strange clutch problem

[Ameer Antar]

I think all you need is a hose...but I doubt it has to do w/ temp. You 
prolly just had a slow leak from the hose and it finally got down to the 
point where there was not enough fluid to keep the system pressurized when 
you pressed the pedal.  When you added fluid, everything was better b/c it 
was only a minor leak and only needed to be topped up until it drains 
again. Warm or even hot fluid shouldn't collapse a hose though.

Make sure to bleed the system completely, and check up on the slave and 
master cylinder. They can have leaky boots which leak fluid [the m/c leak 
will be all over the carpet]. Nothing like a little preventative 
maintenance....Oh and when you replace the fluid consider DOT4. Silicone is 
an option, but is incompatible w/ other fluids or water, which is sort of 
an issue if water ever got into the system. You would probably have to 
replace the whole system to make the switch, but the advantage is you don't 
need to change the fluid and protects the parts more, especially under 
heat. Anyone here use Silicone fluid? It's a big debate w/ classic car 
owners...

-ameer


At 12:48 AM 11/14/2000 , you wrote:

>In case this ever happens to you..........
>Tonight, as I was exiting the interstate in my 200, after about an hour's 
>drive, I depressed the clutch pedal, and it went to the floor, without 
>disengaging.  I pulled the pedal back up- the only "feel" it had was from 
>the overcenter spring on the pedal itself, it definitely wasn't pushing 
>anything.  Luckily, I was close to a friends house. So, the car sat 
>outside in the cold for a couple of hours, depositing a small puddle of 
>DOT 3 on the pavement.  So, apparently, I've  blown the flex hose to the 
>slave cylinder.  I get the car jacked up, and look.  Well, yes, things are 
>a little damp, but not too much so.  I have my friend depress the pedal to 
>see if it squirts fluid out somewhere, and it just seeps a little bit 
>where the rubber part of the hose meets the metal fitting at the slave 
>cylinder.  But wait, the pedal is working!  I top off the fluid, and drive 
>back home without incident.  Here's what I think has happened- the clutch 
>hose is going bad, and when the fluid got a little warm, it collapsed 
>internally, preventing the fluid from reaching the slave cyinder. When it 
>sat outside at 34 degrees, the hose cooled down, and returned to 
>shape.  I'm going to get a new hose on the way tomorrow, and should 
>probably replace the fluid, too.  Hopefully, this will be the end of this 
>problem......unless someone else has had this happen and I'm wrong in my 
>diagnosis (been known to happen occasionally)
>
>
>Calvin Krug