clutch leaking and wont shift

[gsx4357]

hey im having a problem that just started tonight in a sense. my clutch fluid is leaking through the firewall into the floor board of the driver compartment...this started a while ago but me being dumb didnt do anything about it yet. the problem i had tonight is i took off from a friends house and it was fine...i drove about a mile and all of the sudden the car wouldnt go into gear. it would just grind. i pulled over and looked around and didnt see anything and this was all at night time. so i checked the fluid and it turned completely murky grey and it was clear before. i pumped the clutch fast and hard for about 30 seconds and then it started going into gear and it got me home about 30 miles away. now that im home i idled on my driveway and it will go into gear but its really hard to put it in gear. i looked above the pedals and its leaking though the clutch seal in the firewall...can anyone send me in the right direction? ive never done clutch work before because ive never had a problem with it...only engines. does anyone have an idea of what it could be?

 

[bryanwheat]

You need a new clutch master cylinder.

 

[Lofty]

Sadly for the long post you made its really that simple. Go oem.

 

[gusu]

As stated before, it is your clutch master cylinder. You can either rebuild it or buy a new one. The autozone one is working fine for me but it is hit or miss. OEM works great but costs more.

If you choose to rebuild it you want to buy a LINE wrench NOT a regular wrench or you WILL strip the brass fitting (flared line) to the point of it being 100% round. I believe it is a 10mm I'd have to check.

It is recommend you replace the line as the flare is only "good" for one seal, which is bullshit you usually use it til it leaks or looks bad. If you need to replace the line you will need to buy a line, bend it, then flare the end.

To rebuild the master is straight forward once you get the parts you will understand. However getting the main part you can see the adjusting rod push on out you can simple tap it fast and hard til it springs out or use a air compressor to blow it out from the fluid line side.

Once you have it replaced you want to reverse bleed the system as it is fast and easy as well as it pressurizing the clutch system for a better feel. You do this by buying a hand pump, clear fish tank tube, plenty of fluid, or getting a oil hand pump oil can to replace the hand pump.

I'd go hand pump to save money. Now you need TWO lines. One for the pump and one for the bleeder.

Step one. Open the fluid cap.
Step two. Put the pump end into your fluid container and connect the other end to your clutch slave bleeder. Your clutch slave is located on the front side of your tranny and you can see the connecting rod going to the clutch fork to identify it. If you still can't find it have a friend pump the clutch so you can see and hear It move.
Step three. With your pump connected open your bleeder by twisting it with the hose attached a vise grip makes this easy.
Step four. Pump fluid while watching for bubbles, continue pumping til the fluid level is full.
Step five. With the hose attached close the bleeder.

Your clutch line is now full and air free.

Now you want to check your clutch for drag. I'd link you but I'm at work, so Google Jacks Transmissions clutch drag. You should find a YouTube video that details the process of how to do it. If not PM me and I'll tell you how.



*edit* Found it!http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYJxQyjIhUw






*edited edit* Sorry forgot to include this, for the nasty clutch fluid you REALLY WANT to flush that crap out. Just keep the bleeder valve open while you put new fluid in. Then try to drain the rest of the new fluid out before you refill it. The reason being, reverse bleeding helps push air out. If you have fluid in it already it may be misleading as to when all the air has been removed.

 

[gsx4357]

hey guys...i just changed my master and adjusted it and bled the system like 3 times and the car still wont go into gear...i try and the car inches forward but doesnt go into gear...what should i do?

 

[gusu]

hey guys...i just changed my master and adjusted it and bled the system like 3 times and the car still wont go into gear...i try and the car inches forward but doesnt go into gear...what should i do?

When the car is off will it go into gear at all? I hate to say it but your clutch may have failed from excessive clutch drag for a extended period of time.

I would tinker with it a bit more and if you can't figure it out I would say it's a clutch issue at that point, so you'd need to drop the transmission.

 

[bryanwheat]

What brand of master cylinder did you use?