Manual Transmission T56 | T5 | MN12 | Clutches | Hydraulics | Shifters

Master or Slave?

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Old Feb 24, 2015 | 06:39 PM
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Default Master or Slave?

Recently my clutch has been getting worse and worse. It is very spongy and sticks to the floor very easily when sitting at a red light with the clutch engaged or especially when backing up in reverse. It will get stuck to the floor and the car will stall because I can't get the car into neutral quick enough, very annoying.

So I've done a couple things after reading up tons of threads on here and I've sucked out all of the fluid and replaced it until it was clear. Helped for about a day and then the problem came back very quickly.

Then I bought a mityvac and tried to bleed it and there was absolutely no air that would come out so I don't think that is the problem.

So now it leads me to believe it's the master clutch cylinder or either the slave cylinder. How would I tell which one needs replaced? I know the tranny needs dropped to install the slave so I would like to avoid replacing that and try to do the master first.

Does this sound like a master problem?
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Old Feb 24, 2015 | 11:29 PM
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Sounds like a typical master cylinder issue. Time to invest in a Tick MC, though I guess for the time being you could try the drill mod and see if that helps at all.
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Old Feb 26, 2015 | 12:17 PM
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Originally Posted by M4N14C
Sounds like a typical master cylinder issue. Time to invest in a Tick MC, though I guess for the time being you could try the drill mod and see if that helps at all.
I thought the drill mod only helps for WOT shifts? It doesn't seem to have issues when shifting during WOT, just when I'm at slow speeds.

And what are the benefits of the Tick vs a new OEM master? Besides the hefty price tag.
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Old Feb 26, 2015 | 07:53 PM
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How many miles on your car? These parts don't last forever...

Replace the MC, the line, and slave with new OEM parts and enjoy the driving.

Andrew
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Old Feb 27, 2015 | 08:25 AM
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Originally Posted by Project GatTagO
How many miles on your car? These parts don't last forever...

Replace the MC, the line, and slave with new OEM parts and enjoy the driving.

Andrew
Just 60k. Didn't think I would be replacing clutch hydraulics that early but I guess it is an f-body after all..
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Old Feb 27, 2015 | 10:33 AM
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Originally Posted by dabest09
Just 60k. Didn't think I would be replacing clutch hydraulics that early but I guess it is an f-body after all..
The car is also 13 years old. Rubber seals do deteriorate with time.

Andrew
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Old Mar 4, 2015 | 01:53 PM
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Originally Posted by dabest09
Just 60k. Didn't think I would be replacing clutch hydraulics that early but I guess it is an f-body after all..
I agree the general sponginess of the pedal sounds like a hydraulics issue. HOwever, the pedal sticking to the floor or returning to erratic pedal heights normally indicates the stock pressure plate. it is "self adjusting", which means it randomly "adjusts" itself to whatever it wants to do and no longer consistently returns fluid to the master, pushing the pedal back up.

Combination of my own experience and thread searches tells me that the one sure way to get rid of the clutch issue once and for all is:

1. Install the Tick Master. Very expensive, but after going through several stock masters, only doing the repair once is rather nice.
2. Replace the clutch with an aftermarket like monster. While you're in there already, a new slave is cheap insurance, and the stock GM slave is fine.

Doing both combined, you eliminate the weird random stuff the stock clutch does as it ages, and since the master is adjustable, you don't need the pressure plate to adjust. You get very consistent disengagement and pedal return.
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Old Mar 4, 2015 | 02:04 PM
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Originally Posted by dabest09
I thought the drill mod only helps for WOT shifts? It doesn't seem to have issues when shifting during WOT, just when I'm at slow speeds.

And what are the benefits of the Tick vs a new OEM master? Besides the hefty price tag.
The drill mod is more about fluid return - GM put the restrictor in the line to protect the barbie 10-bolt from the destructive force of the LS1/M6 combination. It allows only so much fluid to move at once, which slows the clutch engagement down, which softens the blow to the rear. When your pedal stops returning correctly, sometimes the drill mod helps, but only if your pressure plate is good.

the Tick master is a larger bore (7/8" vs 3/8"), so it moves more fluid faster. The line does not have the restrictor, so there is no need to drill mod. The tick master is adjustable, so you can use a non-self-adjusting pressure plate, which greatly improves consistency of engagement point. The tick master is a much heavier duty build with better internal quality. I wish I had a picture of them side by side. no comparison. I did a couple fo OEM replacements before going to the tick, and they only lasted 3-6 months before I had the same problems. Only downside to a tick master is it's a b1tch to install. once it's in, though, you never have to do it again.
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Old Mar 4, 2015 | 05:57 PM
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Originally Posted by Darth_V8r
Only downside to a tick master is it's a b1tch to install. once it's in, though, you never have to do it again.
Oh man, tell me about it. It's a hella of a tight fit but totally worth it when you start driving it and get perfect shifts
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Old Mar 4, 2015 | 06:49 PM
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I also had this problem and it turned out to be the MC had went bad!!!
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Old Mar 6, 2015 | 08:00 AM
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I also had the same problem and mine is a low mileage 98 like said above they get old with time even without being used.
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