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/// Examine the Brake Fluid in the clutch master cylinder. Is it black or dark brown and opaque? It should be amber and clear. It does darken with increased moisture content. There is a chemical reaction between American Dot 3 fluid and Girling rubber in hydraulic systems. Girling uses nitril not SBR in seals. Once contaminated the system will fail in 10 to 20K miles.
Jeep truck began to use Girling clutch systems in the early 1980s. At a later point someone in the assembly plant began to put Dot 3 caps on the master cylinders. There was massive failure of these systems as owners followed the cap instructions to use only Dot 3. This information is available in the NHTSC web site under consumer complaints 1985 Jeep Cherokee.
It is possible that you had your oil changed (probably at a Pennzoil shop) and the clutch was topped off with dot 3. If this is the case I am building a data base to complain to the NHTSC. Send me a e-mail if you can confirm this contamination. Raybestos makes test strips that will indicate the grade of the brake fluid. The Dot 3 indicator is dark enough that it can be identified even if both indicators react and appear in the one test pad for grade.
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