I picked up a 1990 spider, and drove it the 2.5hrs from Portland to Seattle with no problems. This morning I had the clutch in and suddenly realized I had little to no clutch control, causing a few stalls. After taking off and driving away the clutch goes back to normal. I do double clutch. What could be the cause? Slave cylinder?
clutch won't disengage once in a while
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304 Posts
Hope it's not the slave cyl. Bleed well!
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398 Posts
Hope it's not the pivot arm....it would be a pain to replace the master then go back for the pivot. My PO replaced the master (a couple of months before I got my Grad) which then had the pivot fail, after I shifted about 30 times. Check the slave to see if it's leaking. Mine was so I replaced it and the connecting rubber hose. Good Luck, If you replace the slave, position the bled valve, UP!!! Bleed well!
Paul
89 Grad
Paul
89 Grad
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1,346 Posts
What does the clutch and brake fluid look like? Dip a white paper towel in the res's and see if it's dark. Old brake fluid will take away performance. When you buy a new to you car like this, you should replace the brake and clutch fluid, and the transmission and rear end also. Try that before doing the work! Top-tip: Redline trans fluid transforms your transmission shifting 
Look up type to use, using the search...
If you are going to do the clutch master, it's not so bad. It's held on to it's mount by two bolts with nuts on the back; the bottom one isn't easy to deal with; have patience. Be careful with the hard lines; if you cross thread them, they won't go into the new clutch master, and you will have to learn how to use a brake line flaring tool. New lines that need to be trimmed can be had at Autozone with the proper fittings, if this happens. Except for the hardline to hose fitting under the car; that needs to be re-used.
Keep us posted, and post some pictures of your new ride!
Look up type to use, using the search...If you are going to do the clutch master, it's not so bad. It's held on to it's mount by two bolts with nuts on the back; the bottom one isn't easy to deal with; have patience. Be careful with the hard lines; if you cross thread them, they won't go into the new clutch master, and you will have to learn how to use a brake line flaring tool. New lines that need to be trimmed can be had at Autozone with the proper fittings, if this happens. Except for the hardline to hose fitting under the car; that needs to be re-used.
Keep us posted, and post some pictures of your new ride!
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1,907 Posts
Since you have new ones, I'd say replace them but hang on to the old ones as backups.
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11,294 Posts
New-to-me car with a blown master and nasty fluid? Yeah, I'd do it. Best to do it all at once.
Old fluid in the clutch system won't affect clutch performance: it can't boil like brake fluid does. The moisture the fluid absorbs over time can promote rusting in the system, however, so it's smart to replace the fluid on the same 2-year schedule as the brakes.
Mission Complete! Took us two hours, doing things with a nice and easy mentality. All is well. Brake fluid on the brake side looks dark, so I used a turkey baster, and syphoned most of what was in the reservoir, and used the last of my brake fluid to add fresh stuff. We're going to bleed the brakes tomorrow. Thanks for the help!
HAHA! I bought a new one, since I couldn't find one in the house. So I'm safe
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