cashoit

I have a 97 5spd wit 120k.

Sunday afternoon, I went to drive my car and i noticed that the pressure in the clutch pedal had decreased. For example, the clutch pedal would travel halfway to the floor before the clutch would start to disengage. I was like, strange . So i checked the clutch master cylinder and noticed that there was no fluid in it. I go to the nearby gas station, buy some DOT 3 and top it off. Then i started the car and pumped the clutch a couple of times and some of the pressure came back. There was enough pressure i was able to drive home, an hr away.

The next day i go to start to car and no clutch pedal pressure at all. I couldnt even put in gear. I check the master cylinder and it still has the same amount of fluid in it since the day before.

I know the usual suspects are master cylinder, slave cylinder, and clutch lines. The puzzling part is, there was no fluid on the ground at all. In fact, my car doesnt even leak at all. I would think that if any of the above items were faulty, there would be clutch fluid on the ground.

I am goin to change both cylinders and see what happens. If its not any of the three then im thinkin clutch fork inside of the tranny is busted. But i think thats unlikely.

Any other ideas????

Snypa

iTrader: (35)

no drips....strange !

Blakfreestyle

iTrader: (1)

You said that when you first checked the clutch fluid reservoir there was no fluid? That means that you do have a leak.

Check the clutch line since it can develop a slow leak from there. Also check the clutch slave cylinder located on top of the transmission. You will have to bleed the clutch line anyway, since it was so low on fluid. You won't have pedal pressure if you have air in the line. Hope that helps.

ajm8127

iTrader: (8)

I agree with the post above. For the fluid level to go down in the master cylinder, there must be a leak. It could be a slow leak that only loses fluid when under pressure so you may not see any fluid in the driveway. Unfortunately, the clutch lines are a spaghetti mess of metal so it could be hard to find. Something will have fluid on it though, so check it out with a flashlight. Maybe you can have someone pump the pedal while you check for leaks. I would bleed it first though.

essential1

iTrader: (5)

Have someone watch the master cylinder > lines > slave cylinder while you pump the clutch pedal. When this happened to me, it was the slave cylinder. It had a tiny pin hole in the boot so everytime I hit the clutch, some fluid would squirt out. It just kept getting worse and worse till I replacd it.

cashoit

Yea the clutch lines are definitely are a jumbled mess. Im jus gonna replace slave and master, THey like 50 bucks each. No big deal. My concern is that if thats not the problem what else cd it be? Clutch pedal with no pressure isnt that hard to diagnose and fix. But like i sd, there is no leak. There is prolly prssurized air in the system not allowing the newly replaced fluid to reach the leak??

luke95gxe

iTrader: (4)

yo cashoit throw some cheveron in that joint naw just playin on a serious note the hydralic line from the slave cylinder to the first junction box is what seems to be an issue with our cars u can get a ss hydralic hose and delete all the old stuff an have one bleeder one line or u can do what i did and buy oem hose from nissan 50 buck and have it bust again like mine

cashoit

nice. Chevron cure all!!!! lol

Tryin to trace the clutch lines left me dizzy. Its at my mech now and im not sure really how to proceed. My thinkin was to replace the master and slave cylinders. Are u sayin i shd replace the lines too. Arent the lines metallic. NOne of it looked rusted or wet to me. I will look into.

I jus dont have the time to do any of the work myself. But like i sd before, even if it was the lines, wdnt the lines be wet??? I looked thur the Haynes and it says a depressurized clutch pedal is a broken master. I saw a lil seepage around the master. Hopefully it does the trick.

Do i have to drop the tranny to get to slave cylinder???

luke95gxe

iTrader: (4)

yes there is a rubber line from the slave on the tranny to the first junction box mine leaked a lot for about three years i just kept adding fluid when i did my clutch job i replaced the slave and that line well 3 months later its leakin again not sayin thats ur problem but a lot of members on here have had the same problem and went to ss hose one bleeder(on the slave) one hose instead of the mombojumbo mess we have

advance sells slave rebuild kits for like ten buck as some one mentioned above that could be an issue

and no u do not have to remove the tranny to take off the slave 2 14mm bolts one of them is a pain but with a wrench you will do fine

aackshun

iTrader: (3)

Cashoit, you nailed it all in your original post, but my first repair would be the cheapest, then go on to the most expensive.

