Clutch pedal gets sucked to floor on 85 4000s Quattro.

[Liotta]

Hi again--- I posted this back in November---


          I own an 85 4000 Quattro--  about 130K miles.

          Recently--  the clutch pedal does not come back to
          the up position--
          SOMETIMES!
          The clutch is fine for about 20 miles-- then it just
          lays 1/2 way
          down--- and I have to use my toe to pick it back
          up--  not a real big
          deal-- except in 1st or reverse---  when things are
          close to you!  It
          acts this way for about 10 miles-- then it is fine
          again.

          Then this cycle repeats-- been going on for months
          and months.

          Can any one help??

          Thanks very much-- Rick.

And---- received these kind replies----
1---  From Dave----Replace your clutch master & slave cylinders. BTDT.
Even if it appears that replacing the master fixes the problem...it
won't hold long, do both...

2--- From Dave----Oh, BTDT is Been There, Done That. The parts are
cheap, about $50 for the Master and $40 for the slave. Not sure about
labor. Shouldn't be more than 3-4 hours.

3--from Denis----slave cyl on the tranny is going out .... i ll probably
need to chage the
master soon,,, the extra pressure from the new slave ll degrate the
master
if it got changed since long...

The slave go bad very fast , dont wait. Look under the car if there is
any
brake oil leak between the tranny and the engine....


4---from Tom-- Not always the slave. Sometimes just the pressure hose to
the slave from the
master. Maybe you'll get lucky. Cheap fix.

5---This "extra pressure" argument is completely wacked. The reason they

both go together is that they're about the same age, and tend to wear
at the same rate. Also, the wear particles (rubber bits) from the
failed component rarely get flushed properly and this contributes to
the failure of the other component.

The pressure in the hydraulic line is (almost) entirely related to the
strength of the springs in the clutch. One slave or master vs another
is not going to generate more or  less pressure.
Josha

6---from William----Ask Mr. Jensen-the hose CAN rub against the drivers
side inner CV.  His was cut due to an improper
installation when he had clutch work done on the car a
few years back.

I was the lucky neighbor who took him back to the
scene of the breakdown...and fortunately, the wrench
who did the clutch job took care of the problem.

Imagine the sigh of relief when it was noted that the
problem was simply a hose.

YMMV, there could be a pinhole leak or a crimped end
giving way, etc.


Now--  this happened this morning, when slipping the clutch and backing
up into my workplace parking lot---
The clutch pedal was sucked to the floor and the car took off--  I
killed engine and stomped brakes.  The pedal was flush with the floor
and would not stay up in "riding position" at all--  just gets sucked to
the floor again when I pick it by getting under it with my foot.  There
is no resistance to downward foot pressure at all-- it just gets
'sucked' down.

>From what I can gather from your answers from 3 months back--  it
sounds  like this is how the pedal operates:
The "pedal return pressure" is due to internal clutch springs and this
pressure is transferred via hydraulic fluid to the pedal.

I figure I blew out lots (all?) of fluid this morning-- and the pedal is
no longer being "pushed" by the fluid at all--  sound about right??

Sounds like I tell Bruce (mechanic) that I probably need a new master
and slave cylinder---- and to look for the leak?!--  Have I got this
about right???

And with any luck-- a new clutch (approx. $1200) will not be necessary!

Thanks to you all!--- Rick