When my clutch master cylinder went out 2 years ago, I put a spare 79 setup in - master, slave, and lines. Worked pretty well. Then I upgraded my clutch to a Clutchmasters Stage 3. Still everything was good. I finally got around to changing back to a good 85 setup last night. Night and day. It is definately superior. It feels better and works better. This is a cheap upgrade for a 79-80 also.

 

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I can't tell the diff... maybe your '79 setup was just worn out?

The bore diameters and everything are identical between SA and FB, the only difference is the thread pitch on the hydraulics.

 

They look physically different, also they have different part numbers for the 12A and 13B.

 

I know some have different angles on the bleeder screw depending on year. I think it is to clear that oil/water cooler on the later 12a's. I do not think they are a different hydraulic system though.

 

I need to rebuild both my clutch master and slave cylinders but everytime I get slightly motivated, I go out and stare at the master cylinder for about 10 minutes and say,"How the hell does that come out?!". I got like 3 books, all I can see are 2 bolts inside the cabin near where the clutch pedal connects. Is that about it or what? And I have never seen the slave, though I probably just didn't know what I was looking at. I know the master pretty well since I have to fill it weekly/daily if I want to use the clutch.

Basically, my system leaks real bad somewhere. It leaks if the car is parked or driving. I haven't noticed any major spills anywhere but I don't really know where to look. Anyone got any pics of what the whole system looks like? I assume you have the clutch pedal with a connection directly piggybacked to the master cylinder through the firewall, which from there has tubes going to the slave cylinder somewhere, then more tubing to the actual clutch and maybe back again?

LoL, now that I think of it, I don't even know where the clutch is.

I have an 85se if that makes a difference.

 

slave cylinder is bolted to the top of the tranny. has a rubber line running from it to the steel line bolted to the firewall. steel line runs to the master cylinder. master cylinder bolts in with just those two bolts above clutch pedal.

this is an easy thing to do, just take your time and get flare wrenches to keep from buggering up the line nut thing. Last time I did this I took the screw that held the holder that holds the steel line off, and the bolt that holds the bracket where the rubber line meets the steel line. Left the rubber line and the steel line on the slave cylinder as this is usually a MF to get off. It was much easier this way and you wont bugger up any line fittings.

I did this fix as one of my first DIY projects when I was a teenager. just follow the haynes or Mazda Factory Serivce Manual.

Good luck,

and oh yeah, get a Mazda Factory Service Manual.

 

Look up under your dash sometime... Or better yet, feel your floor.

I had the same problem.

My master cylinder leaked from the back side, where it connects to the clutch pedal.

Easy to remove... Take out the pipe flare nut. Pull the rod that connects the master to the pedal. You'll readjust this to your liking later... Pull the two nuts and the master will be loose. Follow the pipe to the hose to the slave... Two bolts to the tranny bell housing... You'll probably drop the bolts. To get them back in, I lit a candle and dipped the bolt heads in the wax. Then I stuck the hot, wax coated bolts into the socket and extension... Tape or magnetic sockets also work.

Hook it all up and bleed the system just as you would bleed your brakes. Be sure the slave piston is pressed against the clutch fork before filling the master cylinder though.

Good luck.