2G Clutch Pedal Stays on Floor

[crazykid]

So after sitting for some time, I have had some extra time and money to get the car back together and in running condition. After being down for about 2years, it started instantly, on the 1st attempt with no hesitation, like it has been running all along. One problem, going to put it in gear, the clutch pedal decides to stay on the floor. Now it seems like the clutch it still working properly however. I am able to shift gears with the pedal on the floor, and pull it back up with my foot and accelerate. Attempting to shift with the pedal pulled up results in the not so famous gear grind. As I know nothing about transmissions or cluthes and searching around here, it seems like its probably the master or slave clutch cylinder. I found no fluid on the firewall around the master. Checking the slave, I did find what could of been some leakage, however, it was somewhat hard to tell, as we had spilled some coolant and fixed a slight leak which was also dripping right in that area. After checking the clutch reservoir it looked like full fluid, which did not change regardless of where the pedal was positioned. After searching around the forums, it looks like the common recommendation was to just completely replace both the master and slave clutch cylinders and call it a day. As I know nothing about this system, is this what I should go for? What about these master/slave cylinder rebuild kits available? Is there anything else I should be looking into to verify this is the problem?

Thanks so much for your time and input.

 

[V12 Killa]

How did you see if the slave was leaking? Pulling the rubber boot back on the slave to see if it was wet/leaking? I would bleed the system to be sure there's no air in line. GL

 

[synthetek]

Clean up the area where it looked like it could be leaking and then pump the pedal and see if you see fluid. You could also try bleeding it and then adjusting the rod from the clutch pedal to the master if bleeding doesn't help.

 

[crazykid]

Thank you so much for the input. Is it common for air to get into the system after sitting for some time? I really did not even consider bleeding the system as I had not worked on it, and immediately just considered the worst and something broke. I did check the spring/rod on the pedal and it all looked intact. I have adjusted it in the past, however, the clutch did seem to be engaging and disengaging at the correct normal location, just that the pedal would not come up on its own.

I did try to pull the boot back and check for leaks, however, it was late, dark, already had a days of work in, and this was not an expected problem. There was nothing obvious at that time that I could tell leaking out as I had someone working the clutch pedal while I was looking, the reservoir off the master was also still full of fluid. I was really speculating based on the surrounding area. However like I mentioned, we had spilled some coolant which was also around the slave cylinder area at the same time which made it very tough to tell.

FYI, the car is located in my parents garage about 45minutes from where I live, so its not like I can go outside and check things out, I can really only get out there once or twice a week and work on it then, which is why I was looking for some extra input before I go ordering parts I do or don't need. Again thanks for everything.

 

[NordicSaab]

There really are not that many things it could be... the clutch is a very simple system.

1) Bleed the system. If this does not solve the problem you have a very bad leak. (For the pedal to go all the way to the floor and not come up, you have no hydraulic system pressure, i.e. no fluid)
2) Trace all of the lines and try to find where all of your fluid is going.
3) Once you find out where the fluid is leaking and air is entering, you will know the piece you need to replace.