Twice in the past three weeks, I started my car only to discover that the shifter was frozen, unable to be shifted into any gear; both times the master cylinder reservoir was empty. It appears as if the leak is coming from the slave cylinder, so I purchased a slave cylinder rebuild kit. I spent $8 on what appears to be the pushrod boot and a rubber washer, yet I'm not sure where the rubber washer goes, or if this kit is even a successful rememdy. Before I proceed, perhaps someone could answer these questions.

What causes the slave cylinder to leak, and is this kit an appropriate fix? Where does the rubber washer go? The link below shows the various slave cylinder kits available through carparts.com: I bought the Beck/Arnley kit because it was available at a nearby parts store.

Thank you for your input.

http://www.carparts.com/parts/component.asp?SegmentId=1&itemid=32450&parttypeid= 13014&reflink=0-0-0-0-0

 

Normal wear and tear. Temperature extremes. Bad juju.

It is worth a try. If the bore of the slave cylinder is not scored it will probably be a good fix.

It goes inside the slave cylinder. Please refer to the Chilton repair manual, page 7-11.

 

Go to http://www.autolibrary.org/
Click on the ENTER button.
Enter 1995 MAXIMA.
Click on the ENTER button.
Click on the button immediately below the arrow with legend Click One.
Click on Drive Train.
Click on Clutch.
Click on Slave Cylinder.
Refer to Fig. 1: Exploded view of the slave cylinder
Click on this diagram for an enlarged image.

 

Thanks, Daniel. Are you a jujuism follower? Are you suggesting that my slave cylinder could have negative, perhaps evil, supernatural elements assigned to it?




After reviewing the exploded view of the slave cylinder diagram, I still don't see that quarter-sized rubber washer that was included in the kit. It seems fairly simple to disassemble the slave cylinder. Will I need any special tools? Unfortunately, the Haynes manual, which is the only manual I own, doesn't contain detailed information about disassembly of the slave cylinder. Is it more typical to experience a leak from the slave cylinder than from a faulty line?

Thanks

 

have you had any recent clutch work done on your car? i am having this same problem. how many miles do you have on your car, and how do you drive?

 

A leak in the hydraulic actuator (master cylinder, slave cylinder, high-pressure line) isn't a serious problem, nor is it related to driving style or mileage, and I wouldn't regard it as a clutch problem per se.

 

I made the reference to "bad juju" as a light-hearted admission that some automotive failures defy logic and analysis. Some people express the same idea with a different expression such as "**** happens".

Haynes is better than Chilton for most purposes, but in this instance Chilton has the edge. That one diagram at http://www.autolibrary.org/ is copied directly from the factory service manual. Don't buy a Chilton or FSM for this job because that diagram is 100% of what they have to say on this subject.

In my experience, yes.

No.

Just take the slave cylinder apart. If none of its internal parts match your rebuild kit, they sold you the wrong kit. If you have ever rebuilt drum brake wheel cylinders you are already an expert at clutch slave cylinders.

 

On other cars, I would look at the slave cylinder. But on the Maxima, I haven't heard of one going bad yet. I had a leaking hose and replaced it. I heard of at least two other member with the same experience.

 

For good information about a leaky clutch hose ...
Go to http://www.motorvate.ca/
In the left window click on Common Problems
In the left window click on Clutch Leak Fix

This is an excellent site for the Maxima home mechanic.
You may like to browse all of it.

 

When I checked it out, there was a leak in the hydraulic line that goes to the slave cylinder. I changed the line (not hard), removed the master cyliner and just gave it a little once over. Checking it out to make sure if functioned properly. Then I reattached the line, a bit difficult because the bolts aren't that accessible unless you've got small hands and thin wrists. With a little wiggling around I reattached the new line and proceeded to fill the master cylinder with brake fluid (specified by Hanes manual). You'll have to bleed the line to get proper clutch pressure. But once its bled you're good to go again. This Do It Yourself stuff isn't so bad. The more I do these little jobs the more I wanna tackle bigger ones. This winter I'm gonna turn my garage into a serious workshop for spring.

Keep on wrenching my fellow gearheads.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by 2ndMAX
[B]When I checked it out, there was a leak in the hydraulic line that goes to the slave cylinder....


When I first observed the leak, the source appeared to be the slave cylinder, but upon further inspection and removal of the entire air filter/breather assembly, I discovered that the leak is on the part of hose connected to the slave cylinder right near where the hose is crimped into banjo connection. This section of hose travels from the slave cylinder to a small, brass-colored fitting just beneath the starter motor, where it is redirected upward toward the master cylinder.

It doesn't appear as though the slave cylinder would need to be removed to install the new line(?), though the guy at this site does so:

http://www.motorvate.ca/auto/maxima/clutch/clutch_hose_fix.htm

I referred to his site when I re-greased the front strut bearings. Re-greasing the strut bearings is a mistake, because once the bearings lose grease they tend to wear out and become useless. The re-greasing is a stopgap measure, which only lasted me two weeks before I performed the job again using new bearings. I should have followed the Haynes manual which recommended replacement of the bearings, but I chose to be thrifty and paid for it.