clutch issue - rebuild or replace slave ?

[kazjim]

hey guys, just a quick one, my clutch has been having some 'issues' in traffic ...

occasionally the pedal will go 'slack' for most of the travel and then catch 'just enough' to shift gears ...
wait a few minutes and its back to normal ...

the area is a little wet, ad the only thing i can see is the slave might be leaving a little ...

until i started driving it, this can had very little use for a year or two ... I"m thinking that maybe the seals have gone in the slave cylinder (i know the fluid looks a little manky ...)

So, replace the slave cylinder ? (flush master with new fluid as well ) or just run a kit through the existing slave ? (and flush and clean master as before...)

also, would i be able to get the parts at repco ? or should i order them in from "somewhere else" ?

Cheers
J

[Fatty]

http://www.mx5parts.co.uk/product_info. ... cts_id/252

this should cost about $30 delivered iirc.

should hopefully solve your problem.. it worked for me.

[kazjim]

I saw that one, but whats the delivery time like ?

I think I'll need one in the next few days .....

Unfortunately, the MX is my workhorse ... i travel about 160klm/day to and from Sydney ....

I'll ring around tomorrow and see if anyone has anything locally, but I'm sure the question will come around ...
Replace or rebuild ?

My gut feeling says "replace" - its the lowest point in the clutch system, and that fluid is old ...
and as we all know that hydraulic fluid is hygroscopic, so the innards are probably corroded ...

so guess I'm answering my own question

I've also got a roof to replace this weekend too

I'll let you know how that goes
J

[Fatty]

delivery time is usually 3 or 4 days .

why would you bother rebuilding the old one when a new one is so cheap?

[yoda7356]

The clutch slave cylinder is made of alloy, when you try to hone them the chances are that the hone will "grab" and you won't end up with a perfectly smooth finish. My advise is to replace the cylinder. They are not that expensive and you have a new part that should last for years.

[wun911]

Yeah I have heard of rumurs of ss inserts that last "forever"

but the part is so cheap and easy to replace...

[kazjim]

Grabbed a Rebuild kit from repco today - i really need my clutch working over the next week...

If it doesnt hold all that well, I'll order the slave from the UK - Mazda wanted around $130 and repco wanted around $180 !

WIll let you know how i go tomorrow.

Cheers
J

[Fatty]

sounds like you've got it covered... well done.

but yeah just keep mx5parts in mind for future problems like this. seriously, if you had ordered it on monday you woulda had it by now. the service is simply amazing. and the prices are usually very good (altho the drop in our $ has effected the exchange rates so it's not as terrific value as it used to be)

[Mr Morlock]

It puzzles me why you can land a basic part such as this from UK cheaper ( and it needs to be) than you can source in AU- consider the logistics- it is unlikely the parts are made in UK and the total freight path is likely to be longer . Presumably Mazda supply a slave quite possibly from their OE supplier- it is probably best quality. There are a number of sources one can readily check in AU and of the general suppliers I would ring Burson's before Repco. You also have the local MX5 parts suppliers known on this forum. With courier services in Au you can get parts easily same day in Capitals and next day most other places.
If the slave is leaking the seals may be tired or the bore is scored and if the latter is the case it will leak again. Old style master cylinders etc were rebored and sleeved but today this may not be cost effective even on larger and different style components.

[Mr Morlock]

A PS- anyone who has an obliging mate running an automotive business buys at trade rates and that can save you 20% or more in a blink.

[kazjim]

Well, to put this to bed I have completed it ....

Ok, after getting the slave out, the dust seal was full of fluid .. as expected...

The main seal had gone, but in a rather unexpected way ...
the Bore was 'glazed' but not with rust as i expected, but rather a varnish-like material .... old, brake-fluid ...
this had built up into 'lumps' that the old, worn out seal just couldnt get over as efficiently as is probably used to, so the seal deformed and didnt spring back into shape - letting fluid out and air in ...

Also checkthed the master cylinder resevoir - the same varnish effect - so i cleaned that as best i could, topped up the master cylinder and let it drain for an hour - topping up the fluid the whole time until it ran clear
onto the slave......a quick dissassembly, dunk into the kero bath for a soak, a good clean, quick hand-hone with 2000-grit and kero, another kero bath and clean, new main and dust seal (Fitted using PBR light blue grease - also used in Brake reassembly) - replace the bleed nipple (ALWAYS REPLACE BLEED NIPPLES - ITS NOT WORTH THE HASSLE !!)
drop it back into the car and a twently minute gravity bleed had everything back to new !

One thing that struck me was the the slave was cast iron, not alloy like i expected, so maybe this is an 89 thing, but because of the good-old cast iron, i was able to get away with a rebuild instead of a replacement.

If it shows signs of failing in the next week or two, i will jsut order the UK part, replace it and forget about it

Thanks all
J

[StanTheMan]

silly post

[kazjim]

[Mr Morlock]

Good description Kazjim- my impression is that you have a pretty good ability. This could be quite useful for someone with similiar probs. The art of repair is often denied by designs not allowing replacement components.