Clutch Slave Cylinder Failure

joetiger · Last edited by joetiger on Mon Nov 28, 2011 1:35 pm; edited 1 time in total

Happy Black Friday.

I awoke this morning to find this rather impressive puddle of brake fluid under my Vanagon:

Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.

So, if anybody's wondering what it looks like when your clutch slave cylinder completely fails, there ya go.

Van-Cafe has been contacted, a new clutch master cylinder and slave cylinder (always replace them together!) will be en route soon, and I will be mighty chilly riding my bicycle in to work next week...

EDIT: I meant to write "clutch" master cylinder, not "brake."
_________________
Joe T.

'86 NAHT Vanagon GL Syncro/ supercharged ABA 2.0 "Pigpen"
'04 GTI 1.8T
'04 Golf R32

"get metaphysical with it. if it's simply a means to get to and from places, it will let you down. if it becomes your zen, it can't fail you." -dabaron

"Still, it's good to be afield."--VWagabond

Available Now! Vanagon to Louisiana--A Two-Lane Reckoning Through Past and Present

www.josephtrussell.com

teej

joetiger

teej

vanagonjr

?Waldo? · Posted: Fri Nov 25, 2011 1:37 pm Post subject:

I think he meant clutch master and slave, but it makes just as much sense to replace all the brake parts at the same time. The service life of the master and slave are completely unrelated and one cannot in any way cause the other to fail. Don't forget to replace the front calipers at the same time also.

mtwrench540 · Posted: Fri Nov 25, 2011 4:11 pm Post subject: parts replacement

shotgun approach,what to do when not sure of what your doing!!
_________________
87 wolfsberg,74 181w/1915 and lots of patina! learned to fix vw's from hot vw mag in 1964,VWOA instructor,DSM,69 to73,service mgr at different porsche-audi dealers etc,etc,now retired!!! first vw new 64,transplanted 356 eng in 65,400characters are not enough space!!

vanagonjr · Posted: Fri Nov 25, 2011 5:53 pm Post subject:

I did my slave a couple of years ago - I recommend bleeding the old slave first if it has not been done in a while.
I cringed after installing my shiny new slave cylinder and then bled old black, and I do mean black, fluid through it.
Perhaps it does not really matter if you are bleeding the entire system anyways - brakes and all, which I did, but it does not give you a warm fuzzy feeling.
_________________
John - 86 Wolfsburg Westfalia "Weekender"
Flint reversed 1.8T W/Passat 5-Speed
LiMBO (late model bus club) www.limbobus.org
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FAQ thread: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=525798

Thor-bob · Posted: Fri Nov 25, 2011 7:11 pm Post subject: Re: Clutch Slave Cylinder Failure

Wildthings · Samba Member Joined: March 13, 2005 Posts: 50350

In my experience if you change your fluid occasionally a master cylinder is probably good for better than 20 years. Slave cylinders live in a much harsher environment and will need renewing several times over the life of a master cylinder.

windnsea · Posted: Fri Nov 25, 2011 7:52 pm Post subject:

I bleed the brakes and clutch system every fall. This year I finally decided to put in a new clutch master and slave cylinder when putting in the BMW Brake Booster.

Bled the brakes, then put in the new slave cylinder and bled the clutch system. Then, put in the new clutch master cylinder and reverse bled the clutch system by affixing a one way valve from the left rear brake bleed valve to the clutch slave cylinder bleed valve. Slowly pumped the brakes until no air came up through the clutch system takeoff port in the fluid reservoir and all was done!!

I got 28 years out of my clutch system hydraulics!! I also use a braided ss/teflon line to the trans solid line from the chassis.

windnsea

SteelB12 · Posted: Fri Nov 25, 2011 9:11 pm Post subject:

So is this a tough job?? I need to replace the master, so I figured I would do the slave as well as some of the lines while I was at it.
_________________
1987 Westy

BCWesty · Posted: Sat Nov 26, 2011 12:36 pm Post subject:

It's not a hard job, a bit messy. I was able to do mine from the engine compartment, way better than lying on your back.

chojinchef · Posted: Sat Nov 26, 2011 3:51 pm Post subject:

Flushed the system with new juice last April (looked worse than overused motor oil), then last month the clutch master cylinder went, so it got new juice again. Then last week the brake master cylinder was leaking internally, so it got new juice again.

Flushed the system in the S420 last week as well.

Flaps must think I am using brake fluid for personal lubricant, snorting it or something equally f'd up. Bet the brake fluid was never this clean since it rolled of the assembly line.
_________________
Its a mistress; an expensive, whiney, needy bitch of a mistress. She is a chunky, dirty girl with bad skin, little motivation and yet she always makes me smile. She sure has been around before shacking up with me. She has a direct line to my wallet, plays with my emotions, is consistantly jovial yet with a sarcastic and sardonic side, is consistant in her inconsistancy, and every once in a while gives me a great ride and a fantastic memory.

joetiger · Posted: Mon Nov 28, 2011 1:47 pm Post subject:

Thanks Andrew, I edited my original post to say "clutch master cylinder." Always proof read!

It's not really a shotgun approach. On my first Vanagon, I replaced the clutch master and the slave failed a few months later, so from my experience it makes sense to replace them both. It's also been discussed here many times that when a failed part in a hydraulic system is replaced, the possibility of failure for other old parts in the system increases. I'm not an engineer and this is purely anecdotal, but it makes sense to me.

I could feel the shifting getting weird last spring. I rebuilt my rear brakes at that time and decided to flush and bleed everything. It worked fine up until this leak sprung.

So on the bright side, at least that puddle on my driveway is composed of clean, new brake fluid. Smile

My parts should arrive today, so barring the usual unforeseen circumstances, I'll do the job this evening. I'll report back with any fun surprises that come up.
_________________
Joe T.

'86 NAHT Vanagon GL Syncro/ supercharged ABA 2.0 "Pigpen"
'04 GTI 1.8T
'04 Golf R32

"get metaphysical with it. if it's simply a means to get to and from places, it will let you down. if it becomes your zen, it can't fail you." -dabaron

"Still, it's good to be afield."--VWagabond

Available Now! Vanagon to Louisiana--A Two-Lane Reckoning Through Past and Present

www.josephtrussell.com

?Waldo? · Posted: Mon Nov 28, 2011 5:32 pm Post subject:

joetiger · Posted: Mon Nov 28, 2011 6:45 pm Post subject:

[quote="Andrew A. Libby"]
It doesn't work that way. Purely a marketing gimmic reinforced by mechanics who benefit from additional work and don't want to get blamed if another part coincidentally fails any time in the near future. quote]

Good thing I do my own work. In any case, I'd rather change both and get it over with than have to deal with it again in the concidental near future.
_________________
Joe T.

'86 NAHT Vanagon GL Syncro/ supercharged ABA 2.0 "Pigpen"
'04 GTI 1.8T
'04 Golf R32

"get metaphysical with it. if it's simply a means to get to and from places, it will let you down. if it becomes your zen, it can't fail you." -dabaron

"Still, it's good to be afield."--VWagabond

Available Now! Vanagon to Louisiana--A Two-Lane Reckoning Through Past and Present

www.josephtrussell.com

SteelB12 · Posted: Mon Nov 28, 2011 6:49 pm Post subject:

[quote="joetiger"]

?Waldo? · Posted: Mon Nov 28, 2011 6:53 pm Post subject:

Nothing wrong with that. I've rebuilt engines preemptively.

chojinchef · Posted: Mon Nov 28, 2011 7:08 pm Post subject:

[quote="SteelB12"]


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