Another clutch problem

After fixing my master cylinder, I have yet another problem with my clutch.

Every time I start my car for the first time in the day, meaning it sits overnight, I have a softer clutch pedal (feels normal and clutch grabs fine). As the day progresses and I drive more, the pedal gets very stiff, feels as if the clutch is worn, and it slips HORRIBLY! I'm lead to believe that my clutch isn't the problem, because for the first hour of driving after it sits overnight, everything is fine. It's really frustrating me because I can't even think of why this is happening. When I fixed my master, I had to cut the hard line because I couldn't remove the bolt, meaning I had to slightly rebend the hardline. Could a kink cause fluid to stay in the line and keep the release fork pushing on the pressure plate, or something?

And on a side note, is it normal for some oil to be in the PCV breather hose (the hose from the air intake tube?)

did you bleed the clutch line after you rebuilt the master?

if yes, i would bleed it again. what does the clutch fluid level look like?

also, i would recommend you eliminate the clutch damper. it may be the source of your problem, most likely holding air (and its very hard to get air out of the damper), and eliminating it will make future bleeding easier and faster.

another place fluid can leak is a rubber clutch line between the clutch damper ( on top of tranny) and hard line (on the firewall).

before i make too many suggestions and get carried away, just tell us about the clutch fluid level and bleeding.

Well, the clutch fluid level is staying where it's at and I don't haver any other leak. The damper could possibly be holding air but it's not that I have a hard time getting in and out of gear. As a matter of fact it's the opposite. I can get it into gear by pushing the clutch pedal not even half the way down. But like I said it starts to slip after driving it for a while.

Alright now I'm really confused. I've driven the past couple of days with no problems, up until today. I drove to work fine, after work I'm driving and my clutch is fully engaging. As I go, it begins to slip, worse than ever. I barely made it to my destination and my clutch smelled BAD! At this point I'm thinking I've lost my clutch completely.

After the car sits at my girlfriends for a few hours and I finally have to get it home, everything was fine once again. My car warmed up and it started to slip slightly again.

Am I right or am I wrong on this one... a clutch either slips all the time, or it doesn't slip at all. I'm talkin in 5th gear at 60mph. Sometimes I can floor it and nothing happens and other times the RPM's race really high. I can always tell when the clutch is gonna slip because the pedal goes from "normal" to really stiff.

Tommorow I'm gonna take the damper off as suggested, and re-bleed the system and see if anything happens, but I don't get what could be the problem.

Wow, so you have a leak in the power steering, this clutch problem, odd vibrations, a busted synchro, etc. I do not envy you at all.

Have you checked if it's leaking again in the original place, or if the hardline you cut and flared is leaking? How about the original lines? Have you played with the pedal adjustment since you put everything back together and bled the clutch? I'd do this again, and possibly even a third time...just to make sure those aren't the problems...as they are free and easy.

Could a kink cause fluid to stay in the line and keep the release fork pushing on the pressure plate, or something?


If the line kinked, it's possible it could cause residual pressure to stay...so double check that as well.

If a clutch is gonna slip, it should slip in high gears at low rpms when you go wide open throttle. Also the engagement point occurs further from the floor/firewall...as described by the 'stiffer' feeling. The fact that it happens when it gets hot makes me wonder if the actual clutch is glazed over. Any chance that happened during this entire week or so?

One thing just kinda occured to me. You said you are leaking oil...any chance your rear main seal is leaking oil onto your clutch? Not really sure why that would only occur sometimes...but...

I can always tell when the clutch is gonna slip because the pedal goes from "normal" to really stiff.

i was sure this was a clutch only problem until you said this ^. you're the one who cut the hard line at the master so you could remove the flared nut, right? it would help us if you could take some pictures of the line/bend you rebuilt.

when a clutch slips, its usually unrelated to the hydraulic system, but in your case, i think you have 2 things going wrong. when you had the clutch installed, did a shop resurface or '2-step' the flywheel? it is extremely important that this was done, and done properly. if not, your clutch will slip and burn up.

i don't think removing the clutch damper will do much for you, but it can't hurt. all i can say is that when you make/bend the new hard line to replace the damper, be very careful. use a tube bending tool and double flare tool (you can rent these from AutoZone or your local chain auto parts store). i'm not sure how you remade the hard line that connects to the master, but it sound like you had some trouble.

Well, before my master was leaking, there was nothing wrong with the clutch, so I haven't had a new one installed. It's still stock. Also I was thinking about the rear main seal leaking, but I would think it would eventually find it's way out the bell housing, which I have no sign of a leak anywhere. But today I think I'm gonna remove the damper and rebend the hard line at the master.

Well, as you know before I had to cut the hard line to get the old bolt off from the master cylinder, which shortened the line a little. This is where I suspected a kink. Anyway after playing with it a little too much I broke a little bit more off the hard line and now it's just too short to work with. I'm gonna get a new hard line and just eliminate the possability of a kink all together. Doesn't this involve removal of the brake booster and steering assembly?

Also I can't get ahold of a camera, but I got the damper out. It was quite easy, and hopefully will help my problem.

the rear main seal leaking is a possibility. oil getting on the clutch disc would cause it to slip. then later, once the oil has drained off/cooled off, the car would be driveable. start checking your engine oil level periodically to monitor whether or not you think you have an oil leak.

when you talk about a possible kink in the line, that makes me think you did NOT use a tube bender, but instead bent it by hand. is this the case? always use a tube bender to do it right. as for a new hard line, you may be able to snake it behind the motor w/o removing the brake booster. if not, then i would make your own line. still, another option would be to cut a few inches off the end where the kink is, then add a coupler to extend the hard line. there are several way to solve this problem, go for the easiest option, but be positive its kinked before you do anything.

Well I've searched google and found nothing on the hard line and how to remove it. I could probably snake it in, I just can't see how it's held in there. I see a couple plastic clips but it's gotta be held on the firewall with some bracket, right? I have the parts coming on monday, which weren't very expensive, so i'd rather be safe then sorry. I also bought a new stainless steel braided clutch hose for $30 off of 3si.

Part of me hopes the clutch is the problem so I can replace the rear main seal and upgrade to a spec stage 3 clutch, lol.

Well, an update. After it finally took Norco 2 weeks to ship me ONE hydraulic line, I managed to snake it around the steering column assembly and brake booster. After it was all hooked up and I bled the system, I've noticed a huge improvement. I looked at the old hard line and noticed that it was kinked, so hopefully that was my problem. Only time will tell if the clutch is gonna start slipping again, but after 2 hard test drives tonight, there's no sign of a problem.

I also found some time to change my plugs and wires. The magnecore wires are nice... I reccommend them:)

I also found some time to change my plugs and wires. The magnecore wires are nice... I reccommend them:)
no no no Magnecores are WORSE than stock. The have the worst resistance of all wires available for 3s's.

really? I read that they're the most popular aftermarket wire for the 3s. I know popularity is another story, but I would imagine they would be popular because they're a good wire. Hmm, strange.

The most popular are also the best. MSD's.

Stealthee is right. magnecores are worse than stock wires! don't be fooled by "populartiy" or what everyone else says, number speak louder than words: http://www.stealth316.com/2-msd-ignwires.htm

http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g236/Linebckr49/3000GT/compIgnWireResistance.jpg