[Jloprete]

I see clutch/brake fluid coming from the front center of my car. I needed to fill the brake reser. too a bit. Is it a master of slave clutch under the car in center? 1990 QUAD

 

[sloboy89]

I see clutch/brake fluid coming from the front center of my car. I needed to fill the brake reser. too a bit. Is it a master of slave clutch under the car in center? 1990 QUAD

Clutch master cylinder is directly below the reservoir at the top of the engine bay on driver side. Slave cylinder is at the bottom, where the engine mates to the gearbox bell housing (on the right side). The master is connected to the slave via a hard metal line from the master, which is connected to a rubber hose about dead center on the crossmember, the rubber hose continuing the rest of the way to the slave cylinder. If your leak is directly in the center, the hose might be leaking, or possibly, the slave is leaking but the fluid is traveling down the outside of the hose before dripping. Either way, I wouldn't characterize it as the "front" of the car.

 

[Jloprete]

Ok, it has to be the slave. It's not the master, as that seems dry. Is the slave a difficult part to replace? Does the entire system have to be bled? Any good links on how to replace,it?

 

[sloboy89]

Ok, it has to be the slave. It's not the master, as that seems dry. Is the slave a difficult part to replace? Does the entire system have to be bled? Any good links on how to replace,it?

Replacement of the slave cylinder is fairly straightforward, but there can be some problems. And yes, you will need to bleed the clutch when you are done.

When I replaced mine, the first problem I encountered was that I could not get the flare nut that connects the hard line to the rubber hose to come loose. This was a huge PIA, because I ended up having to cut the metal line and fabricate a new one. And that was a problem because you cannot buy one that has the correct flare nuts pre-installed. I ended up buying a new line of correct diameter, cutting it, putting the old flare nuts on the new line, and then using a flaring tool borrowed from Autozone to make the correct double flares needed for the connection to the rubber hose.

Removing the slave cylinder can also be a bit of a pain because it is held in place by two snap rings. You will need to have a pair of snap-ring pliers to remove the rings. And then it still takes a lot of patience. Below is a link to a discussion about removing the snap rings.

http://www.alfabb.com/bb/forums/spider-1966-up/10032-how-do-you-remove-clutch-slave-cylinder.html

If you do a search, you will find several threads debating various ways to do the bleeding. I purchased a $30 brake bleeder from Harbor Freight that works very well (allows for one-person operation). HF part no. 92924.

 

[Jloprete]

rich, can you provide the bleeder model or a good link to HF that you bought? The link is not working. Thank you. Jeff

 

[sloboy89]

rich, can you provide the bleeder model or a good link to HF that you bought? The link is not working. Thank you. Jeff

I can't get the link to work. Go to the Harbor Freight website and look up Part No. 92924

 

[Jloprete]

What is a good Clutch Slave cylinder to buy? IAP is the natural choice and good price but what about quality? What about these on Ebay? Can anyone recommend a slave cylinder? Thank you. Jeff

 

[Jloprete]

K thanks Rich

 

[Jloprete]

I was thinking this is the tool for the bleeding the clutch. Is this a good product from HF?

 

[ghnl]

If you have any docter/nurse/veterinarian friends ask them to get you a 60 ml catheter tip syringe. Add short length of clear vinyl tubing (~ 12" is plenty). Fill the syringe with brake fluid, attach the tubing to the bleed screw and crack it open. Use the syringe to push fluid up to the master (make sure the reservoir is not too full and that it does not overflow - brake fluid removes paint).

This 'reverse' bleeding method has the advantage of pushing the air up - the direction it will naturally want to go. Pedal bleeding (or vacuum bleeding) means you will be trying to suck air downwards.

Note that the slave can be rotated in the ring attached to the bell housing. Make sure the bleeder is uppermost ("12 O'clock") so that air in the slave will be fully expelled. It may not stay in that position due to the flex hose. Once bled it doesn't matter - just during the bleeding operation.

 

[radamm]

Geez Eric, I have plenty of those and never thought to use them for bleeding-- great idea!!

I prefer to bleed from the bottom up on several applications.

 

[Stevew]

Don't know how S3/S4 secondary cylinders compare, but in addition to snap ring issues, you may find the cylinder to be frozen in place, as in my S3 :-(. Added about 2 hours to my replacement exercise. Wish I could recall the removal procedure that worked but thinking it involved lots of penetrating fluid and bad words...believe the bad words finally prevailed.

Also, if your secondary cylinder (aka, slave...don't ask) is shot, it is not uncommon for the primary to fail shortly after secondary replacement, perhaps because of higher pressure in the new unit.

Don't want to make this harder than it needs to be, but I have just replaced the cylinders as a pair.

Best wishes.

 

[Stevew]

Forgot to add, let's support our faithful advertisers!

'Nuff said.

 

[Jloprete]

Papa jam, I got the new master clutch cylinder, do I need to bleed the slave cylinder when done. Whatca doing Sat? Lol

 

[papajam]

Yes, the system should be bled. Not only make sure that there's no air in the system but to replace the old fluid with new.

I've a plumbing job at a friends early AM so after that should be fine. Chat tonight?

 

[BobHalfa]

Off topic- jloprete, been to Poor Henry's lately?

 

[Jloprete]

I ordered the slave valve too. Wel talk Sunday, out tonight. Thanks PJ

 

[Jloprete]

Poor Henry. Lol. not in a while, but now that you mentioned it, i need to go for a burger and BEER.

You from Boonton one time?

 

[BobHalfa]

I lived on Highland Ave in Montville for 5 years, right on the Boonton line. It was great to have such a good bar within walking distance! I forget it's name, but have you been to the bar in town that has King Kong peering in through the back windows? You live in a great area for a Alfa, right where suburbia breaks out into open space. Few people realize how nice northwestern NJ is. Good motorcycle and sports car roads. Hoist one for me! Bob

 

[Jloprete]

Well my clutch is now totally hitting the floor. After noticing some clutch fluid drips i kept it full and topped it off. After it sitting for a week, all the fluid in the reservoir was gone, probably while driving, cause its not too bad on the floor. I have both new master and slave and hose. When the fluid drains out is that what makes the pedal go the floor. Can I fill it up to drive a mile? Need to bleed i guess. Not sure I can fix myself.