?

It is possible that that is the process that was followed by the lads who replaced the master & slave cylinders. They, and you, could take a different approach. Install a short push rod!