I'm having a huge problem getting my system to bleed. There's no leaking in the system, I have a brand new SS hose.

My friend believes that the master cylinder may be clogged, and need to be rebuilt/replaced.

The clutch hose was replaced because the pedal would often stick to the floor, instead of returning...

do these sound like symptoms of a bad master? or what?

 

yep...i had the same problem. the clutch would stick to the floor after being used a few times. i could pull it back up and it would work ok for a bit and then get stuck again until it wouldn't come up for anything. i bled it first...that didnt fix it. i then changed the slave cylinder and hose. that didn't fix it. just the master was left.

the master will push the fluid into the system and the fluid will leak back out around the piston/pumper part (not sure what its called) rather than holding pressure in the system, so there is no pressure to push the pedal back out and the clutch is stuck engaged with the pedal on the floor. after i changed the 13 year old hose and slave i could tell for sure it was the master cylinder. a bad master brake cylinder produces a similar effect on the brakes...pedal can be all the way in, not want to come up, and the brakes will not be holding.

so...now i have a brand new tokico master and slave cylinder, and stainless steel clutch slave hose from mazdatrix . only the master was broken, but the other parts were really hashed looking so i'm kind of glad i replaced them too. the clutch pedal now has a firmer and more responsive feel than it has ever had before .

 

If the system is not damaged, it sounds like you might just still have air in the system

a common mistake I often see is:

You have to keep a hose attached to the end of the bleeder valve and that hose has to stay submerged in the brake fluid while you bleed the system. You might already know this, but sometimes the obvious gets overlooked.

 

Thanks guys. Sounds just like bingo's problem. New Master Cylinder time!

 

have fun, to make changing the master easier, i took out the driver's seat. the nutsto take off the master cylinder are up above the clutch pedal on the inside of the car. without the seat there, i just laid down so that i could look up at it. the seat only has 4 bolts that are really easy to get to.

 

They can be a total ***** to put back in though! Be careful. It's VERY easy to cross-thread a bolt and screw up the threads on it and the hole if you get it slightly jacked when you're putting it back. Ask me how I know this...

 

I know how putting the seats back in can be I only have three bolts in each seat everytime I take them out I mess on up anyone know what tap and die size to use?

 

heh well...word of advice on that. dont let any moron sit in your seat when its not in. that can probably dent/bend the little connector guys which then yes, would make your seats a total bitch to put back in. mine were a pain to get back in, but they weren't bad enough to make it not worth doing and i got all 4 bolts in a few mins.