Clutch suddenly stopped working--no leaks

[iamisha]

Hello! [from a newbie]

[1992 240SX Manual 5 speed]

The "c"-like bracket at the top of the clutch pedal that holds the assist spring broke over two months ago, but the clutch continued to work fine...until about a week ago.

It became gradually more difficult to get it into gear. Pumping the clutch helped at first, but now I can no longer get it into any gear when it is running, or, if I have it in gear when it is started, I can't get it out. There are no leaks at either the master or the slave cylinder. I flushed out the old fluid and bled the system, but that didn't help.

How criticial is the assist spring? Could that have caused, say, the master cylinder to have failed (but not leak)? Is this a common failure point? Will a junkyard pedal die soon as well? Is there another source besides the dealer ($73)? Can I live without the assist spring?

Thanks in advance.

P.S. I read the article about removing the clutch piping connector and wonder whether this is a "performance" modification. I'm not a performance car owner, just an owner of a 240sx that has been a charm to own for the last 16 years.

P.P.S. What's a ricer?

[scottydog]

You likely have a failing master cylinder. The slave is pretty cheap so just replace both at the same time.

The clutch piping connector tends to get crapped up causing problems, and is easy to remove/bypass. Save yourself some headaches and remove it while you're doing the overhaul.

The spring is an easy item to replace.

[iamisha]

How do you get the "assist" spring back into place?

I got a brake pedal from Pick-n-Pull (and a plastic bushing for the spring from Nissan), but can't get the spring back into place. This spring is proving to be an impossible mission.

[r3v_v3ng3]

use a pliers (longnose or angled)

[iamisha]

I created a new post for this question and solved it. Essentially, it was easier for me to remove the entire assembly, remove the fulcrum bolt, install the spring, then reinstall the fulcrum bolt. At that point, just put the assembly back into place.