99ekexsi

hello my problem is my clutch use to have a gripping point and now it feels softer now ive done burnouts and the latter so i know it mite be going out but i only have like a 1-2 inches from the floor now how do you know if one of your clutch clynders is going bad.....my other problem is my car occasnly ideals at 700 or below and acts like it wants to stall out but yet i have no cels or nething what are civics suppose to idle at and what could be the problem if i dont have enough information ask me and i could tell you more about it

tercel95

Sounds like your master or slave cylinder has a slow leak... Mine started to do the same thing as yours and eventually it completely gave out. I replaced the slave, bled the system and it was just like new... Check where it is leaking fix the problem soon before you get stranded.

The idling problem could be your IACV. Removing and cleaning it would be your first step...

trustdestruction

If one of the clutch cylinders is going bad it will be leaking.

Are you losing clutch fluid?

Have you tried bleeding the clutch hydraulic lines?

Also, check for leaks from the cylinders.

I agree, the idle problem sounds like it may be related to the IACV. Try cleaning it using the instructions hyperlinked to in the FAQ.


P.S. Using a period here and there makes it a lot easier to read what you are saying. Run-on sentences are confusing and jumbled together. It makes it hard to separate the different points of your post.

99ekexsi

where are the master and the slave cylinders located at? and i am fine on clutch fluid. Another thing that came across my mind is i have a cable tranny could the cable have anything to do with that to?

trustdestruction

how are you fine on clutch fluid?
if you have a cable tranny, you don't have clutch fluid.

how do you have a cable tranny?

99ekexsi

i though i had a cable tranny but i have a hydraulic. My fluids fine and there appears to be no fluid coming out of the cylinders. Is 132846 miles alot for a original clutch in a civic

trustdestruction

I'm not sure. I have 164,xxx miles on what I believe is the original clutch. No problems here. The ISB is making noise though, so I'm gonna replace that and simultaneously put in a lightweight flywheel and exedy stage 1 clutch.

tercel95

Trust me this is a common problem with these cars. It may not be leaking enough for you to see the fluid leaking out but it is leaking enough to let air into the system. A change in engagement point means there is air in the system. Nothing else would cause this. In case you still don't believe me here is my experience:

I bought my 99 Civic Si about 7 months ago with about 140k on the clock. When I bought the car I thought the engagement point seemed pretty close to the floor compared to the other cars I had driven, but I wrote it off as just that just being how the car was... About 4,000 miles later the pedal starts to get closer to the floor before it finally gave out... At that point it was easy to tell that the slave cylinder was bad. I looked through some old maintenence records that came with the car and saw that during a regular service about 1 year prior a tech had noted that the clutch fluid was low.

So the moral of the story is that, either your master or slave is leaking. You may even be able to drive the car for another year but eventually it will fail....

The slave cost me $28 at autozone and took me about 1 hour to replace and bleed the system. It helps to have a friend to pump the pedal for you. Oh and spray the nut on the hard line with some penetrating lubricant. I almost broke mine...

trustdestruction

happened to me also like this
very slow leak. i didn't notice the leak at first but i did notice that the clutch seemed to be softer than normal. i overlooked it. eventually, i started losing clutch fluid. the reservoir would go from max to min in a week.

i changed both because the slave was cheap and since i was replacing the master i figured why not spend the extra $20 for the slave cylinder.

this is what i found:

99ekexsi

how hard is it to replace the master and is there any right ups on how to do either of them on here

trustdestruction

it's very easy.

first, loosen the slave cylinder bleed bolt and let the fluid flow out into a bucket or something (use a hose from the bleed bolt to the bucket).

undo two bolts holding the reservoir bracket onto the shock tower, use pliers to unclamp the hose clamps and remove the reservoir. then unscrew the clutch line from the master cylinder.

now go in the car and at the pedal assembly there is a pin with a cotter pin holding the cylinder piston to the clutch pedal arm. remove the cotter pin and then push the pin out.
now undo the two 12mm nuts holding the master cylinder to the firewall.

clean out your reservoir while it is disconnected and empty. do not use water or anything, just a rag.


installation is reverse of removal.
on the new cylinder you will have to adjust the bracket on the end of the master cylinder piston, so that it attaches to the clutch pedal arm perfectly, not too short and not too long. there is a nut and the bracket is threaded. just loosen the nut and turn the bracket to adjust.



when done, fill and bleed the clutch:

for bleeding the clutch, it's good to have an assistant so that he/she can pump the clutch with their hand while you take care of everything else.

1. close the bleed bolt.
2. pour in DOT3 or DOT4 brake fluid until the reservoir is almost full (I like to use Prestone Synthetic brake fluid)
3. loosen the slave cylinder bleed bolt (have the hose and bucket in place)
4a. pump the clutch (you'll have to pull it up manually every time)
4b. while pumping the clutch, never let the reservoir get too low. keep it almost full to the top, until you're close to done.
5. when there are no more air bubbles coming out of the bleed bolt, your clutch lines are done being bled. give the pedal a couple last pumps and let the reservoir get under the max mark, but not too low. tighten the bleed bolt (not too tight, it can break).
6. fill the reservoir up to the max mark (the notch sticking out of the reservoir all the way around its circumference)

your clutch pedal should have resistance to push down now, and it should come up by itself. if it is very weak, check your bleed bolt to make sure it is tightened. if it's tight and the pedal is still weak, repeat steps 2-6 until all the air is out of the system for sure.

99ekexsi

thanks and how do i take out the slave cylinder the right way. How big of a difference you'd think if i changed my tranny fluid it has 132900 on it now

CiviC 4 life!

word!

trustdestruction

slave cylinder:
drain the clutch lines via the bleed bolt on the slave cylinder
unscrew the clutch line from the slave cylinder. undo the two bolts holding the slave cylinder to the tranny. remove the rubber boot on the front of the clutch fork/slave cylinder.


put lithium grease on the slave cylinder piston, underneath the little boot. getting it to go back on can be a pain in the ***. take your time and be patient with it. you'll have to compress the slave cylinder shaft thing while you line up the bolt holes on the tranny with the slave cylinder. getting the bolts to go in straight can be difficult, be careful not to put them in crooked and mess up the threads. i started to put one in crooked and i was very lucky my threads were okay. also douse the area where the clutch fork meets the slave cylinder in grease to prevent squeaking. without grease it will eventually start squeaking. fill and bleed the clutch as described earlier.