Hydraulic Clutch Problems
There is one issue that hydraulic clutches have that mechanical ones don’t: leakage. If you find any leakage in a hydraulic clutch setup, you need to repair it. Once enough fluid leaks out, you will no longer be able to operate your clutch. Before that happens, you might notice difficulty engaging gears when shifting. This could indicate that the clutch is not fully releasing. If that’s the case, the clutch will still be partially applied when you shift gears.
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Looking for leaks is simple as long as you can put your eyes on the hydraulic clutch components. I usually start by looking up under the dash where the clutch pedal mechanism terminates at the firewall or bulkhead. This is usually where the master cylinder is located. If you see any leakage from the master cylinder, replace it. I’d also recommend replacing the slave cylinder at the same time. This way you know that all the working parts of your hydraulic clutch system have been addressed and should be functioning normally from here on out. It would be a real pain to have to go back and replace a slave cylinder after replacing the master cylinder.
Inspect the slave cylinder in the same way as a master cylinder if you can get access to it. If your slave cylinder is part of your throw-out bearing assembly, I’d recommend you replace it when replacing your clutch.
If you don’t and it ends up leaking, you’ll have to go back in there to replace it. Here’s a video about inspecting and replacing clutch hydraulics that you might find useful.
One thing that came up a lot in the comments of that video was the bleeding procedure. Personally, I think the best way to bleed out a system like that is with a vacuum bleeder. A pressure bleeder will also work well. The method shown in the video was to illustrate how to perform the job with minimal tools; however, I’d recommend a vacuum bleeder or pressure bleeder for best results.
Video Title: Hydraulic Clutch Problems – Solving Transmission Problems – EricTheCarGuy Video Description: In this Article we talk about Hydraulic Clutch Problems.
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2 thoughts on “Hydraulic Clutch Problems”
Joseph Clemson
April 16, 2020 at 12:42 pm
I’m having an issue with my 08 mustang GT where the clutch fluid goes bad (black) within a few days and if I go higher rpm like around 4k + I lose all clutch like there is no fluid in it. After around 30 seconds it returns to normal (like moister is in the system) no noticeable leaks and I’ve isolated it to the clutch side by buying a separate reservoir. I see no leaks from anywhere. I’m looking at just replacing the whole system when I get back from deployment because I’m thinking it’s the clutch master cylinder. Would you happen to have an idea on why this might be? It’s worth noting that I’ve been using DOT 4 fluid, and that might be the issue as well. It’s odd because my brakes are dealing with it fine.
Mikie
May 29, 2021 at 8:14 am
What did you end up doing to remedy this situation?