UPDATED-YACT: What the heck is going on with my car?

[Hankerton]

Originally posted by: TechnoKid
So you are leaking clutch fluid. Hmm....If its just a loose bleeder screw ten you may be good. If its a leaking slave cylinder or a leaking master cylinder, then you are screwed untill you replace those. I suppose if it is a slow leak you can put some brake fluid in the master cylinder resovoir till you get home.

When you do get home, make sure you put something under that car so the fluid doens't get everywhere.

Could you give me a ballpark on what it will cost me if I just take it right to the shop to get fixed? I know you have no idea what labor is, but any rough estimate would be helpful.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: Hankerton
Damn, I hope its just a fluid issue. I'm not trying to spend a billion dollars for a new clutch. I just had the breaks replaced.

You mean the brakes?

 

[TechnoKid]

Originally posted by: Hankerton

Originally posted by: TechnoKid
So you are leaking clutch fluid. Hmm....If its just a loose bleeder screw ten you may be good. If its a leaking slave cylinder or a leaking master cylinder, then you are screwed untill you replace those. I suppose if it is a slow leak you can put some brake fluid in the master cylinder resovoir till you get home.

When you do get home, make sure you put something under that car so the fluid doens't get everywhere.

Could you give me a ballpark on what it will cost me if I just take it right to the shop to get fixed? I know you have no idea what labor is, but any rough estimate would be helpful.

A new clutch master cylinder is anywhere from $67 to $114 for the part, and ~$20 for a repair kit. A new slave cylinder is about $55, repair kit is ~$10. These are all wholesale prices. And as for labor, I'd say only about an hour at most, so figure about $65-$90 for labor. Add a coule bucks for the hydraulic fluid. At most you are looking at about $250 for a new master and slave cylinder including labor.



EDIT: You said the fluid is leaking inside the car by the clutch pedal or its leaking outside the car onto to floor(ground)???? if it is leaking inside then its most likely the clutch master cylinder that needs to be replaced. If its leaking outside the car, it could be either, but most likely the slave cylinder.

 

[Hankerton]

Originally posted by: TechnoKid

Originally posted by: Hankerton

Originally posted by: TechnoKid
So you are leaking clutch fluid. Hmm....If its just a loose bleeder screw ten you may be good. If its a leaking slave cylinder or a leaking master cylinder, then you are screwed untill you replace those. I suppose if it is a slow leak you can put some brake fluid in the master cylinder resovoir till you get home.

When you do get home, make sure you put something under that car so the fluid doens't get everywhere.

Could you give me a ballpark on what it will cost me if I just take it right to the shop to get fixed? I know you have no idea what labor is, but any rough estimate would be helpful.

A new clutch master cylinder is anywhere from $67 to $114 for the part, and ~$20 for a repair kit. A new slave cylinder is about $55, repair kit is ~$10. These are all wholesale prices. And as for labor, I'd say only about an hour at most, so figure about $65-$90 for labor. Add a coule bucks for the hydraulic fluid. At most you are looking at about $250 for a new master and slave cylinder including labor.



EDIT: You said the fluid is leaking inside the car by the clutch pedal or its leaking outside the car onto to floor(ground)???? if it is leaking inside then its most likely the clutch master cylinder that needs to be replaced. If its leaking outside the car, it could be either, but most likely the slave cylinder.

Yes, its leaking inside the car. I just talked to my cousin who's pretty knowledgable with cars, and he said I should try to be sure I have enough hydraulic fluid to make it home. He said if I break down for this reason, I could end up having to replace the whole clutch system anyway. I don't even know where to look for this. Plus, from my understanding, this isn't a container that is user-friendly to re-fill. I guess you have to have the car on a lift in order to add more fluid, right?

 

[Hankerton]

lil help on my last post?

bump bump.....no worries, if I don't get a response, I'll let this thread die I guess.

 

[CombatChuk]

It sounds like you have a leak in the clutch line. Since the fluid is low, the clutch is not being disengaged (that's why it's hard to shift). I'd stop driving to save the transmission.

