Does anyone or can anybody explain to me how either a slave cylinder or clutch master cylinder goes bad?? Also, does it have noticible problems and progressively get worse or does it just straight go out??

THANKS!!

 

well, im havin troubles somewhere, and it wasnt a gradual thing, just all of a sudden happened....
im tryin slave first

 

They are both just hydraulic cylinders. They have seals inside them that eventually wear out. They can go bad quickly or really quickly. My master started leaking and was completely bad in about a week. Oh, and it's typically the master that goes out. You can usually find leaking fluid to point you to which is bad.

 

Master cylinder can leak out thru the shaft seal & soak the carpeting under the pedal.

Master cylinder can also leak back into the reservoir, so it doesn't leak OUT. That's the clutch equivalent of the slowly sinking brake pedal. It's either the piston seal deteriorating, or corrosion in the MC bore. Or both.

Hydraulic line can leak. Steel tube (like brake line) most of the way, but a section of rubber tubing somewhere to allow for engine motion. That can corrode or whatever.

Slave cylinder can leak out. Same as MC piston seal leaking, except here it leaks out at the throw-out lever.

 

Yup, internal seals go bad and fluid leaks out the piston. I just replaced my master cylinder for the same reason. The carpet was soaked with hydraulic fluid in the driver's footwell and the pison started to click on the way in and out.

Apparently it had been leaking for a while (I just bought the car) because when I put my arm up to un-do the nuts holding the cylinder in, just the motion of my arm brushing against the pedal bracket knocked all the black paint off that had been bubbling up from contact with the fluid.