Clutch gone???

Got in my car this morning and pulled out of the driveway...noticed that as I eased off the clutch...it didn't take much...before I was rolling. On the drive to work it felt like my clutch pedal was really loose. I'm guessing my clutch is going out or...nearly completely out and this doesn't have anything to do with my transmission.

Also, if it IS the clutch, any recommendations on repair or replacement?

Can anybody give me an idea of how much this is going to set me back? I am across the street from Town North so I'll probably try to get it over there this afternoon directly from work.

:confused:

Might be the master or slave cylinder instead. Did you notice any puddles under the car?

Anyway, Rogue is da man! He's out in Justin, but he is the first choice of those who count ;) Quality craftsmanship and good prices.

Much cheaper and easier than a full clutch job is a slave cylinder rebuild or replacement. How many miles on your baby?

D'oh, seconds too late!

No puddle...do you think it would OK to drive from Richardson to Justin?? I can shift, but not very easily...and worried that it will just get worse - and I won't be able to shift at all.

68k - just had the 60k maintenance done a few months back.

Quick way to test your slave cylinder (and they are famous for going out). Remove front passenger-side wheel. You'll see the slave cylinder bolted to the frame rail. It has a rubber boot around the 'plunger'. If you squeeze the boot and brake fluid comes out it's the slave.

Good write-up here -
http://www.miata.net/garage/slavecyl.html

AH nice article! So - if this is the problem - I could get some brake fluid and top it off and probably make it safely out there?

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Originally Posted by cArAzzIE

AH nice article! So - if this is the problem - I could get some brake fluid and top it off and probably make it safely out there?

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Absolutely. That's a good point. Is your brake fluid level low? That would be a sign that the slave is leaking.

Do you have AAA? If so, I would grab a bottle of brake fluid, make sure your cell phone is charged, and start driving toward Justin. If it fails you, get it towed the rest of the way.

All things considered...distance, weather, needing my car...I'm heading over to Town North...he said he'd give me a ride back to work. I hope they do better this time...they screwed up the last job they did for me. Granted, they made it all right the 2nd time...or was it the 3rd?

.. o O ( (k'ching) )

Slave cylinder bad - suggested replacement of both slave & master.

When slave is replaced, master typically goes out in a matter of days.
Right at $400 - should be ready this afternoon.

Thanks for the information! As it turns out, you were right on without even looking at it!

MME ROCKS!

I've never heard of a Miata that had it's master go out shortly after the slave???

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Originally Posted by Titus

I've never heard of a Miata that had it's master go out shortly after the slave???

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+1 ... if it's not too late tell them to keep their master and just replace the slave.

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Originally Posted by Titus

I've never heard of a Miata that had it's master go out shortly after the slave???

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It tends to happen when you have a few too many clutch masters in stock at the dealer. ;)

I rebuilt my slave cylinder last summer, and my clutch master cylinder is still doing fine.

He said that when the seals leak a long time the brake fluid goes bad and becomes corrosive to the seals. So as a rule they replace the other (master/slave) while replacing the bad one. This is because sometimes the pressure breaks the old seals after the new one is put on. It saves about an hour labor since bleeding is crossover requirement. It woulda been about 250 for just slave replacement and with both it's about 350. They already started and should be done by 4:30.

I'm sure you will need pads and rotors by the end of the day!

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Originally Posted by bnordin

I'm sure you will need pads and rotors by the end of the day!

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Heeeeey! Don't jinx me!

I have THE worst luck with car repairs! ::ConeDOWN

Ahh, don't sweat it. Could you have fixed it yourself for next to nothing by rebuilding the slave cylinder in your driveway? Sure, if you have a jack, stands, a small set of tools, the knowledge, maybe a shop manual...

Could you have driven it to work today? Nope. Would you be out in the cold and the rain trying to fix it so you can drive it to work tomorrow? Yep. $400 is not that much in the grand scheme of things, less than a lot of folks' car payments. You went to work today, you'll have the car back tonight. No grease under the nails, and you can enjoy your evening instead of swearing at car parts and trying not to drip brake fluid in your eye.

Might have been nice to save the $$ on the master cyl. replacement, but again, you've got the car back and it's one less thing to go wrong in the next several years...

