OK,

Thought of an idea to test to see if I am having trouble with the Slave vs.
the Master in cold weather. Please tell me if you think this will work...

If I take a pair of locking pliers and GENTLY clamp off the rubber portion
of the fluid supply line serving the Slave....Then, if I push in on the
peddle and it is still soft, it tells me that the seals are leaking at the
master cylinder...but if it is hard, even on a cold morning, then it is
probably the seals on the slave leaking...right? (I'm not looking at the van
right now, so I may be over looking something in my head)

Does this sound like a good way to diagnose the problem??

Of course I'll want to be gentle with clamping the line.

-Ben

On 11/6/07 8:48 AM, "Ben Cichowski" <cichowski@montana.edu> wrote:

> 25 Degrees this morning - same dead clutch. Yesterday, after it warmed up to
> 40, I went out and had NO problems what-so-ever with the clutch... (although
> it still feels a little soft for my taste and can stick in gear a bit if I
> hold the clutch in too long - another hydraulic clue...)
>
> So, as per my own thoughts and the thoughts of several others on the list,
> it looks like hydraulics are likely to blame (If I am missing something,
> someone please give a shout! - and by all means, feel free to tell me I'm
> being stupid and missing something obvious...things tend to stick better
> that way).
>
> I had my wife pump the clutch this morning as I watched the slave. The Slave
> moved...a very little bit and seemed like it was trying to push the lever,
> but then, CLICK, the lever pushed back. She kept getting the soft peddle
> syndrome again and again and I noted maybe 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch of movement
> on the slave.
>
> Unfortunately...I'm not sure this rules out any particular components. I
> guess it could be the slave leaking...it could be the clutch master...I
> guess it could even be something binding in the tranny (but I think given
> the cold weather...I can safely say it is something hydraulic).
>
> The Slave does NOT LOOK new - it seems a bit rusty for 6K the PO says it has
> on it...hmmmm.... Also, I forgot to note in the last post that the slave and
> clutch master cyl were both listed as replaced when I purchased the vehicle.
>
> Even thought the master cyl looks new (compared to the slave), my gut is
> still leaning that direction. What do you all think? I've got to get going
> on it pretty quickly, as the snow will fly any day now and I'm about to be
> on new-baby duty in a few weeks.
>
> Cheers,
> Ben
>
>
> On 11/5/07 8:48 AM, "Ben Cichowski" <cichowski@montana.edu> wrote:
>
>> Hi All,
>>
>> Thought I had this fixed...20 Degrees F this morning tells me otherwise!
>>
>> My clutch goes to the floor in cold weather (usually below 40 F). I thought
>> it was air or moisture in the lines, so I had it pressure bled and replaced
>> with new hydro fluid.
>>
>> Seems to push down "Dead," then stay there...then it might pop back up and
>> feel like it has pressure...but pushing it down again does nothing.
>>
>> The PO had put a new slave cyl, and pressure plate in about 6K ago - maybe a
>> bad part??
>>
>>
>> Any ideas from you seasoned vets would be great - Thanks,
>>
>> Ben
>> 88 Wofsburg Weekender ej22 (KEP adaptor)
>>
>

--
Ben Cichowski
Assistant Director for Training
cichowski@montana.edu
Phone 406.994.7205
Fax 406.994.1774

Montana Water Center
101 Huffman Building
Montana State University
Bozeman, MT 59717-2690
http://watercenter.montana.edu