Need a Slave Cylinder? Please read

[gen2lover]

I called the Wizard today (hi Chuck!) and I might have to order a new 2000 rt slave cylinder?

If you guys recall I had a lot of problems with my clutch 4 weeks ago or so...My car would not go into gear at all...I bled it with Chucks phone help (and Dan Lesser!) and after getting the car OFF the FLATBED at the dealership, my vipers clutch bleed was complete and worked like new this past few weeks.

It is COLD here and I have only driven it say 5 times in 3 months?

FYI- (I have 34,000 miles). I never race. My car is stock.

So fast forward to today.40 degrees here in Ontario.I go to take the car out and damn! no clutch..only very small resistance at the bottom near the floor.

I added more clutch fluid and pumped it 200 TIMES!? and it finally came back and I enjoyed a 2 hour ride.

Chuck thinks its a slow leak on the Slave (inside) I see no floor spots.

He also said in the summer I wouldn't notice it as much because I am always driving it...

So...I still am confused...I bled it 4 weeks ago and clutch felt like new.I drove it since with no problems.The fluid was very low inside where you pour it...weird thing is if its a slow leak on the slave? INSIDE- why after bleeding it was it ok for 4 drives?

And what does not driving it much lately have to do with poor clutch performance and problems?

thanks guys! CONFUSED KEVIN HERE

 

[dave6666]

It sounds like you need a slave. Elastomeric seals, like what might be leaking in your slave, are temperature sensitive. They are hard in the cold and shrink. The are soft when warm and expand.

Which do you think makes a better seal?

About where your fluid is going from the leak... Get a good flashlight and take a hard look under your car. Just because there's no drip stain doesn't mean a thing if it's trailing down the frame...

And I speak from experience on all these fronts.

Oh yeah... If you can get your car up in the air pull the flywheel cover for a "fluid everywhere" check.

 

[gen2lover]

thanks Dave..not doubting the Wizard but just seeing other guys experiences.

Still odd how it works at times other times not at all...

I'm wondering if I really did have air in the clutch line the first time now...bleeding the clutch would not help a leaky slave..or would it? It looks like I need a slave then...

 

[dave6666]

Yes bleeding is a temporary fix. When the thing leaks out fluid and the stroke is released, some of the missing fluid is replaced by what is in the reservoir, and the rest by air sucked in from the leak spot.

Eventually you run out of fluid.

Air is abundant.

Bleeding gets you back to square one for a bit.

Mine was the same about the intermittent business. Hope eventually ran out, and I replaced it. My car had 17,700 at the time. At 34,000 on yours, it is time.

DO IT!

 

[gen2lover]

ok! Calling Chuck tomm. Its the slave then you gotta remove the tranny right? ughh. hours to do the slave? thanks.

 

[dave6666]

ok! Calling Chuck tomm. Its the slave then you gotta remove the tranny right? ughh. hours to do the slave? thanks.

You have till what, June, when the snow melts?

 

[Tom F&L GoR]

You could try this if you believe that a new one is the only choice and you have nothing to lose.

Buy an "old-car" transmission fluid or power steering fluid. They include seal-swell additives that soften and swell hardened elastomers. You are in a tough spot because you can't see the leak nor know when the leak stops.

I had a similar problem with a fairly new slave and used an aircraft hydraulic fluid. I monitored the rubber gasket inside the reservoir to see how things were going. When I saw it was swelling (and I really used a too-harsh fluid and let it go a few weeks, because the gasket is still too big. Everything seals well and is soft, but too big!) I flushed it a few times with brake fluid. It's been fine for years.

In an emergency I had used a 0W-20 engine oil instead of the brake fluid. That worked fine also, but didn't affect the seals. Anyone know why brake fluid is specified? The water tolerance seems to be a weakness; the low viscosity seems unneccesary.

 

[Madduc]

Anyone know why brake fluid is specified?

Maybe so that no one confuses the two so close together(brake mastercylinder and clutch master) and puts the wrong fluid in the wrong master.

 

[dave6666]

Anyone know why brake fluid is specified?

So Tom will ask US the first fluid related question EVER?

Whaddup Tom?

 

[Tom F&L GoR]

Sorry, I see why you thought I knew the answer. I don't. I would not use brake fluid - because it absorbs water, because it is dangerous near paint, because it harms most elastomers. I would use auto trans fluid because it has long-life properties, anti-oxidants, some friction reducers, dyed a nice red so you can see drips, is already used in some transmissions, is fairly low viscosity...

Any complaints about being "too thick" could have easily been handled by larger hose sizes between master and slave. As I experienced, an SAE 0W20 was fine.

Dunno.

 

[Madduc]

What about heat related issues?? Brake fluid's high boiling point vs the tranny fluid.

 

[Qualitywires.com]

Yeah it's your slave. Just replaced 3 of them in the last 4 months on different cars. I bet if you look under your car your bellhousing will show a little bit of oil where the oil pan and tranny meet up. I would say with a lift you could do the the job with a friend in half a day...if it's your first time. It's not really a hard job to do but a little time consuming. If you look at some of my threads I have pictures of taking a tranny out.

Good luck!

 

[Viper Wizard]

Hi Kevin,

Your slave cyl is headed your way!

Thank You!

Chuck

 

[FSTENUF]

I had the same thing happen to my 02. I called Jon B and ordered it all. You need to drop the tranny anyway. new fly wheel pressure plate slave cylnder the works. Had it all shipped straight to my mech. You will need to break it all in 500 miles in town driving. But it is well worth it

 

[Tom F&L GoR]

Yes, brake fluid has a high boiling point, but the transmission area can't be too hot for transmission fluid, either. And engine oil arguably gets hotter than that as it nears the combustion chamber. I don't know.

 

[Madduc]

I' sure the trans area doesn't get to hot to worry about the fluid boiling. But, more concerned with the line that goes from the M/C to the slave. Dodge felt it was enough of a concern to cover it with some type of heat resistant cloth/material to protect it from exhaust heat. The Dodge Ram SRT-10 I believe had a TSB on re-routing the line further away from it's heat source due to customer complaints of poor clutch operation. It would be great if we could use something other than a fluid that absorbs water, eats paint and seals. How about an Atomic powered clutch?? Hmmm...

 

[dave6666]

How about an Atomic powered clutch?? Hmmm...

I've got mine connected straight to the flux capacitor.

I get about a week's worth of driving from a case of empties.

 

[Madduc]

What size flux capacitor? If your using too small of one it will lower your et's by .734 seconds.