[urq] Clutch Master Cylinder tips

[Keith]

Greetings All
Just a heads-up for anyone facing replacing their clutch master cylinder on their quattro (may the force be with you...you’ll need it).
My clutch action had been poor for some time before the master cylinder finally failed and the pedal kept staying on the floor. All this despite trying a variety of methods of bleeding over the years. Whenever I bled it and whichever method I used the fluid seemed reluctant to leave the fluid reservoir and the shift always left a lot to be desired. So I knew for some time that I would one day face this day, when I would have to tackle the big job. So today the bullet was bitten and the master cylinder replaced.
And so, two tips:
1. Whilst  you have the cylinder off, don’t just remove reservoir-to-cylinder fluid pipe and fit it to the  new master cylinder, blow it through with compressed air. I blew a big slug of brown snot out of mine which probably explains why the fluid level was always slow to drop when bleeding previously and thus not bleeding properly previously.
2. To make the job of removing and refitting the master cylinder easier, make yourself a nifty little tool to stop the retaining nuts turning which are almost impossible to hold. The tool is a long 13mm socket (no wrench, just the socket on its own) Drill a hole (3 or 4 mm dia) about 10mm or so from the lip of the socket and put an appropriately sized roll-pin in the hole. You will just about be be able to put the socket on the nuts which as I said are almost impossible to prevent turning given the space available and the roll pin will stop the socket turning. The socket will be hard to drill though. After fitting the master cylinder you can remove the socket, remove the roll pin from the socket and continue to use your socket as before (until the next time!).
Hope this helps if you are having to face this dreadful job.
Regards

Keith

‘87 WR

p.s. quattro now shifts better than at any time since I’ve owned it. Just got to get back on the hard starting issue (which I feel sure is poor residual pressure)!