How much of a job is it to remove and re hab the clutch cylenders? I am not losing fluid from the tank, but the pedal goes down and stays down. Placeing the car in gear hold the clutch down , start and hope you are pointed in the right direction, shifting into gear is a real chore.Almost impossible with the engine running .Anyone have any real good ideas??? I am getting too old for this stuff and thinking about getting rid of my 85 GS and the parts car PM if interested Bob

 

Don't give up on her yet Bob. Perfect Circle lives in your area too, and I'm sure he'd give you a helping hand if needed.

Anyway, on to your issue... No fluid leaking, but clutch performance is less than desirable. Pedal stays on the floor rather than popping back up... Did this just suddenly start or is it something that has been slowly getting worse? Has the car been sitting unused for a while?

Well, at this point my money is on the clutch master cylinder so you shouldn't need to pull the tranny to replace the clutch. The clutch sounds like it's still gripping just fine.

Your best bet for a replacement MC will probably be at www.rockauto.com

After installation, you'll have to bleed it of course. Fortunately you can do this from the top of the car and won't have to crawl around on the ground. You'll need a helper to do this, and this is the point where I'd give Perfect Circle a shout (really nice guy). The other option is to buy one of those "speed bleeders" that let you bleed the system yourself. I'm not convinced that they work as advertised, but others have had success with them.

So anyway, its not as bad as it looks right now. Keep your spirits up Bob, you'll be fine.

 

replace the clutch slave and clutch master.
it'll only take a couple hours, less than $100 for both new pieces, and your clutch will feel like new when your done.

 

They're right. It's not a hard job, and you'll think you have a whole new clutch system.

When you get the new m/c, check the length of the studs with your original. When I did mine, I found that the threads ended sooner than on the original studs and had to use a pack of washers to fill the gap.

 

Meant to say that, but the wife was talking to me at the time and I lost my train of thought. Get the MC, slave, and a new clutch hose all at the same time. That way you can assemble the parts and bleed them before you install (helps if you have a vice, then use a large screw driver to push the piston in on the MC in place of using the pedal).

Thanks for filling in the gaps and picking up my slack guys!

 

I am not convinced that bench bleeding is the right thing to do. I use a one man bleeder, 10 bucks, and it is clean and easy. You can actually SEE the air removed from the system as bubbles in the clear fluid line, which is part of the kit. With a speed bleeder or just manually bleedeing, you make a mess and cannot see the condition of the fluid.

Adding fluid prior to installation on the car (part of bench bleeding) causes spills and drips that are a nuisance.

For those that never saw the 'one man bleeder', it is simply a length of clear tubing that attaches to your bleed valve, and a 4 oz. bottle that the tubing feeds into. You simply pump and keep adding fresh fluid untill you see clear fluid in the line.

 

Same here...no bench bleeding, just a Griot's bleeder kit and 2 psi of air and 5 to 10 seconds and I'm done. Solid pedal and clutch happiness with no histrionics or marring of the custom painted master cylinder...

 

I got one of those a month or two ago. It was less than $10 at some auto parts store and I've been very happy with it. Now I don't have to recruit children to pump brake and clutch pedals for me. I may try the kit mar3 mentioned, but for now this is working.

 

Thank you one and all, I always thought that a one man bleeder was a gimmick , now I will buy one and bleed the heck out of the cylinders first. The XYL gets testy about coming out and sitting in the car,even if I let her play with the radio.

 

I replaced mine recently. Bled it after installation. Did it by myself with a pint jar and a piece of rubber hose. Standing in the door, I can actually reach the clutch pedal and a wrench going to the slave cylinder. If a short old man like me can do it, surly you young guys can

- David

 

That would def fall under the "histrionics" category..

 

David: I would expect a kid of 53 could do it but 75 is pushing it. I just cut the old exhaust from my 92 S10 Took me three days but t is now quiet. Bob

 

fish hose works good.

 

Not if you don't fish....

 

cat murph, slashdawg, i think i beat you both on the price of that one man bleeder, under $2.50 it was on sale at princess auto. Its the best thing, so easy to use, i did my whole clutch and brake line system on my 7 with this and it was so easy and worked great. Its even got a magnet on it to hold it to metal stuff near by. Best $2.50 I even spent, too bad i never had it a few years ago for my datsun and 1/2 ton chev......

 

yea, id more than happy to help you, just send me a pm if your interested, and i can shoot you my number. then we can meet up. ive done this repair before, so its not a big deal. let me know.