Slave Cylinder Issue + Incorrect Gear Oil = Constant Slippage?

[jdm_master_X]

i just finished changing my clutch and replacing my rear main seal not too long ago. now the problem i thought would have been cured has come back.

my old problem was the clutch would slip if the car sat at idle for a long period of time (IE traffic on the bay bridge, etc.) the clutch would suddenly get uber stiff but slip like crazy. in other conditions the clutch was fine. i was due to change my clutch so i already did it and replaced the rear main seal. NOW... my problem is that it slips constantly, regardess of temperature and conditions. the pedal became stiff during bleeding and the slave was able to depress the clutch fork, so my friend and i wrapped that up.

Is it true that when the slave cylinder pops out of its bore that its automatically bad>? my first slave popped out at the touch of the pedal while the transmssion was disconnected. the second slave i got from a friend popped while we were gravity filling the slave (the entire system was empty for awhile). im thinking that if i continue bleeding the system more, ill get rid of any bubbles i missed. i removed that dampner loop already so it should be quick. should i bleed the master cylinder as well (bench bleed), and how would i do that?

finally, i noticed that i was given 75W-140 gear oil for my transmission. i already put it in, but wanted to know if that factored into my problems.

[travisn]

it is ok if the slave cylinder pops out of its bore as long as you put it back together correctly... make sure the dust boot is seated properly... did you ever resurface the flywheel?? if it got contaminated by engine oil the friction surface would be ruined... i cant remember 100% but i think you have to get under the dash to get the clutch master cylinder off, pita, not worth it... when i painted my engine bay and everything, my system was also empty for a while and i never bench bled my clutch master cylinder... maybe if it was brand new i would... if you want to know how ill tell you... but i had the car in the air and i filled the reservior and opened the bleeder on the slave cylinder (had it hooked up to the transmission) and after i got fluid to come out i closed the bleeder, got in the car pumped it twice (you wont build a firm pedal because the firmness goes into actuating the clutch, so dont worry) just pump it twice and hold it to the floor and have someone open the bleeder until nothing comes out. (the return spring tension of the clutch will force the fluid out bc you dont have a firm pedal with room to push more). repeat that until only brake fluid comes out. also, if the system is empty or not bled the clutch pedal may 'stick' to the floor bc there isnt anything pushing it back. so dont worry if it happens before you bleed it...

good luck... arent s13 trannies easy to take out if youve done it 2 or 3 times?? lol

[jdm_master_X]

haha SR trannies i can do, i just dont enjoy doing it when i have no lift. haha. any at home jobs, ill just remove the motor as well. i find it easier to remove the motor. haha. thanks for the advice!

[180fan]

yep i'd suspect air.

[jdm_master_X]

i noticed today while bleeding the slave again (this time using a Z31 slave) that the shift fork didnt seem to travel back as far as i thought it should have. i checked inside to see if the T/O bearing was clearing the pressure plate and it was by a couple thousandths of an inch (i could stick the tip of a flathead in there easily).

is there any way i could adjust the shift fork from outside the transmission? i tried to manipulate the fork and pivot with no success to its movement. because i thought the fork was supposed to compress the slave pin all the way down, but it only seems to do it about 3/4 of its complete travel.

other than that, after bleeding it seems to grab well, but under WOT it slips. i wonder if my friction surface of my flywheel is true enough for the clutch disk to grab. i resurfaced it with 300 grit sandpaper on an orbit sander and finished it off with a light rust and paint remover (according to an article i searched here on the forums, it specified to do this and save the cost of resurfacing). all the hardspots were gone after doing it. is there any way that the flywheel could break in with the clutch and start grabbing again?

and finally, how far does the adjustment on my clutch pedal free play have to be? isnt it a 1/4 inch?

