kozak

iTrader: (2)

I know this has been beat to death but every case is a little different. So i live in ohio it's been really cold lately the trans is really hard to get into gear, all the gears especially 1st and reverse. the pedal feels really strange, there is about 1-2 inches of dead pedal when i push it in. then the clutch grabs right off the floor when coming up.should i bleed the clutch? if yes then how can i do this with out using a vaccum device, just my foot and a friend. also what kind of clutch fluid should i get/where should i get it from. thanks in advance.

BlackScreaminMachine

iTrader: (17)

Check the fluid color, bleed the system, sounds like your boiled the fluid. Use Dot 4. A turkey baster and your friend on the clutch peddle

kozak

iTrader: (2)

thanks, *cough, i boiled the fluid twice, cough*. turkey baister huh?

99WS7

iTrader: (13)

pressure plates bolts could be loose.

kozak

iTrader: (2)

oh yeah i forgot it's still the stock clutch with 30k miles on the car.

kozak

iTrader: (2)

any other ideas. i think i;m going to pick up a Mity Vac and some fluid from autozone. i found a writeup on how to bleed the clutch with out going under the car, i'll try that and let you know how it goes.

http://performanceworks1.com/ls1_clutch_bleeding.htm

eallanboggs

iTrader: (1)

If you have excessive clutch pedal free play your clutch master cylinder is shot(seals). Was the fluid in the master black? That's due to the seal wear. I recently developed excess clutch pedal free play. Changed the clutch master and now I have minimal free play(about 1"). I wish I knew about the MighyMite method. I have one of them sitting on the shelf, but used the old manual bleed method. While installing the new master cylinder I immediatley noticed that as the clutch pedal was being depressed that nearly twice as much fluid was coming out for each clutch pedal stroke during the bleeding process so I knew some progress was being made. The new master cylinder solved my clutch problems. My pedal is solid again and I have very little free play. The vehicle has 70K. I will take the MiteyMite down from the shelf the next time I have to replace a brake or clutch master cylinder. I noticed that after a few days the freeplay decreased even more. Now that I think about what the MiteyMite does I realized that those air bubble gradually bled themselves out of the master cylinder into the resevoir and decreased my pedal freeplay. The MiteyMite just does it all in one step.

kozak

iTrader: (2)

i picked up a mity vac yesterday and did the process today. it helped with the problem about 50%. i;m going to try it again the afternoon. i hope the master cyl isn;t shot because the car only has 30k miles on it. and the fluid is black, well... yeah it;s black. what kind of fluid does the dealership use? it's purple right? is mixing different color fluids bad? i know the color doesn;t matter per say but i don't know if any additives will react or whatever. i picked up a bottle of prestone dot 4 also. i will get back to you shortly.

eallanboggs

iTrader: (1)

If the fluid is black your seals are wearing. The seals are black so they turn the fluid black. Check the fluid in your brake master resevoir. It's probably black too. Just use DOT 3. The color is usually lite brown(tan). It probably doesn't hurt to mix brands of brake fluid as long as they are all DOT 3 rated. How much freeplay do you have now that you've done the MiteyVac treatment once? If you have more than 1" your master isn't pushing enough fluid down to the slave thus your clutch isn't being fully released.

kozak

iTrader: (2)

it's about 1 inch of free play. the brake fluid is still normal color. the clutch fluid was purple when i got the car. i might have the local dealership do a clutch bleed and fluid replacement depending on how much it is. if that doesn;t help then i guess it's the master cyl. after the second mity vac attempt the shifting still felt the same. i started the car this morning, (it's about 14 deg here in ohio) and 1st and reverse were real bad to get into. when the car warms up shifting is smoother but still not as good as it should be.

eallanboggs

iTrader: (1)

Now stop and think about what you just said. If you did the bleed procedure twice(assuming you did it correctly which you did, right?) and you have only 1" of freeplay(which ain't bad), but your clutch doesn't get fully released even with the pedal to the floor what does that tell you? If you can do the MityVac procedure why would you pay someone to change your fluid and bleed the system for you? That doesn't make sense. Your master is BAD if all you say is true. I paid $49 recently(dealer wanted $150) for one. It's easy to change.
1Get old fluid out of master resevoir using paper towels
2Disconnect safety interlock connector on clutch pushrod
3Rotate master 1/4 turn to seperate from firewall
4Knock out roll pin holding hose to master
Installation is reverse of removal.
Oh, you might want to bleed the new master while you're at it.

kozak

iTrader: (2)

ok so the weather warmed up a little and i took the car out and it shifts about 100 times better but it still isn;t what it used to be. still has some problems disengauging the clutch is this forsure the master or could it be the slave, or both?

