Transmission won't go into gear, several possible reasons, need advice

[XC92]

I just removed the old slave. This time I pulled off the boot. Ech. It's pretty rusty and cruddy in there. I might have been able to restore it, possibly even without a rebuild kit. But it's so old and unlike brakes where you have 4 of them for backup there's only one clutch slave, I thought it best to play it safe and follow everyone's advice and just get a new one. Not sure about the master yet but I'll see if this fixes the more immediate issue. Then I'll deal with the rod bolt under the dash.

I now wonder if the clutch wore out prematurely and/or the popping out of 1st gear issue developed because of a bad slave cylinder, which prevented the clutch from fully disengaging thus causing all sorts of havoc with the clutch disc and trans, like a slipping clutch, grinding gears and synchros, etc.

Who thinks to check for such things who's not well-versed in car maintenance and repair? I know that I didn't before I took this up. I suppose that any good mechanic checks for this sort of thing during a routine maintenance inspection. Which, of course, I'd neglected. Lessons learned...

Thanks all again for the responses and advice. It's priceless.

There is a whole host of vendors on the main page you could look at. Extremepsi, jacks, tmz, rtm, STM. Likely all of them carry this stuff. Some of the stuff is so cheap (relatively) I order two. I don't care if it sits in storage for awhile. I always order two when I'm doing seals, washers etc.
I broke down and bought copper washers in a kit on amazon, Lots of sizes.

In addition to the slave I ordered several fill and drain gaskets. Nothing else I could find that I need right now, but I know I'll need to place another order with Jack's when I fix the trans. I'm also going to place a separate order with a Mitsubishi dealer for several odd parts I need. I've also recently bought several common parts kits on Amazon and Harbor Freight, e.g. snap rings, washers, cotter pins, etc. I should probably also get a set of nuts and bolts, and plastic wire conduit. Always handy to have.

 

[Mech Addict]

So you’re not seeing fluid leaking out, or you are? I wouldn’t think you’d get air in without fluid out, though your piston seal could behave like a goofy check valve with the right (wrong) wear. Holding fluid pressure, but not sealing air from entering during pedal release.
I agree with pauleyman’s comments too, and maybe the leak in the MC is not causing it, though mine looked better and went to the floor and stayed there one day. Looks like a lot of the bolt threads are showing, but you need to check the clevis- end of the bolt, not the part between the MC and locknut.

 

[XC92]

No indication of recent fluid leak under the dash by the MC rod, but definitely signs of leaks between the slave body and boot. As I wrote above, I removed it and it was pretty nasty inside. Might be salvageable with a rebuild kit but I ordered a new slave as it was only $40 or so more and I figured why not, do it right and get it over with. I've already put in enough effort and money.

Once the important stuff is done, I might still rebuild the old slave, if it's still salvageable, as a backup. Is there a market for rebuilt slaves? Come to think of it, even if there is, I absolutely do not want the prospect of a failed rebuilt slave hanging over me, both morally and legally, so scratch that.

There's definitely air leaking in. After several bleeds, re-opening the bleeder let yet more air out, and after closing the bleeder again, pumping the clutch pedal removed all resistance. It's a bad slave.

I still have to configure the under the dash parts, but that's simple compared to all this. Hopefully this is the last issue that keeps the car from being driven safely and passing inspection. I'll know by early next week. I need a break from all this before "Phase 2" starts.

 

[Mech Addict]

I don’t think you could have worn out your new clutch yet. Misadjustment would likely result in too much slip (Worn clutch, flywheel), or poor release (wearing synchros, hard shifts, grinding) but not both. Mine was the latter. I’m strongly considering a rebuild come Springtime. Jacks and TMZ are the ones I’m considering presently. Removing and reinstalling is intimidating enough, and I’m not brave enough to hope I replace all the right parts myself. Tools, press, springs that fly across the room, and go in one way, not the other. Not as a trans virgin. I’d sooner tackle rebuilding my engine, which seems far less complex, and the machine shop does the hard part.

 

[XC92]

Actually I meant my old clutch. It only had around 20-25k miles on it, and I was wondering if a bad or failing slave cylinder could have prematurely worn it due to slipping. Or, alternately, the popping out of 1st gear issue due to excessive grinding due to insufficient release. I have a feeling that when I finally open up the trans I'm going to find a lot of badly worn parts that need replacing. Or not.

When I took off the top cover recently everything looked good, but that's just 5th which gets a lot less use than other gears. And yes, I intend to at least try to rebuild it myself. I have everything I need other than a press, and I should be able to find a solution for that (I'm thinking of building a mini one using my 6 ton bottle jack and some heavy steel bars or bolts). It will be a challenge, I realize, but also kind of fun and obviously I'll save a ton on money.