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Noticed my 93 Honda accord master cylinder was leaking the other day, and when I looked online to buy a replacement I noticed that they were priced anywhere from $15 on up to around $100 for the OEM part from Honda. Is there much difference in quality between any of them to justify spending more money? I was thinking I’d just hit the middle and get a Beck Arnley for around $50.
Just to make sure I don’t screw anything up, the existing fluid should be drained from the bleed screw on the slave cylinder on the transmission by having someone pump the clutch pedal until no more fluid comes out, then remove and replace the master cylinder, fill the MC fluid reservoir with new brake fluid, and bleed from the slave cylinder until the fluid comes out without bubbles. Anything I’m missing/not doing right?
One more question (if it’s possible to derail your own topic…) I tried to replace my fuel filter last weekend but could not get the banjo bolt to let go. Unfortunately I didn’t have any penetrating oil on hand to try to get it loose, but before I take my vacuum control box off again I’m going to make darn sure I have everything I need to get it done properly. Any advice other than penetrating oil?
Thanks for your help!
Will
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Go with OEM parts whenever possible. The quality difference is very noticeable in construction, function, etc.
I’m all about using OEM parts, but I’m really not convinced that a $100 master cylinder is that much better than a $50 one. I’m thinking there is probably a difference in the quality of the gaskets/seals between a $20 one and a $50 one enough to justify the price difference. I was hoping to hear from somebody that had either made the mistake of buying a cheap master cylinder and regretting it or bought a mid priced one and loved it.
Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! Wish y’all could smell what my wife has cooking!
Check to see if the OEM includes the slave cylinder. It might be a complete kit which might be recommended. I mean if the master has failed, how far behind can the slave be?
It would be nice, but the slave is like another $50-60 for OEM parts. Again, all of them, whether they are $20 or $100+ are basic aluminum hydraulic cylinders that really aren’t very high pressure. I’m thinking the only difference between the two are the machining tolerances and the quality of the seals. But my thinking has gotten me into lots of trouble before… Like that time in Mexico. Has anybody read my bleeding “procedure”? Thoughts?
I believe Beck Arnley will be the OEM part just in a different box.If they have it in stock go check it out to make sure.
+1 on the beck arnley. Just make sure of the warranty, cause sometimes if the part is installed by someone other than a shop the warranty is void.
Thank you guys for the replies. Eric, the video was great and answered all the questions I had about clutch bleeding and adjustment. As far as part selection I can’t afford a $100 OE clutch cylinder right now, and I can’t afford for a $20 clutch to fail in 6-12 months, so I’m going to stick with the Beck Arnley for around $50. I’m going to order the master cylinder on Friday(payday) and install it as soon as it gets here. As far as the warranty is concerned, my 93 accord just turned 232k so I’d rather save the money and do the clutch install myself in case something else breaks. Man, I love this car. Hopefully I can get 500k out of it! Thanks again for everyone’s help.
Will
Will do. It will be Monday before I get a chance to work on it. Evidently I caught this issue before it actually became a problem since I was under the dash pulling the fuel pump relay. Also, I ordered a master cylinder only without actually looking at any of it. Well, the MC got here yesterday, and I went to do a comparison, and the slave cylinder is totally roached! Luckily beck Arnley is next day shipping from me (Smyrna, TN to Daphne, AL), and the slave cylinder will be here on Monday. I’ll let you guys know how it all goes then. Thanks again for the answers and videos.
Will
Not going to happen on Monday, just got the email that my slave cylinder won’t get here until Wednesday. Again, I have had zero problems out of my clutch, so this is just maintenance since I discovered a MC leak, and upon inspection noticed that the slave cylinder was long overdue as well. I love maintaining my own automobile… Seriously! I used to trade fishing time for maintaining a 38′ Litton trawler with a Ford Lehman 190 6 cyl diesel, but I’d rather work on that diesel than fish!! I learned stuff every time I worked on it. Learned everything I know about a diesel powerplant from Nigel Calder’s book “Marine Diesel Mechanics”. Made the rest up as I went along! Back asswards for you mechanic types, I know. Appreciate customers like me when we come in, teach us something!
With the semester drawing to a close and finals fast approaching, time for repair is at a premium. I finally got all of the parts in, and have everything ready to go… Just waiting on an opportunity to do it. I’ll post up once I get it done and let y’all know how everything went. Thanks again for the advice guys.
Will
Took advantage of my wife going to a work Christmas party this morning to change out my master cylinder and slave cylinder. Everything went pretty smoothly. Wife came home right when I was ready to start bleeding the system. Runs and drives great. Clutch feels great, and its easier to get it into and out of first and reverse than before. Could not have done it without the videos. Thanks for everyone’s help!
Will
Edit: I meant to add that a pair of hemostats makes the cotter pin removal and reinstall incredibly easy. If you have any customers that are nurses you could score a pair, or buy them from a nursing uniform store.
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