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View Full Version : CRAP! Went to take the '85 home today, and the clutch pedal is to the floor.

MikeB
05-20-2012, 3:13pm
Damn.
Popped the hood, master cylinder is empty. Checked the carpeting by the pedals, no fluid, so the master ain't leaking. I replaced the master about 4 or 5 years ago, so I'm satisfied with it's performance. Looked under the car, normal amount of seepage: A few drops of oil from valve covers and rear main, nothing unusual. Car had sat since NOv '11, only started twice-in Jan and Mar - clutch was fine then. Filled up the master, pumped it about 25 times and got enough clutch to put it in gear. Drove it home (about 20 mile trip), and what a trip it was. Every downshift, stop or start, had to pull the gear shift into nuetral and pump the pedal at least 5 times before it would shift into gear. Long pause between shifts, almost got rear-ended by Mr. Madza. :kick: So, next stop/takeoff, I nailed it to the speed limit in 1st. That 45mph roadway limit was fun ::rofl:
Got home, and ordered a new slave. Next weekend will be under the beast.
:thumbs: Used less than a half oz. of fluid in the master. No sense bleeding it, I'll just put a new slave in.
:seasix:
mike100
05-20-2012, 5:35pm
I don't know what the 85 slave looks like, but all the 89-96 ones on the ZF are throw-away junk.
MikeB
05-20-2012, 5:47pm
I don't know what the 85 slave looks like, but all the 89-96 ones on the ZF are throw-away junk.

I'm guessing the same, as there is no core charge. Price range is $35.00 to $75.00 for the identical unit. (All assembled by the same chinese kids, just different brand names :leaving:
Probably doesn't matter too much anyway, this is still the original, as was the master, so they served their purpose.
:seasix:
mike100
05-20-2012, 6:13pm
Have fun bleeding it if the bleed screw faces downward like the later cars...if not, piece of cake...
PLRX
05-20-2012, 7:14pm
Have fun bleeding it if the bleed screw faces downward like the later cars...if not, piece of cake...

:iagree:

It took an engineer with a college degree(s) to design that one.
Frizlefrak
05-20-2012, 8:38pm
:iagree:

It took an engineer with a college degree(s) to design that one.

:iagree: I wonder if the dickweed that designed it is familiar with the principle of gravity?
MikeB
05-20-2012, 8:59pm
:iagree: I wonder if the dickweed that designed it is familiar with the principle of gravity?

I remember bleeding the master from the slave, when I replaced the master.
Took the slave off the bell housing, removed the cap on the master, and pushed the piston in on the slave with a screw driver. Did this a few times, and the pedal was good. I remember having the SO pump the pedal quite a bit before I pushed the slave piston in. With the cap off, the air (and a bit of fluid) just passed out the resorvoir.
Wouldn't this work the same for the slave?

Damn, I'm going to have to search the 'ol C4 tech section before the coming weekend. :slap:

BTW, the bleedscrew is up.
mike100
05-20-2012, 9:28pm
since the design we are referring to will not allow the air to escape at the highest point, what you end up doing is to fill the master and let the air bubble up the line. Then compress the slave cyl rod 100% in while a helper pours more fluid into the reservoir. Then release the rod to draw in fluid to fill the vacuum and that's about filled at that point. pump and bleed a few times to make sure, but any other method is going to get real messy.
mike100
05-20-2012, 9:28pm
...
BTW, the bleedscrew is up.

Then it will be 1000 times easier than on the 89-96 cars.
Frizlefrak
05-20-2012, 10:52pm
Then it will be 1000 times easier than on the 89-96 cars.

:iagree: Gravity will do it's job.
MikeB
05-21-2012, 6:46pm
since the design we are referring to will not allow the air to escape at the highest point, what you end up doing is to fill the master and let the air bubble up the line. Then compress the slave cyl rod 100% in while a helper pours more fluid into the reservoir. Then release the rod to draw in fluid to fill the vacuum and that's about filled at that point. pump and bleed a few times to make sure, but any other method is going to get real messy.

Thanks for the refresher. Sounds about like what I did when I replaced the master. Won't have to search afterall.
Part is on it's way, should be here Wed. or Thursday, so I got a long weekend to do it.
Looks to be about a 30 pack of the High Life job.
:seasix:
MikeB
05-23-2012, 6:56pm
Well, my new slave arrived today. I was going to wait for the weekend, but things worked in favor of doing it today. Went out to jack it up, and spied a small drip puddle under the slave where the boot that covers the pin is. So, I guessed correctly. Took about 1.5 hours total/2 beers. World's greatest mechanic's helper was there (the SO). Had it bled and working fine in no time.
The only bad thing is , I got a stripped tapped hole in the bell housing on the lower bolt. Won't snug up, but only backs-out 1/4 turn by hand. Tried to take it out with a ratchet, but it won't back out.
Down to NAPA tomorrow, going to see if a helicoil will work in there.
Sure would be nice to have a lift. I'm getting too old for this back crawler work.
:cert: