My first gen (84) is in a bad situation! I have been having problems with the breaks. They were working fine and then just stopped working! No pressure what so ever! then all of a sudden they worked better than ever....

Then my clutch would act funny, doing the same thing until finally they both stopped working all together! the breaks actually locked shut. ( I have broken them free)

I obviously dont drive the vehicle right now but I need to get it fixed so I can use the car. Im wondering if this is something anyone else has been through? I belive its the Master cylinder and probably the slave cylinder....

I noticed when looking for parts that there is a master AND slave cylinder on the clutch??? I also figured this would be a costly repair. the break cylinder looks to be a general repair.

Any help would be helpful.

 

Well, if you are going to do it yourself then you are probably looking at $100-125 to get the brake master, clutch master, and clutch slave all replaced. The parts aren't too expensive and are really pretty easy to change, aside from messing with all the brake fluid. Cleaning up spills and bleeding the lines at the end are probably the hardest part of the job. If you are going to have someone else do it, I have no clue. Probably $200-300? Just a guess...

How competent are you with car repairs? I would also suggest looking at your brakes in the front and back to make sure everything is fine there also. Check your pads to make sure they still have some meat on them. (Do this by looking through the slot in the back of the brake calipers.) Make sure that the front rotors spin freely and you don't have any leaks from the calipers or the associated connections.

Do you have drums or discs in the rear of the car? You will want to check the back the same way if they are discs. If you have drums, then pull the drum off of each side (by removing the two phillips head screws) and check to see how much wear surface you have left on the shoes. Also, if you have drum brakes check your wheel cylinders on the back of each drum plate to make sure that they aren't leaking any fluid. I haven't had a first gen yet that didn't need a wheel cylinder or two...

Let me know if you need any more help. This should be a good overall check to start with...

 

Sims,
On the brakes, you need to do a full inspection.
Pull all the wheels off and inspect for leaks. See if the pads are wearing unevenly. Meaning the inboard pad wearing more than the outboard or one side (meaning left or right side of vehicle) wearing out the pads more than the other side.

If there are no visual leaks then the most likely cause is the Brake master cylinder. If there is no fluid loss then it is bypassing internally and needs to be replaced.

The slave cylinder is easy to check. Pull back the rubber protective boot and see if it is wet. If so then it is bad.

To inspect the Clutch master for leaks. Pull back the padding/carpet against the firewall area in the car and inspect for leaks. If there are no visual leaks from either than it still could be that the clutch master is also bypassing internally.

 

couldn't this also be the booster pump? if the booster went out/was leaking, wouldn't it cut hydraulic assist to the power brakes (if he has them) and the hydraulic clutch (if it is hydraulic)? i am looking at a similar issues and wonder if my brake booster is out (my brakes are spongy and barely hookup - bleeding and examining this week.

 

When the booster goes out you lose the power assist which results in a very hard pedal.

The clutch hydraulics are not tied into the brake system and do not have a power assist to them.

Your situation is the same. You need to perform a complete brake inspection.

 

I'd bleed both b4 I did anyhting.

could just be an air bubble...

 

Thanks guys!

I should have mentioned that I did check the break lines near the calipers and durms and there were NO leaks! That tells me that its a really good possibility that its just the Master. (thanks for the confirm doc!) I need new breaks in the front and I have decent weare in the back (drums)

As far as the clutch goes I was checking out some more info on the slave and it says that its IN SIDE the tranny??? That dosnt sound right. I havent checked this on the car yet because its snowing out and I just havent got the time today. Can anyone elaborate?

Im the type that gets his hands dirty. I put my clutch in last year by my self so I think this should be easy job compared to that.....
Any other suggestions are always welcome!

Thank you guys for your inpt and help!!!!

 

It's brakes, not breaks.

Clutch slave is exernal, bolted on the top front of the tranny, just follow the hose down from the clutch master. I replace both when one goes bad. That usually saves me from doing the other one within 12 months when it goes out.
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sorry about my spelling.... I have issues with that at times I just dont think about what Im spelling. My bad!

Is this a hard place to get to (clutch slave) with out having to drop the tranny?

 

If you have the beehive oil cooler, it makes it a little bit harder to change. It is not hard to change it, just 2 bolts on top of the transmission (close to the firewall).

 

The clutch slave is pretty easy to change. It's definitely easier than the brake master, just because there is only one line to remove. It is held in by two 10 or 12mm bolts that go right into the top of the bellhousing on the transmission. Make sure you bleed the air out of the new one when you put it in, just like you would bleed your brakes...

Jamie

 

rx7doctor, thanks for the tips. can the booster leak? i am hearing air whooshing from around the master/booster when i pump the brakes. no fluid leak, and not sure if there is an air leak either or the sound is coming from inside the booster. i'm wondering if the booster's gone bad.

my yukon has a hydro booster that runs the power steering and the brakes, my old crx had power brakes but no hydraulics on the clutch. i am piecing together my car knowledge, thanks for setting me straight --

 

You guys always ROCK!! I went and looked and I think this is going to be ok after all! Thinks alot for all the help