Stickyl clutch couldn't get it out of gear tonight

Jedidiahwiebe · Post by **Jedidiahwiebe** » Fri Jan 19, 2018 10:34 pm

My clutch pedal started to hesitate to come back up a while back. I thought nothing of it. Today it actually didn't want to come up one time, so without thinking i slipped my foot under and popped it up. Then things were fine for a bit. next thing I know i'm trying to parallel park and I couldn't get it OUT of gear. The only way to get the van to stop moving was to turn the ignition off. Then once off I can shift into reverse. Then hit the brake and turn ignition off again to shift back into 1st gear... and so on and so forth.

What on earth could be getting stuck? Is there a cable under there connecting the pedal to the master cylinder that needs replacing?

It's all working again for now, but I'm hesitant to drive it as I know cars have very limited regenerative capacity and I doubt the problem is going to heal itself and go away. It's gonna happen again.

Post by **Growlerbearnz** » Sat Jan 20, 2018 2:12 pm

Is your fluid level correct? Do you have any fluid leaking from either the master or slave cylinders?

It sounds like one of your cylinders is failing, probably leaking, and now there's no fluid left. Check the pushrod above the clutch pedal for leakage or corrosion. On the slave (gearbox end) cylinder lift the edge of the rubber boot a little and see if any fluid comes out (it should be dry under there).

If one of your cylinders needs rebuilding then they both do, but my money's on the master cylinder being the worst.

weelsey · Post by **weelsey** » Sat Jan 20, 2018 3:19 pm

I'd noticed a slow returning pedal on mine in the frigid weather so I'm curious what you find out. If you're in a cold climate, it's this time of year the hydraulics will act up. What I did was pump the pedal a number of times and that seemed to bring it out of it for the time being. A quick google search brought this up http://www.mdocuk.co.uk/forums/viewtopi ... ght=clutch
I guess there is some other part down by the slave cylinder I'm not familiar with. I don't know where to find the reservoir, even.

Post by **Growlerbearnz** » Sat Jan 20, 2018 8:42 pm

weelsey wrote:I don't know where to find the reservoir, even.

Brake and clutch fluid come from the same reservoir. It has a baffle inside so a leak in one system won't drain the other.

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Jedidiahwiebe · Post by **Jedidiahwiebe** » Sun Jan 21, 2018 11:07 am

I think you are likely right Growlerbearnz. The fluid level is real low. We're headed outside now to try and bleed the air out of the system. I added fluid twice yesterday. Clutch sort of works. A bit tough to get it into reverse and first still. So time to try a bleed. My buddy says to just bleed it at the nipple on the slave cylinder. So I guess I'll try that first.

Jedidiahwiebe · Post by **Jedidiahwiebe** » Sun Jan 21, 2018 12:04 pm

Ahh yes, Leaky slave cyl. Mucky muck fluid spurts out. How fast do these things fail once they start to leak?

Jedidiahwiebe · Post by **Jedidiahwiebe** » Sun Jan 21, 2018 12:12 pm

Growlerbearnz In your earlier post it looks like you're recommending that when you replace one cylinder you should replace both? Why is that?

Post by **Growlerbearnz** » Sun Jan 21, 2018 11:16 pm

Jedidiahwiebe wrote: How fast do these things fail once they start to leak?

If you catch it early enough you can drive them for a few thousand kilometers, but since you've already added fluid a couple of times and you say the fluid coming out is mucky, I think you're probably nearing the end. Once a leak starts the seals fail increasingly rapidly.

Jedidiahwiebe wrote:Growlerbearnz In your earlier post it looks like you're recommending that when you replace one cylinder you should replace both? Why is that?

They usually leak because of corrosion. The moisture that's caused the corrosion will have migrated through the fluid from one cylinder to the other, and it's almost certain that your master cylinder will be rusty too. It may not be leaking now, but I'd bet it's not too far off.

Jedidiahwiebe · Post by **Jedidiahwiebe** » Sun Jan 21, 2018 11:41 pm

Yeah, dang boot failed earlier this fall... So i knew the seals would go. I think it's odd that it only lasted five or 6 years and less than 80,000km I'm thinking i should maybe find a better quality one for next time.

Post by **Growlerbearnz** » Mon Jan 22, 2018 1:55 pm

Slave MD730108, Master MB555143, CAD$100 each from Amayama.com.

There are rebuild kits available too (Master MB334439 CAD$25, Slave MD979428 CAD$12), but you need to know your cylinder is salvageable first, and I wouldn't install a kit into a non-genuine cylinder.

Jedidiahwiebe · Post by **Jedidiahwiebe** » Wed Jan 24, 2018 11:02 am

Thanks! Yea I went with CCA their price was pretty good. And they were the only ones in BC (that I know of) that had it in stock and could ship monday.