Sorry it broke, but glad you're back on the road. Enjoy!

Craig

The clutch in my 92 has been feeling funny lately, too... it catches well when I first take off, then it gets a little worse as the day goes on. I remember when I took it to the drag races a while back that it was an hour trip to the track, and then when I was racing I was always slipping at higher RPM (when going into gear, not when already engaged). The pedal has no pressure until it's about 1/3 or so of the way down, then it catches... is that normal or weird?

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Originally Posted by CraiginTX

Ahh, don't sweat it. Could you have fixed it yourself for next to nothing by rebuilding the slave cylinder in your driveway? Sure, if you have a jack, stands, a small set of tools, the knowledge, maybe a shop manual...

Could you have driven it to work today? Nope. Would you be out in the cold and the rain trying to fix it so you can drive it to work tomorrow? Yep. $400 is not that much in the grand scheme of things, less than a lot of folks' car payments. You went to work today, you'll have the car back tonight. No grease under the nails, and you can enjoy your evening instead of swearing at car parts and trying not to drip brake fluid in your eye.

Might have been nice to save the $$ on the master cyl. replacement, but again, you've got the car back and it's one less thing to go wrong in the next several years...

Sorry it broke, but glad you're back on the road. Enjoy!

Craig

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Thanks - that pretty much sums it up. Was $360 total...and has a warranty. I was surprised they were able to get it done in an afternoon - seems like I always end up with out a car for at least a day or two.

I can tell a big difference, not only in the clutch, but the brakes as well. Maybe all psychological, but I have peace of mind.

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Originally Posted by MadMonkey

The clutch in my 92 has been feeling funny lately, too... it catches well when I first take off, then it gets a little worse as the day goes on. I remember when I took it to the drag races a while back that it was an hour trip to the track, and then when I was racing I was always slipping at higher RPM (when going into gear, not when already engaged). The pedal has no pressure until it's about 1/3 or so of the way down, then it catches... is that normal or weird?

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That sounds like what happened to me. I thought it might be getting worse but I just wasn't quite sure...

You all might get a laught out of this (female logic?)...

I recently put the stock floor mats back in my car. I was worried that my heels were wearing the mat so decided to take them both out. Well as I was rolling out this morning...I felt the difference in the clutch, but thought...o O (wow the floor mat is really thick!). I really thought that the floor mat was interferring with the clutch peddle. (doh) So I pulled over and pulled the mat up and placed it in the passenger seat. Well - you obviously already know that didn't make any difference...and now you know what a ditz I am! :D

All is well for now...my little zoom zoom is happy again.

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Originally Posted by Nails

He said that when the seals leak a long time the brake fluid goes bad and becomes corrosive to the seals. So as a rule they replace the other (master/slave) while replacing the bad one. This is because sometimes the pressure breaks the old seals after the new one is put on.

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I had a similar experience, but with brakes. One of the front calipers on my old BMW started leaking, so I rebuilt just the one - kind of PITA since they were fancy-shmancy 4-piston units. Sure enough, about a week later, the other ::Rant:: front caliper started leaking... doh!

Having said that, I've never replaced the clutch master/slave cylinders together...

Both the master and slave cylinders are easy jobs. With the porper tools, even as mechanically challenged as me can get it done in less than an afternoon! I really think they upsold you on the master cylinder.

Hey - she's happy, the car is running, and she got her car back the same day. As far as I'm concerned, I didn't pay for it and all is well. For all we know, rogue may have been drooling on Mustangs or rat rods or something today.

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Originally Posted by onething

For all we know, rogue may have been drooling on rat rods or something today.

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Nope, Driving a wicked FM turboa Miata back from Abq, NM. :burnrubr:

Probably a good thing you didnt' try to drive it too far. Using ACT clutches, I've now replaced 6 Slave Cylinders (I can now do it in about 20 minutes w/o removing the wheel), but only have had one Master go bad. Most went out slowly giving indications of imminant failure, but one just BLEW when I came to a stop sign::Boo::. I've had to drive the car home with no clutch twice. It can be scary enough, but add yesterday's weather....forgettaboutit.