nseldy

Last night I got in my car, pushed the clutch in and started it up, then the motor stalled as if I popped the clutch while in 1st gear. Then I removed my foot from the clutch and it stayed against the floor!! I pulled the clutch back out by hand and pushed it in and out several times. The clutch then started to have some spring back, so I pushed the clutch in and started the car while in neutral. I put the car in gear and drove home and it seems to be working fine now!?? It really scared me, is there something major wrong? Anybody have any ideas on what caused this or how to prevent this in the future? Thanks

Turo

iTrader: (23)

I don't know much about transmissions, but I know my car was doing that when my master cylinder started to go bad.

nseldy

yea, I've read through a lot of the threads from people that had similiar problems, it seems to be quite common unfortuanately and seems to get traced back to the master cylinder. My '99 has only 55,000 miles, is it normal for the master cylinder to take a **** this early?

Turo

iTrader: (23)

Not sure if it is normal or not, but mine went out @ 50k miles.

HeapaShifter

iTrader: (2)

Check the clutch fluid level. You might have a leak.

nseldy

The clutch fluid is right beside the master cylinder right? I checked the level and it was low, so I added some and I'll check for leaks. Is there a certain area I should check first for leaks or the cause of the leak? Thanks

Revelation Z28

iTrader: (10)

master is going out.

you may need to bleed the system.

TransAmDrag98

it could be leaking under the reservoir, on the end of the master cylinder, or at the slave cylinder. i would check for leaks, bleed air out of the system, replace the master if necessary.

nseldy

I read in the threads that when replacing a master cylinder it's better to replace it with and 01-02 master cylinder because of its better design. Can I just install an '01 or '02 master cylinder without changing anything or is there other parts that need to be changed to? Thanks

nseldy

Does anybody know how to determine whether it's the master or the slave that's bad? Just wondering because to replace the slave the trans has to be dropped and requires more labor right...? Thanks

Geo.

<Bump>

I'd like to hear the answer to this also. And yes I searched.

I've also got clutch problem where the pedal sticks to the floor. if the pedal is pushed at a little faster than normal speed it works fine (it does not require pumping and pedal feels good) but if you push it slowly to the floor the fluid goes back into the master cylinder reservoir (actually saw this) and the pedal sticks to the floor. I am assuming this is a problem with the master.

Hope this isn't a thread hijack, I just didn't want to start like the 1 millionth thread on pedal sticking to floor.

nseldy

Geo, my clutch acts in the same manner, and sometimes randomly it will stick to the floor. I checked my fluid and it was milky, dirty and slightly low. After adding fluid it still occasionally sticks to the floor. I have a lot of people telling my it's my master and also a lot saying that it's my slave cylinder. I was just wondering if there was a way to tell which part (slave, master, or both) was causing the problem. Mainly because I don't currently have a lot of money to spend on replacing both them, but I will if need be.

N4cer

iTrader: (11)

When my slave went out, I had clutch fluid (brake fluid) running out of my bell housing. Also no matter what I did, the fluid ran out after a few pumps. I couldn't have driven home unless I lived 2 shifts away.

Buy a RAM adjustable master cylinder if you replace your master. You'll be glad you did.

nseldy

Is it possible that my clutch hydraulics might just need bled? The reason I'm thinking that is because I can drive it find for a few days and then it'll randomly stick to the floor under normal driving. I can't find any leaks anywhere, but my fluid does look dirty and grayish in color.

Should I first change the fluid and bleed the system before replacing the master and slave? Thanks

N4cer

iTrader: (11)

Could be. Could also be that your color is due to the seals in there deteriorating. Mine were. I pulled my old master apart and there was a bunch of sludge in the bottom of it where my seals, etc. were wearing. You will just have to bleed it (at the tranny - I cut a hole in my floorboard to make it easier). If that doesn't work, fill the reservior with fluid and pump the clutch. See if you have fluid leaking from your bell housing. Heck, look under your car now. You'd know if the slave seals were bad.

nseldy

Yea, we checked it out all underneath the car with the reservoir full while pumping the clutch and I couldn't find anything anywhere. It doesn't appear to be the slave leaking. I filled the reservoir up only about an inch last thursday(5 days ago) and it's still at the same level, so if it's leaking it's very slow and I don't know where it's coming from. I'll try bleeding the whole system and see if that helps.

gmmastertech9825

go to the dealer and get the hydrolic system for the car it should be about 130$ replace it. make sure you get one for a 2002 and it is the updated design so it won;t happen again another trick is to before you put it on use heat wrap on the hoses so the fluid does not boil and your seals will last longer any other questions please ask thanks

N4cer

iTrader: (11)

IF YOU ORDER NEW HYDRAULICS, DO NOT PAY FULL GM PRICE!
Get a new slave from the Advance Auto Parts or Autozone web site. One is cheaper than the other, and it's the same part. There's only one slave manufacturer in the world for our cars. And if buying a new master, I got the RAM adjustable. It's a stock GM master that is made adjustable.

nseldy

I checked Advance Auto and they can me a new master for $127.99, but the brand name didn't say GM, unless it's the manufacturer that supplies them for GM. The price doesn't sound much cheaper than other ones I saw online or from GMdirectparts.com, I don't know maybe it's just that store? They also have a remanufactured master for $74, but I had trouble with reman stuff from Advance Auto in the past, so I probably just go with a new one. Thanks for all your help

nseldy

I ordered a new clutch master cylinder from Advance Auto Parts, it's made by Bendix. Has anyone ever heard of this brand, good or bad? Or should I just get a true GM master? Thanks again