Did my clutch finally go? Or is this a slave/master cyl problem?
 

About a month after I finished my head gasket job, my clutch pedal started making a weird whirring sound every time the clutch was depressed. Sometimes the sound was very noticeable, sometimes not very noticeable at all. The louder the noise, the more mechanical "feel" you can get through the pedal. The consensus was that either the throw-out-bearing or the clutch disk needed to be replaced, but I might as well drive the car until it gets bad enough to warrant replacing. Up until today, the occasional weird noise was a minor annoyance at most.

I was pulling into my driveway (thank god) after a long day of summer school teaching today, and the clutch pedal went all the way to the ground. I rolled the car into the garage and popped the hood. You can pull the pedal up by hand, but the clutch will not depress with the car off. With the car on, if you push the clutch pedal, it goes to the floor and stays there, and there is a weird cloud of smoke from the rear (near the firewall) of the engine bay.

Now, I was expecting the clutch to go, but the weird cloud of smoke makes me wonder... did I have the slave or master cylinder go? What do you think is going on here?

I'd guess the line from the master to the slave has burst and is leaking fluid onto the exhaust. That would explain the smoke.

Clutch pedal to floor=classic slave (probably) and/or master cylinder problem. Smoke most likely leaking brake fluid from either master, slave, or fluid line.

jmd_forest

Would the brake fluid reservoir show a change? It seems to be at the optimal level...

EDIT: I just jacked up the driver's side of the car, and there is a small puddle of what very well might be brake fluid (it isn't coolant and it isn't engine oil) underneath what would be just left (driver's side) of the center of the car; in other words, just underneath where the master and slave would be.

Ok, where do I proceed from here? How do I know which component failed?

Jack it up and get under the car while someone else pumps the clutch pedal. They may have to manually pull the pedal up from the floor. While they're pumping, you look for where the fluid is coming from (probably the slave).

Check under the carpet in the driver's side footwell for leaks from the master cytlinder.

jmd_forest

Thanks for the info; I will give it a shot either tomorrow or Wed.

Order a rebuild kit or get a new master/slave set if you're made of money :)

clutch hydraulic parts are cheap - it's only about $200 for everything

the high pressure hose is usually the first thing to go

remember to flush your system every 2 years