Clutch

["Al Powell" <APOWELL@agcom.tamu.edu>]

Dan - my guess is (extrapolating from my 280ZX experience) a leaky 
slave cylinder.  This exact setup happened to me - and changing the 
slave cylinder fixed it.  My guess is that slave cylinders often get 
corroded inside the bore because they use hydroscopic brake fluid - 
but don't get the heat that brake parts do, so moisture is not 
vaporized.  I think it sits there and makes pits.  To combat this, 
the second time I changed my slave cyliner in my ZX, I put silicone 
brake bluid in it...which is not hydroscopic, and which works just 
fine in that slave cylinder application!

The good news is that slave cylinders are cheap and easy to replace!  
Hope this does it for you.


> From: Dan Simoes <dans@ans.net>
> Date: Sun, 28 Jul 1996 16:57:28 -0400 (EDT)
> Subject: URGENT -- need help
> 
> So much for the fairy tale.
> I came to a stop and clutched in, but the pedal
> didn't come back up.  It had done this once before but
> I was able to pull the pedal up and thought "weird".
> Also, I noticed that 5th was notchier than before and
> made a mental note to change the fluids asap.
> So I remembered that my mechanic said that the vacuum
> pump on the new engine had not been working at first,
> so I swapped it out.  Nothing.  Then I found a small
> vacuum leak and fixed that - nothing.
> Under the car I see some fluid seeping, thinner than
> oil perhaps, could be tranny fluid.  The gearbox works
> fine, I can shift and feel the gears engage but the 
> motion does not reach the axles if you know what I mean.
> It's as if the clutch is in "off" and is stuck there.
> 
> What are the possible culprits here?  I figure odds are
> slim that he forgot a couple of tranny bolts and that the
> fluid leaked all out, but I guess it's possible.
> The brake fluid is topped off and the brakes work fine
> as far as I can tell.
> 
Al Powell                           Voice:  409/845-2807
107 Reed McDonald Bldg.             Fax:    409/862-1202
College Station, TX 77843           Email:  a-powell1@tamu.edu 
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