 

[TechnoKid]

The clutch master cylinder fluid resovoir is right besides the brake master cylinder resovoir. It is the smaller of the two with a white cap. About 1-1/2" in diameter.

 

[Ornery]

Originally posted by: FrustratedUser

Originally posted by: interkool
You could also be low on clutch fuild. If you still feel back pressure when you engage the clutch then more than likely you are just low on fuild. If your clutch does not come back up then it could the the master cylinder for the clutch. good luck

WTH is clutch fluid? There is no fluid in a clutch for a stick shift. You must think of the torque converter in an automatic.

I'm with you, FU. Never heard of such a thing! Guess I learned something new today. One more reason to dislike the wondrous new automotive technology!

 

[flot]

Originally posted by: Ornery

Originally posted by: FrustratedUser

Originally posted by: interkool
You could also be low on clutch fuild. If you still feel back pressure when you engage the clutch then more than likely you are just low on fuild. If your clutch does not come back up then it could the the master cylinder for the clutch. good luck

WTH is clutch fluid? There is no fluid in a clutch for a stick shift. You must think of the torque converter in an automatic.

I'm with you, FU. Never heard of such a thing! Guess I learned something new today. One more reason to dislike the wondrous new automotive technology!

Yes, clutches have fluid just like your brakes have fluid. I think on some vehicles it's considerably less user-accessable than on others, but normally it's just right there next to your brake cylinder.

You should top the fluid off before you leave work, and maybe pump the clutch a few times in case it has gone dry. The "risk" of driving it is that you could lose all fluid and find out you can't disengage the clutch. That is not necessarily catestrophic, but could be dangerous. If it happens while you are in gear, you'll have to force the car out of gear. If it happens while you are out of gear, you will not be able to get it back in gear from a stop.

 

[gw186]

Originally posted by: TechnoKid
The clutch master cylinder fluid resovoir is right besides the brake master cylinder resovoir. It is the smaller of the two with a white cap. About 1-1/2" in diameter.

This sounds right and you use brake fluid in the resovoir. If it's empty you may want to pump the peddle a few times to get air out of the line.

 

[FrustratedUser]

Originally posted by: flot

Originally posted by: Ornery

Originally posted by: FrustratedUser

Originally posted by: interkool
You could also be low on clutch fuild. If you still feel back pressure when you engage the clutch then more than likely you are just low on fuild. If your clutch does not come back up then it could the the master cylinder for the clutch. good luck

WTH is clutch fluid? There is no fluid in a clutch for a stick shift. You must think of the torque converter in an automatic.

I'm with you, FU. Never heard of such a thing! Guess I learned something new today. One more reason to dislike the wondrous new automotive technology!

Yes, clutches have fluid just like your brakes have fluid. I think on some vehicles it's considerably less user-accessable than on others, but normally it's just right there next to your brake cylinder.

You should top the fluid off before you leave work, and maybe pump the clutch a few times in case it has gone dry. The "risk" of driving it is that you could lose all fluid and find out you can't disengage the clutch. That is not necessarily catestrophic, but could be dangerous. If it happens while you are in gear, you'll have to force the car out of gear. If it happens while you are out of gear, you will not be able to get it back in gear from a stop.

All cars I ever had used a wire system.

 

[Ornery]

You mean cables, don't you? And, all the cars I've ever owned with clutches, had no cables, wires, hydro fluid, or any other weird shite like that!

 

[jagec]

Originally posted by: Ornery
You mean cables, don't you? And, all the cars I've ever owned with clutches, had no cables, wires, hydro fluid, or any other weird shite like that!

umm...so the clutch worked by magic?

 

[Ornery]

No, via a very simple adjustable rod, that was easily accessible and cheap!

 

[FrustratedUser]

Originally posted by: Ornery
You mean cables, don't you? And, all the cars I've ever owned with clutches, had no cables, wires, hydro fluid, or any other weird shite like that!

Yeah I meant cables.

 

[flot]

Once again, google saves the day.

"How to check the Fluid for a Hydraulic Clutch in your car"