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"How To" Tutorial LibraryWrite tips and instructions on how to install parts or fix problems. This is for detailed "How To's" only, not a forum to ask how to do something. Please post those questions in appropriate forums.
About a week ago, I was in the McDonalds drive through with my 2009 SS (5 speed). I stopped at the pay window and the engine stalled. It was surprising because I had the clutch pressed down all the way and the brake pedal pushed. Looking over the situation, I noticed the clutch pedal was staying all the way down. I could pull it up with my foot and the spring would snap it up and it would stay up. However, if you pushed it down it would stay down again. When it was down all the way, the clutch was still fully engaged. Obviously there was a failure somewhere in the clutch hydraulics.
I was now stuck in the drive-through line at the pay window. I waited until the car ahead of me left the drive-through line. To get the car moving, I used the starter to drive the car out of the line and into the nearest parking spot. From there I got a tow home (free since I have AAA).
I didn't see any fluid leaks anywhere, so I figured it was either the clutch master cylinder or the slave cylinder. I ordered both from Rock Auto, along with a new clutch and flywheel. I figured that if I needed to replace the slave cylinder (requiring pulling the transmission), I might as well replace the clutch and flywheel since I have 170K miles on the factory clutch.
Yesterday I replaced the clutch master cylinder first (since that didn't require removal of the transmission). The clutch works fine now.
The master cylinder is in a really tight, hard to reach spot, under the cowl and right next to the brake booster. You have to move the fuse box out of the way. The two lines (one from the brake fluid reservoir, one to the slave cylinder) are quick-disconnects. However, you have very little room to squeeze the connector on the line that goes to the brake fluid reservoir. The line to the slave cylinder has a metal clip that you pull up, so that one was easier. The master cylinder is removed by turning it a quarter turn clockwise (similar to a bulb). However, there is barely enough room to get your hand on it, so it's hard to rotate it since you have very little rotational strength with your hand jammed in there. After fiddling with it for 15 minutes, I finally got it out.
The new master cylinder gets turned 1/4 turn counterclockwise to lock it in place. Since it has a fresh new (stiffer) seal, there is no way to rotate it a 1/4 turn. After trying for a while, we made a "custom tool" that grabbed some tabs on the master cylinder and extended out past the brake booster so you could turn it with your hand. I'm sure there is a tool made for this ($$) but we needed something quick. Here is the master cylinder and the homemade tool:
Finally, we got everything back together. We bled the clutch hydraulics the way they said to do it in the service manual. I made an adapter to go over the brake fluid reservoir and connect to the vacuum pump. A vacuum of 20 mmHg was pulled and held several times, you could see the air bubbling out of the fluid. After bleeding, the clutch works fine.
Eventually the scrapes on my forearms (from jamming my hands into the narrow spot) will heal!
Here is a picture of the tool attached to the master cylinder:
I made the tool out of a scrap piece of aluminum tube I had. The inside diameter is important, it can have a larger outside diameter as long as there is room to fit it. It can also be made of PVC conduit or water pipe. The long cutout is to clear the fluid entry tube. The tool must not contact this tube or it might break it off. Here is a drawing of the tool showing dimensions:
Here is a picture of the tool end showing the cutouts:
04-26-2023, 11:12 AM
