Clutch not working

[iceman1110]

Ok, here is my problem. I have a 1990 240sx, stock for the most part. I removed the dampener box several months ago. Been going great until this point. My clutch pedal is just sitting on the floor. I tried bleeding the system several times in the past few hours. Removed master cylinder and inspected. There is no pressure in the system, no leaks in the system, you can move the clutch pedal by hand back and fourth all day and nothing happens. With the bleeder loose on the slave the fluid will slowly drip out but does not come out any faster when trying to bleed. I didn't look before at what this looked like, but it appears that the slave cylinder is all the way extended. I can remove the rod from it with the car just sitting there(should I be able to do that?), you can push the clutch fork toward the rod and press it back INTO the slave cylinder about an inch. When I do this fluid comes out of the bleeder screw if it is loose then it returns to what appears to be the extended position. I am completely confused by this and it is my daily driver, no other vehicle. Have to work wednesday so I need to figure this out. Thanks for taking the time to read this, hopefully someone has had this problem and can help.-Mike

[nissangirl74]

Sounds like your slave cylinder is bad. Did a little research for you

http://shop.advanceautoparts.c...00___

Hope this helps.

[iceman1110]

Thanks, that is a cheap part and I will give it a shot tomorrow, however I would like to know if the clutch fork should be at rest where it is or if it should be pressing the slave cylinder back in as it looks to be fully extended.

[nissangirl74]

There should be a diagram in the FSM. I would check that. I'd hate to tell you wrong.

[adrianfromthecastle]

Thanks, that is a cheap part and I will give it a shot tomorrow, however I would like to know if the clutch fork should be at rest where it is or if it should be pressing the slave cylinder back in as it looks to be fully extended.

if you're talking about the clutch lever that sticks outside the transmission that the slave pushes into, then no, the lever should be pushing the slave back down. The slave should only be extended as the clutch pedal is depressed. and the lever should NOT be loose.

ugh... just thinking about clutch problems and I'm already imagining the smell of clutch fluid on my clothes

[PapaSmurf2k3]

There is also a chance that your master cylinder is bad too. You might want to pick one of those up as well and just get all your clutch hydraulics done in one shebang.

If the fork coming out of the transmission is loose, there is a chance you broke your pivot bolt inside the transmission, in which case you'll be going through slave cylinders a lot quicker than usual (it puts excessive strain on the slave cyl). You pretty much need to drop the transmission if that is the case. At that point, you'd want to replace the clutch/pressure plate/throwout bearing while you are in there.

High strength pivot bolts can be found at http://www.splparts.com

$25http://www.splparts.com/main4/index.htm

[iceman1110]

You say I would be going through them alot faster. As in how much faster? Would it be drivable? I'd need to make a plan for transportation if I have to drop the transmission.
Modified by iceman1110 at 11:56 PM 8/24/2009

[PapaSmurf2k3]

Just so you know, in a pinch, you could start the car in 1st, and shift clutchlessly all the way up to 5th, and back down to 2nd again if you need to. Just rev match. Getting into first again (or reverse) would probably require you to shut the car off and put it in that gear.

[iceman1110]

That's a bad deal. I really appreciate your fast responses and knowledge of this car at nearly 2am. I am going to get some sleep and see what I can accomplish tomorrow. Thanks again and I will check back in when I make any progress.

[nissangirl74]

Just so you know, in a pinch, you could start the car in 1st, and shift clutchlessly all the way up to 5th, and back down to 2nd again if you need to. Just rev match. Getting into first again (or reverse) would probably require you to shut the car off and put it in that gear.

If at all possible, car pool. Good luck and let us know how it goes!

[iceman1110]

Just got done replacing the master and slave cylinder. All is working again, better than before actually. The slave cylinder was fine but the master cylinder was shot. Thanks for your help everyone. Got both parts for $25 from o'reillys with lifetime warranty.