Question about clutch slave cylinder

Wes V

Member
My P5 has about 60,000 miles on it and the clutch just doesn't feel right. Not a sudden thing, it's just gotten to the point where I have to do something about it.

I have to depress the clutch pedal pretty much smack to the floor to get it to disenguage and allow the trans to go in gear.

The point where the clutch is engauged is up at the top of the pedal throw, where you would expect it.

I know the clutch is good because I can kill the engine by having it in gear, with the brakes set, and letting out the clutch.

This got me looking at the slave cylinder and I noticed something that seems strange.

The push rod is notably NOT in line with the cylinder!!!

slave.jpg


The red line is the cylinder centerline. The green line is the centerline of the push rod.

This just doesn't look right!!!!! It's as if the clutch arm has moved outwards.

So, please look at your car and let me know if this is normal

Wes Vann
 
it's normal
there's air in the line, you need to bleed it
Well..It just doesn't get "Air in the line" unless the system was opened or there is a leak. So this may be true..but he will need to adress a bigger issue if that is the case..and you know this.
 
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WOW that got hot!

There is no indication of leakage from the clutch system.

Forcefed; could you please look at your car and confirm that it really lines up as bad as shown in my photo.

(I'm an engineer and that's a really crap design, if correct. It would result in a lot of side force on the slave cylinder.)

Wes
 
Well..It just doesn't get "Air in the line" unless the system was opened or there is a leak. So this may be true..but he will need to adress a bigger issue if that is the case..and you know this.
air gets in the system because brake fluid is hydroscopic and the system is NOT closed.... water gets *absorbed* into the fluid and as it heats up, air bubbles gets released into the fluid... this is why brake and clutch pedals get mushy over time
 
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Plus bleeding the system and seeing if that helps is really easy...and if it works, there's your answer....
 
Forcefed, cool it. That was completely un-necessary. And you were wrong.

Cleaned up.


Wes, I think you've got a pretty viable solution to go try :)
 
air gets in the system because brake fluid is hydroscopic and the system is NOT closed.... water gets *absorbed* into the fluid and as it heats up, air bubbles gets released into the fluid... this is why brake and clutch pedals get mushy over time
Hey smart guy..I will keep it simple..Its "hygroscopic" not "Hydroscopic".
I deal with "Hygroscopic" thing many times a week in my line of work.
Know your terminology if you want to use it.
That is all.
 
I know the clutch is good because I can kill the engine by having it in gear, with the brakes set, and letting out the clutch.
This doesnt mean that the Clutch is good however...you say the clutch doesn't grab until very high up..that could be an indicator of a worn Clutch disc right there.

But all in all..I woud agree you need to bleed the Brake/Clutch system first before going any further.

Its cheap and if done right will eliminate this as a source for the problem if it still exists afterwards.
 
My slave cylinder (94' Mazda B3000) leaked and i noticed by the clutch action. I refilled the fluid and pressed/released the clutch 30 times or so per the manual 'to bleed the clutch'. It worked well.

Are there any leaks under the car?
How many miles/useage on the clutch?
 
My LX clutch is like that. It never fully disengages. Bled it and no change. (Even with a power bleeder.) I think it's the clutch itself, I jsut don't care. It's my winter beater.
 
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