Hadoken

I drove my 84 GSL-SE with 72k miles one day and didn't notice anything weird with the clutch at all, but then I've only been driving this car (driving any car actually) for 3 months, so I don't know that I would notice anything.

Then it sat for a few days and my dad went to back it out of the garage and he said that the clutch pedal didn't seem like it was disengaging nearly as good as it had been. So I got into the car today to move it so I could wash it, and it did seem like I had to push the clutch way down to get it to disengage. Then I started to put it into reverse and it grinded for a split second then I let off. I turned the car off and then put it back into 1st.

So the clutch seems to have lost pressure, and it isn't disengaging very well or at all.. If the transmission has gone bad, sounds like it's gonna be sitting for a while since I don't have money for a new transmission...Could it be something else? If so, let me know.

wwilliam54

bleed the clutch line

Hadoken

I'm going to do that this weekend and see if it fixes it. Also lately I've noticed a bit of fluid underneath the car after sitting for extended periods, I thought it was oil, but could that have something to do with this?

I was looking on the Mazdatrix website and saw this http://mazdatrix.com/g2.htm
now I'm having both of the first two symptoms, but it's not ALWAYs hard to get into first or reverse, only sometimes.
They say replace slave and/or master cylinder...so which is it causing this? Or is it both? Couldn't it also be a line leaking?

cdrad51

Why don't you take a look in the engine bay and find out. Look under the cilinders, feel the firewall under where the master cilinder is. Fluid there = time to change the cilinders. BTW usually the both go out at similar times, so might as well change both. One more thing, the fluid will eat your paint in the firewall, if there is any left. So hurry.

Hadoken

I took a look under the master cylinder and didn't see any liquid under it and I looked at the fluid and it is DARK DARK BLACK, too dark for oil really, but thats what it has to be.. Hydraulic fluid is clearish/amber isn't it? Last time I checked my oil plug it had worked loose, I need to make sure it hasn't worked loose again...I pray it's that

Think it's a safe asumption to change the hoses between the slave and master cylinder and if that doesn't fix it, then just replace them both?

I know you can buy rebuild kits for the cylinders, but I hear they don't last very long. Better to buy a new one right?

cdrad51

right.

Hadoken

Is it better to go to Auto Zone/Advance and get the hoses and slave/master cylinder or go to the Mazda dealership, OR call Victoria British...Could someone look in the Spring/Summer issue of VB and tell me how much they are? I lost my Spring one, the fall one says it's $20 for the Slave and $40 for the master..but I think they've went up $10.

Unsupa

iTrader: (2)

well, you'll get them a lot cheaper at autozone/ advance.. i was having this problem last summer and the mazda dealership wanted 180 smackeroo's for the master and slave cylinders.. no new line with that price.. if you're really on the cheap, (like me: college guy helping with mom's bills) go to the junkyard and get em both.. 15 bucks for both master and slave.. haven't had a problem since last summer.

Edit: My spring issue says that the master is $49.95 and the slave is $24.95, and a new hose is $13.

mazdaverx713b

iTrader: (91)

spend the money and get quality parts. trust me you won't regret it. if you have engine oil in your clutch fluid resovoir, you'll have probably messed something up. you can start by replacing the slave cyl and the hose and see if that helps any. however, it is reccomended to replace all 3 components at the same time.

Hadoken

I bled the clutch today, and apparently the doctor that owned the car before me didn't believe in preventitive maintenance... Looks like original clutch fluid from late 1983 when the car arrived on the lot...
After bleeding the clutch it feels like it used to now, but I'm not sure how long it'll last, or if any damage was done to the slave cylinder. I also only pulled it in the garage, so I haven't driven it to see how it'll hold up.
Another problem, it looks like someone took a ziptie and strapped the hose to another hose in the car and it was so tight both of them have permanent creases in them, so it may be that as well..It could have caused the hose to collapse on itself internally.

When I was there looking I also saw the brake fluid was very dark as well, looked like it is 20 years old as well. Now I'm working on a way to get under there and bleed them...
I'll let you know if bleeding it fixed the problem.