[travisn]

i never heard of resurfacing the flywheel your self... wow...

and since a z31 slave isnt designed for a s13 maybe that is why its not traveling back all the way. like the z31 was meant to have less travel, but if its a common upgrade then i doubt it... i heard that fly wheel resurfacing is pretty cheap, its not like shaving it to make it lighter. maybe you should look into that.

if you had hard spots, (i assume from it getting hot??) then i dont think that the orbital sander will remove enough material to make it better, sure it will scratch it up and make it look good, but idk if id trust that. i think the orbital sander trick is used when you are installing a new clutch onto a flywheel that is in good condition, just to prep it, not to fix any problems.

clutch pedal free play? a 1/4" is good, it doesnt have to be exact, just enough so when you arent pushing on the clutch pedal the rod doesnt have any pressure on the master clyinder piston. bc if there is there could be a chance that there is constantly force on the clutch... it will be constantly slipping, even though its only a little bit, it will eventaully ruin your clutch. that is why you arent supposed to drive with your foot resting on the clutch pedal... the way i have mine is that there is enough play to where the clutch switch is all the way out when it starts to contact the piston in the master cylinder... which is about a 1/4"

im not sure 100% but i dont think there is any adjustment of the fork at all, it just kinda chills there between the slave cylinder, pivot, and clutch.

hope you figure it out soon man... i might be worth it to take it to a good transmission shop...

[jdm_master_X]

well the flywheel had very light heat checks and were removed at the touch of 300 grit sand paper. and the Z31 slave is a common replacement for the S13 slave (the bleeder and flare are switched in position, but have no effect on bleeding). and this was researched information on the NICO forums (i used the search button, haha)

well as i said it continues to slip at full throttle, but its starting to grab a little more quickly each time im driving it.

i checked my clutch free play and its also within specs. maybe im tripping out because the clutch fork has no adjustment, but i swear doesnt the pin have to be retracted all the way down? how do i know the slave is retracted all the way to the disengage position? i depress the fork all the until the pin will no longer retract, then i engage the slave again, and the fork stops about 3/4 of the way (meaning the pin is 1/4 engaged). its hard to explain, but let me find a picture of a slave cylinder and show u what i mean.

if i have to ill remove the flywheel again and resurface it professionally, but that is when i 100% determine it is my flywheel causing the slippage.

[180fan]

why did you try to do it yourself? its like 20 bucks to get it resurfaced down at Baca's Racing Engines in Colma.

[jdm_master_X]

because a lot of people swore by its effectiveness on the forum. a lot of people here have tried it with no ill effects. and i even showed my flywheel to a local shop and a couple of friends and they all said it was okay to put on. i made sure that it was okay before reinstallation. so i guess it was based off professional opinion.

drove it again, and its slowly catching better.

[travisn]

yea i thought it was like 20 or 30 bucks, but i wasnt 100% sure so i didnt say anything....

[5upra]

Check the ball stud for the clutch fork...that will mess with it if its broke or breaking. I have had one break

[jdm_master_X]

my friend told me there was supposed to be a spring between the pivot ball and the fork. i dont recall seeing one, but i do know there is that clip/spring that rests on the fork, holding the T/O.

is there any way i can remove the pivot without dropping the transmission. if not then i am going to drop the motor and transmission to do another inspection. but i wanted to do this adjustment before i really just drop the transmission and really resurface that flywheel. it feels like the clutch is still half engaged because i can just let off the clutch right away at a stop and it doesnt stall.

[jdm_master_X]

bump bump bump.

how stiff is the pedal supposed to be after removing that damper loop? it doesnt feel super stiff like its supposed to. im probably going to bleed it some more or just drop the transmission again this weekend. im going to get the flywheel resurfaced by a shop as well. this time, motor comes out too....its so much easier for me.

[nuts510]

is your clutch pedal releasing real hi like a right at the top of the travel? If it is I would first adjust back the adjuster on the master cylinder and saved the problem gets better. Another thing you could be running into is the front seal on the transmission!! was the oil leak this is particularly evil because it drips the oil right on your new clutch disc.

[jdm_master_X]

the oil didnt leak from the transmission at all. it was from the engine, so i replaced the rear main seal.

as far as the clutch pedal is concerned it has about 1/4 of free play, just like its supposed to. it doesnt feel harder like its supposed to. it still feels a little soft on engagement.

[coupebuddy]

did u remove the dampener?did u replace the rubber hose?rule of thumb is to put all new hydraulics & hosesanding fly wheel is okit sounds like the hos or u still have dampner on car