BlackScreaminMachine

iTrader: (17)

The next time you have a chance, wrap your clutch line that runs next to the headers, thats half the problem. For good measure I would replace the master cyl setup for a new set. I think its 2001+. Dot4 fluid is fine and it is whats is recommended.

99Daytona500

iTrader: (3)

Where did you find the Master for $49? I have the same issues and when I bled the system I kept getting black fluid no matter how many times I bled it. I suspect my Master may be bad, and for $50 might as well change it and give that a shot before pulling the whole tranny and clutch to inspect all that.

kozak

iTrader: (2)

yeah 50 would be nice vs 150 that i'm going to pay.

Danger731

iTrader: (3)

My seals must be gone as well, my fluid is black and I need to pump a a lot to engage the clutch. I just used the vac, does a good job, I get constant bubbles though. I guess my seals r shot. The clutch engages now though. Anyone have a link to a write up on replacing the master ? I'm at 99 k btw, 15 k on a new clutch.

kozak

iTrader: (2)

installuniversity.com should have a writeup on it.

eallanboggs

iTrader: (1)

It was a local independant auto parts store. They didn't have it in stock, but managed to get it by the end of the day. I installed it the next morning. It's been working great ever since. Just glad it was the master and not the slave which requires removal of the transmission because the slave is of the concentric design. If I had to remove the transmission to change out the slave I would certainly replace the clutch(pressure plate), friction disc and pilot bearing at that time because of how much work is involved with removing the transmission. I believe the concentric slave and throwout bearing can be purchased as an assembly which I believe is a good idea. The chain auto parts stores had the master too, but for about $20 or $30 more. I saw some nice looking clutches on the NAPA website. They have the large release fingers like the clutches on Fuel and Alcohol dragsters and Funny Cars have instead of the thin flat spring fingers. I'm sure they require more pedal pessure to release them, but they have a corresponding increase in clamping pressure as a benefit. When your hydraulic fluid is black that's a sure sign that your seals are deteriorating. As your seals begin to fail the efficiency of your master cylinder drops off until one day your clutch won't release anymore. By the way you might want to check your BRAKE master cylinder fluid too. I'd be willing to bet that fluid it black too. Guess what that means? That's right! Get out your wallet.

mySStery_machine

iTrader: (23)

My car was doing all the same things. I replaced my slave (with T/O) and that helped minimally although once I sawe the old slave it truly was shot. I then went and got myself a new master for about $80 and replaced it, bled the system the old school method and since then have had no problems. Once getting the master out, looking it over and working it manually it was pretty apparent that the problem would be solved with the replacement. I do however want to replace the quick disconnect line soon since the shop I took it to years ago to replace the clutch shredded the retaining collar.

eallanboggs

iTrader: (1)

There is a special tool for releasing the quick connect fitting. OTC and Kent-Moore retail it at all the chain auto parts stores. You might have to special order it. Some clutch replacement kits even come with the tool included. I have been told you can release the disconnect using two screwdrivers(one on each side of the fitting) at the same time. I'd only use that method in an emergency. The master is a whole lot easier to change than the slave expecially on a concentric system. With a side mounted slave that's not necessarily true, but a concentric is certainly more labor intensive. The master gets more of a workout than the slave so if you're having release problem it behoves you to try changing the master FIRST before going to all the trouble of removing the transmission only to find out that the master was the problem all the time. I too used the old fashioned bleed method when replacing my master. When I did I immediately noticed the amount of fluid expelled for each pedal stroke during the bleed process was nearly double in quantity. That told me I had solved the problem even before the vehicle was down off of the jackstands.