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I got a new clutch installed by the dealer a few weeks ago. It's a '90, 740 turbo wagon with a 4 cyclinder engine. Last night I drove home parked, and then went to drive somewhere else. When i got in, I pushed the clutch pedal to the floor, started the car, and the clutch pedal just stayed in.
hydraulic leak? what are the possibilities? At a minimum I need to get it to the dealer - so a temporary fix might do the trick. It seems like there are a limited number of things that could cause this to happen. The shop was deliberate in downplaying any possiblity that it could have been related to their work, citing the parts that they did not replace (including the master cylinder and hydraulic lines)
help!! thanks
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posted by
someone claiming to be fixit 2003
on
Thu Jan 12 02:36 CST 2006 [ RELATED]
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I believe the clutch slave cylinder is held is place with a large circlip. That may have come loose and the slave cylinder shifted. Usually this causes a leak. Is there any hydraulic fluid under the car? Sounds like the dealer has to take another look at this.
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no fluid under the car (although it is a damp dirt driveway so maybe I'm missing something). The slave cylinder at the clutch has about 1 inch of silver cylinder showing, which seems to suggest that the cylinder is stuck in the extended position and the jam may be inside the clutch itself - but maybe I'm reading into things.
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Fixit pretty much nailed it on the head. There is no coincidence in that the dealer was just in there and now it is dead in the water. It could be a new clutch and an old slave cylinder deal where the old slave was on the ragged edge and blew out two weeks later. That does not make it the dealer's fault or responsibility but that could be the reason. Now if it is a matter of the circlip coming off then they are an owner on that one and will need to make it right and pay for your tow bill. The only way you are going to know that though is if you crawl your butt under the car and have a looksee yourself or take it to an independent third party and explain to them EXACTLY what the deal is and that you would like to see it for yourself. Otherwise the tech at the original repair facility has the opportunity to bury the comeback and sell you a new slave at your expense. Speaking of which, if it is a circlip that popped off and it blew the guts out of the slave, do you really want it just stuffed back together or do you want a new slave? I of course would want the slave replaced and if it failed because the clip that they removed popped off then I suggest that they eat it.
Mark
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I know where the slave cylinder is - but I'm not clear just yet on where the circlip is - does it hold the guts in the slave cylinder? Or does it hold the cylinder in it's place on the side of the clutch?
Either way - it sounds like I need to get it towed unless I can figure out how to install a new slave and rebleed the system, which is a possiblity.
Thanks for your help -
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CORRECTION - there is fluid that appears to have most certainly come from the slave cylinder.
So it's not leaving my driveway except by tow.
Can anyone give me an idea of how difficult this replacement is? I see the hydraulic linkage on top of the cylinder easy enough - but the line runs behind the firewall so I'm not sure where I would fill/bleed it after cylinder replacement. Is there anything else I would need to know?
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It's not terribly difficult but you will need snap ring pliers and a flare nut wrench (can't remember the size) if it's the same as my '86. The slave cylinder on mine was siezed to the bell housing and did take a bit twisting with fingers crossed until it finally broke free. I was afraid I'd break the bell housing!
The master cylinder for the clutch on mine uses the same reservoir as the brake fluid. You can see it on the side if you clean it off well. It doesn't hold much fluid though, so keep that in mind when it comes time to bleed it.
Mine has been quite stubborn to bleed at times. Sometimes have to walk away from it. It can be frustrating, but I have always seemed to work it out.
Good luck
--
'60 544, '68 220S, '70 145S, '72 144E, '86 745T
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and it's a lot easier if the car has a tach.
If you are interested, I will be glad to post the instructions on how to.
Drove my 1979 245DL stick to a shop 20 miles away (lotsa freeway) with that problem.
Regards,
Bob
:>)
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Yes please post. Although my clutch is currently not engaged, so I would need to somehow force the clutch to be engaged. 10 miles to my shop, mostly expressway.
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The challenge is in matching the speed of the main drive gear (driven by the engine and at engine speed) with the next set gear that you want.
Usually not a problem since the main drive gear is disengaged from the engine when the clutch in disengaged, and the synchro gears allow the other gears to engage without clash. (Clash occurs when an attempt is made to engage two gears that are not spinning at the same speed.)
Clutch always engaged also means that if the car is at a stop, the engine cannot run. So you must have the car in 1st gear, then start it. Means being ready for forward motion RIGHT NOW. This is the main reason to choose a route that may be longer but has fewer needs to stop.
Once moving, it is usually easy to apply a little pressure to the shifter and get into neutral. Suppose you are at 15 mph in first. To go to 2nd gear, the engine must be spinning at a slower speed than it was while in first. Trial and error, shift slowly, and soon you will learn what the engine speed must be. That's why having a tach is sooo nice.
2nd to third is about the same. Engine speed for, say 40mph, will be lower for 3rd gear than for 2nd. Ease into neutral, let engine speed drop some, and attempt to ease into 3rd. Hear a clash? Push no more, change engine speed, try again. Watch rpms and learn. It gets easier.
Helps if you have watched the engine rpms while shifting without there being any problems. You can practice this even if the clutch works OK, just don't use it.
Good Luck,
Bob
:>)
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This is beginning to sound like an internal clutch / throwout bearing problem. Stuck down = disengaged clutch?
Can you start it in gear and will the car move?
I believe the installer is likely to be responsible.
I suppose the slave could have extended so far that the piston popped out and locked the arm and throwout bearing in a disengaged position but then the question is why would that happen if everything was correct internally?
If the arm is wedged tight then you may be able to tap, wiggle or do something to engage the clutch. If it's loose you are not likely to be able to drive it.
Drive home by starting in gear and then use RPM's to match vehicle speed to make your shifts or do like truck drivers do, shove it into neutral, blip the throttle, make your next shift. Be sure to shove it into neutral before you come to a complete stop.
Good luck!
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clutch was definitely stuck disengaged. Your description sounds right. And they did just have it all open to replace all those parts. I could turn the car on, put it in first, take my foot off the clutch pedal, and the pedal would just stay at the floor, i wasn't going anywhere . . .
On the flip side, I did find hydraulic fluid on the slave cylinder. It doesn't make sense to me that a faulty (leaking) slave cylinder would result in a "clutch disengaged" condition. Your description makes sense, and also explains the leaky fluid.
Hmm, so i got the car towed to the shop today. They told me I need a new slave cyclinder and they have ordered it - didn't have it on the shelf, they need through Monday to get it together.
Can someone confirm if the clutch is engaged or disengaged when the slave cylinder fails? That should answer my question here. If there are problems inside that caused this, I not only don't want to pay for this, but I also want to make sure they fix the problems inside.
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that is when there is no fluid or pressure in the slave.
It is also possible that the slave had so much crud built up in it that it got stuck and never returned to the rest postition. The clutch spring will normally push it into the rest position.
So I guess the final answer is it could be either.
--
'60 544, '68 220S, '70 145S, '72 144E, '86 745T
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