Im a first time 5 speed owner. Yesterday i was driving my car and as im getting onto the interstate i pressed the clutch to shift and it just sank all the way to the floor. I got the car towed and cannot shift because the clutch pedal keeps sinking to the floor. Im thinking and hoping its the slave cylinder and not the pressure plate or clutch itself. i checked the fluid and the fluid is full. any ideas???

 

The fluid is full, eh? There are 2 master cylinders, one for the brake (bigger one) and one for the clutch (smaller and to the right of the brake cylinder). Make sure you are looking at the clutch cylinder. If it wasn't full I would say you have a leaky master cylinder (the part you fill with fluid) or a leaky slave (under the battery tray). Make sure you can rule those out first before you start thinking that it's the pressure plate.

 

Yeah, also if you can't find any fluid actually coming out anywhere it might be internal leakage, but that usually happens more and more over time unless the seals completly gave out at once. If nothing turns up I would replace the slave cylinder first and then the master cylinder. And if you have the dough it probably wouldn't hurt just to replace them at the same time anyway.

 

im actually suspecting i have a main seal issue if that is what you mean by seal. I have a slow leak of antifreeze coming from the mating point of the tranny and block i need to look into. Thanks for the info ill look into the cylinders this weekend.

 

same problem
stumped me for 8 months
slave cyl. or master cyl.


there is my thread
http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?t=486636

 

I have a good used master cylinder and slave cylinder for sale...

 

if the pedal sinks, given its not a clutch itself problem, and you dont lose fluid its most likely the master cylinder, if you do lose fluid its most likely the slave cylinder .

 

okay i went and checked the fluid level last night just for kicks and the reservoir is completely empty so im guessing i need a new slave cylinder.

 

You need to find out where the fluid is leaking from before you replace anything...The master cylinder will sometimes leak from the rear seal into the cabin area,so you would not actually see the leakage from under the hood...


It should be quite easy to see leakage from the slave cylinder though...

 

Check up inside the car by the master cylinder pushrod. Glad that hasn't happened to me, sounds like a messy time.