Cannot Depress Clutch

[Por_sha911]

87` G50 trans

Put new clutch/PP/TOB/Release Fork in.
Put motor and trans back together. Fork seems to be in right spot.
Put Slave cylinder back on but clutch will not budge.

Last time, we had to take slave cyl out, pushed pedal to the floor, reconnected slave cyl and the pressure pushed the clutch pedal back up and it worked. Joy.
This time it didn't. Tried 3 times and then the slave cyl started leaking fluid out of the boot. Def no joy.

1) I assume the slave cyl is toast but why wouldn't the clutch pedal depress?
2) Did I just get brake fluid inside my pressure plate? Do I have a problem with that?

[john walker's workshop]

i assume you ungraded the guide tube the t/o bearing slides on? the old one is larger diameter and won't pass thru the new bearing, but i can't imagine how you would get the trans bolted to the engine if you didn't.

[rnln]

I am not a pro but what I see is the slave is leaking. That leads to it's not pushing the piston out. That leads to, clutch doesn't work.
If fluid is leaking out of the slave (anywhere), you need a new slave or at least a rebuild.
Last time when I replaced my slave, I took it apart just to understand how it built. What I found is all you need is the litle o-ring rubber washer. I wonder if anyone is selling that washer.

[Por_sha911]

JW: Guide tube was replaced. The trans was a snug fit but with a little rocking from side to side it did go on and bolted up just fine. When bolting up the slave cyl, should the pedal be on the floor or up high?

[john walker's workshop]

from your description, i assumed the pedal was up and hard as a rock, like it wouldn't go down. so which is it?

[Por_sha911]

Once the Slave cyl was put on, it was rock hard and wouldn't go down. My question was before mounting the slave cyl, should the pedal be postioned at the floor or up high and why would the pedal not move after the sc was installed?

[Quicksilver]

It makes me think that the pushrod from the slave to the release fork isn't seated in the release fork. That would make the piston in the slave rest at the end of its travel. I can't remember is it is possible to bolt it up like that though.

An easy way to check is to loosen the slave from the the trans. It should push itself away from its seat fairly forcefully. It is actually a bit of a pain to get the nuts started when you mount it because you have to try and compress it down towards its seat while trying to get the nut started. My hands don't really fit up there so I have to cuss a bit to get it started.

[rnln]

Originally posted by Quicksilver
It makes me think that the pushrod from the slave to the release fork isn't seated in the release fork.

Por_sha911,
Reading your descriptions from the beginning, I think Quicksilver is correct at the above. If you take your slave off and stick your finger in there, you'll feel a hole. If the slave piston didn't point right at the hole but slide off and stuck on the side, you will have that problem (hard pedal). And the piston might even pop off the slave cylinder that's why you have leak. This can easily happen because we have such tight space up there.

[Por_sha911]

Originally posted by rnln
And the piston might even pop off the slave cylinder that's why you have leak. This can easily happen because we have such tight space up there.

Is it possible to "pop back on" the piston? Can I rebuild the slave cylinder?

[rnln]

If this is the case, and if the seal washer is still in good shape, meaning it will not leak after you put everything back in place, yes it is posible. But keep in mind, it is very hard to make the pin to hold them tight.
I used the long socket, forget size, that fit them exact and hammer it in. It stayed after several attempts.

[Por_sha911]

Thanks for the info. Sounds like I need to replace it.
I noticed that the brake fluid coming out was really black. I flushed the brakes and the clutch about two years ago with Super Blue. Any idea why it would look like muddy swamp water?
Also, should I worry about a some brake fluid that has leaded out possible into the press plate area?

[rnln]

I would try to rebuild it before replace sicne it's proximately $100 bucks
I have no idea why it's dark but where do you see the fluid comming out from? Is it from the outer of tranny/engine case? Probably the fluid is leaking out of the slave, running through many parts inside the bell housing which are dirty with dirt, grease, etc. When it come out to the bottom of the case, you see it's mixed with all those dirt.
When you take your slave out, look inside the cylinder, it might be clean. but at this point, you need to bleed the fluid anyway because air is in the system (if your slave is already popped)

[Por_sha911]

The dirty fluid is running out straight from the boot around the piston. The trans and bell housing are squeaky clean from a recent removal and cleaning. Any idea on where to find a rebuild kit?

[rnln]

I don't know where to find rebuild kit. I just put things back the way it was and hammer the pin back tight, using a long socket, assuming the seal is still good and I was lucky

[Por_sha911]

Should I be worried that the boot is leaking (possibly cracked)?

[rnln]

to me, the boot is there just to cover the top portion from dirt. Even without the boot, you should not get fluid leaking out. If fluid is leaking out from the boot, meaning fluid is leaking out from the system, meaning the slave is bad.
Again, what I found when I play with my old slave after taking it out is that there is only 1 o-ring seal to seal the fluid from leaking out. This seal is inplaced between the piston and the cylinder. If your slave is new and just pop on installation, maybe your seal is still good (mine was). When it's in your hands, you'll be able to see what I am talking about.

[Por_sha911]

Thanks for the help. I'll look at it tommarrow. I have a ton of o-rings and wonder if one of them will fit. The Slave is 20 yrs old so I may just replace it if I'm not fully sure it won't leak again.

[rnln]

umm.. I thought you just replaced it, that's why I thought the pin slip out of the hole when you installed it. If it has been in there for 20 years, then it might be a diff. problem. But since it's leak, you need to replace it anyway.

[Por_sha911]

New slave cylinder in and after bleeding it works fine. I have a clutch again. I think the old slave shaft was jammed between the release fork and the bell housing and got pulled out when we tried to remove it.
Thanks Wayne, John, and rnln.

[rnln]

U R welcome. After years of asking, now I just can help responding... a little.