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Clutch problems

D

Dalerobert

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Location
Sheffield
Car
1.8 vtec sport
Ive was driving back from my friends house and noticed the clutch feeling funny (ie not as stiff as usual) then when i pulled up on the drive i wasn't able to engage any gears, so i came on here to have a read up and found something about the master cylinder going and it sounds like that but it could be the slave cylinder, how if possible can you tell which is the faulty part? Cheers
 
Good question! I certainly agree that your problem is a hydraulic cylinder issue, but not sure how you might prove exactly which one it is. Any sign of leakage would be a dead giveaway, as would noise during operation. Does the bottom of the master cylinder look really black and dirty when you shine a torch into it? That could indicate that the seals are decomposing.

Maybe it'll be OK if you give it a good bleeding, as it could be the fluid has gone past the use-by date?
 
The master cylinder does make a slight clicking noise ive just check and the was a minute bit of fluid from it to but nothing bad all the fuid levels are ok too
 
Teeny tiny fluid coming out means it can also pull air in .. air in be worse than fluid leaving . I don't have the issue on the car but I have done many a seal kit on various things , I wonder if there is one for these accordses ? Usually saves a fortune if you can rebuild them rather than replace .
 
I would suggest that your first step should be the bleed the clutch hydraulic system.
When doing so check for leaks and also see if any flexibly pipes are in good condition (not ballooning).

If things improve, likely air was in system, if problem returns your need to find source.
 
Cheers guys will give it a try, i do think it is the master cylinder but was just wondering if there was any way of knowing if it was the master or slave cyliner if there arent any real signs from them of breaking, but will try bleed first cheers
 
So ive bleed the clutch and still no joy cant see any leaks from the pipes and still no pressure in the clutch and it wont engage any gear, anybody any clue ??? Could it be the clutch release bearing??
 
I've heard black fluid would indicate the rubber seals around the pistons would be deteriorating. Did you notice the fluid colour either in the reservoir or once it had bled out?

Did you check at the top of the clutch pedal where it contacts the master piston, also peel the rubber boot back on the slave and look/feel in there too? If you can get someone to push the pedal in and you watch the slave you should see it push on the clutch release fork. I don't know how much this should move, maybe someone else does or I can try and measure it myself. Presumably that would indicate the integrity of the hydraulic system?

Was there any scraping or grinding noises and difficult gear changes, on the run-up to the problem?
 
The fluid in the resivior was black but i dont think its been changed for a long time ive only had the car six months and its run brilliantly, it was the other night when coming back from a friends the gear change felt funny ie not going into gear easly when when i was at the top of my drive i couldnt get gear and the clutch wasnt as stiff as it is for the accord, the slave cylinder hardly moves but that could be because off the master clutch cylinder what could of gone, a friend said it could be the release bearing
 
I have already replaced the clutch master cylinder and symptoms were:

- The clutch pedal would not hold pressure.
- When I held the pedal down for more than a few seconds, it would lost all the pressure, to a point that the pedal wouldn't even retract. I had to pull it up.
- Just before replacing it, all gear changes had to be done very very fast, otherwise all pressure was gone, not being able to change gear.
- Had no fluid leaks in both master or slave cylinder.

If the slave cylinder goes bad, it will definitely leak.
As for the master cylinder, it could go bad and have no external leaks. It can leak internally due to the self-adjusting mechanism of the clutch pedal, thus not being able to hold pressure.

My best bet is the clutch master cylinder.

I bought a Blueprint master cylinder for about 100€.
So far, it's working great, although the last time I checked the clutch fluid, it was quite dark. I think it's time to replace it again.

EDIT:
Oh, BTW, I wrote a guide(somewhere in the forum) on howto replace the master cylinder, if you can't find it, let me know and I will look for you.
 
my car has this problem aswell... a light clutch and wont engage gears is a low level hydraulic fluid issue.. if its empty in the pot then u will need to bleed her out..its easily done tho with some help,


but i think ive got a slow leek somewhere tho... not showing any signs of a leek on the floor, but my hydraulic level does go down still.. not talking overnight down, over a period of a months or 2.....
 
I had a mechanic take a look the master cylinder has gone on mine but he says it could be a sign that the clutch is going, i really hope not
 
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