So I get in my car at 1:30am to go out and take photos, and much to my chagrin, my R's clutch tension had dropped down to almost a 1/3 of the way from the floor. It still rebounds to the regular distance but the tension only tightens towards the bottom. The car still drives and it is possible to shift without too much effort (albeit a bit jerky), but I can't figure out how this happened since I parked my car yesterday. I tried making a tension adjustment, but it's dark out and I didn't have much room to work with.

So who could tell me what may have caused this clutch issue from one day to the next with no driving?

The weather tonight is perhaps the coolest weather we have had in months, but its no chill (its all of 60 degrees). It's the only variable that I can think of but I can't see that being the cause of this.

If anyone has any clues I'd appreciate it. I don't think the clutch is on its way out because its an aftermarket Toda clutch and the car only has 58,000 miles. Besides, it hasn't ever given me any trouble before, and yesterday when I pulled into the driveway it was fine.

 

Sounds like you got air in the line. Did you check to make the clutch MC reservoir isn't empty?

 

Did you find after the car warmed up that you had more pedal than when it was cold? If so i'd say you are definitely leaking fluid. Either the MC or the SC. When mine when i was leaking it from the SC. Replaced it and was fine.

You should be looking at an easy fix either way!


Edit: Ed's suggestion could also definitely be the case. Either way....still and easy fix.

 

A drop in temperature will usually give you a better feel for stuff like that. My old car pressure dropped completely off overnight at one point. Overnight, I'd start looking for a leak in your clutch system. Start with the cheapest option at the slave valve

 

Well there's no visible leak, and when I added fluid to the reservoir (which was a bit low) it filled up just about instantly.

I'm assuming that its a faulty MC or SC. Unfortunately, since it's a Monday and I have a full week of classes ahead of me I don't have time to fix it and I'll probably just have to take it to the shop down the street.

How much should a mechanic charge for this fix?

 

How low was the fluid in the reservoir? Could you see any? You need to bleed the system now.

After you do that check for leaks @ the MC, the SC, and the soft line couplings near the ABS module, and the SC piston(pull back rubber boot). If there is big leak you will still have a crappy pedal and probably a puddle. A small leak and the problem will go away and come back later. Either way, keep an eye on the level in the reservoir.

 

The best place to look for a MC leak would be inside the car up by the pedal, the SV is a little trickier to diagnose. I'm at a loss for words to describe the best method to check it at the moment. If I can think of a way to word it I'll edit my post later.

 

Well there's a good amount of what looks like grease down by the pedal. So I'm pretty sure that is the root of my problems.