Rebleed the car. (still loses pressure move on to the next part)

If you're POSITIVE you have no leaks, then you have two options:
Either your master or slave has went bad do to a worn seal (Good sign of this is the dirty/dark/black clutch fluid).
If the above is true, advance has a slave rebuild kit for like $7 and courtesynissan has a master rebuild kit for like $18. Getting the master out IS NOT fun, and well sadly it must be done atleast once in a car's lifetime.

If you think you have a leak, then head on over to the group deal section and pick you up a full SS clutch line replacement, rebuild both cylinders, and be done w/ the clutch line system for atleast another 14 years lol.

I have details of my clutch line woes on my blog (link in sig).

cashoit

Got the car back. Yup it was the slave cylinder. The insides were busted. 13 years of wear and tear will do that to a part. Still...u kno me and preventative maintenance. I had thre mech replace everythin, slave, master, and lines. 200 bucks total. Maxi back in action!!!!

Case Closed. Duh duh duhhhhhhh

cashoit

So i test drove the car and i can drive it. But clutch pedal still feels a bit depressurized. THe mech says he bled the lines, but its not the same clutch travel length as before. He is thinkin its somethin in the transmission. Maybe need a new clutch??? Im not really sure and cant really do anythin about it till the part fails.

Any ideas??

Luke, u think its something with one of the bleeder valves near the strut tower???

luke95gxe

iTrader: (4)

u can bleed ur line but if he put a new master in under ur dash there is an master cylinder plunger adjustment a half turn can seriously change the point of engagment if it set to far its almost undriveable tools u will need is a 12 mm wrench and needle nose plyers loosen the nut the turn the shaft one direiction a few times tighten up the nut see what u get if u went the wrong way u will know just turn it back the other way till u get the results pm my ur cell an ill send yu a pic of what im talkin bout

this adjustment hooks to the back of ur clutch pedel and goes through the fire wall i had to play with mine to get it right

sorry bout the spellin my hand cramps when i type and i just try and be done typing lol sorry guys

cashoit

I see what u talking bout in the FSM, but im unsure what to turn. Cant play with it now cuz im at work. BUt the clutch pedal has a lot of free play before the clutch disengages. Its almost as if the clutch doesnt reach the plunger until at least halfway to the floor. Adjusting the pedal will fix this???

luke95gxe

iTrader: (4)

yes it adjust the engagment point

text sent

cashoit

Couple turns of the master cylinder pushrod and everythin feels smooth!!

I actually like the fact that the pedal pressure can be adjusted. Bear in mind, u cant really get enough clearance to quickly turn the pushrod. You need a couple 1/8 turns to turn it halway. But turning it halfway will have a serious affect on clutch pedal pressure.

Clockwise to raise clutch pedal engagemnent. Counterclockwise to lower.

Good looks to Luke and everyone else for the help.

Frank Fontaine

I'm about to go through all of this next Wed. 12 1/2 years of being on the road! Got all the parts on the web (rockauto and amazon).

I used to complain a lot about how the Nissan had things break when I thought they shouldn't. But since I have owned a new BMW for nearly 4 years now, I can see how the Nissan is very, very, reliable in comparison. The BMW has died multiple times spent many a week or two at the dealership (joy of 335i ownership).

Can you imagine, the Nissan has never once died or stalled in its 12+ year life?? But it's aging now. Hope we can get the master/slave/hose replaced, and system bled without issue.....

asand1

iTrader: (1)

I realize this is an oooooooold post, but I thought Id shear some insight.

When a losing brake or clutch fluid without any apparent leaks, check the firewall inside the cars. Sometimes the piston seal will leak and soak into the carpet and padding.

Frank Fontaine

I've heard that....I think my problem is the hose because there's grime all over it. But posts seem to say the slave leaks too. I've been topping off for at least 2 years, so time to fix it.....

cashoit

I remember the first time i drove a BMW 3 series. Its a solid car, no doubt but not my cup of tea.

When i started this thread i had to replace the slave and master. I didnt know which was faulty and didnt care. THey only cost like 50 bucks each.
jus remember when u get it back, the mech prolly wont know to adjust the pedal so u might have to adjust it urself.

Closetcanibal

Ok, i am having the same type of problem. I lost the fluid in my clutch master, so i took it for a free estimate and turns out it was the slave and master( usually they want to replace both at the same time for wear reason i guess) so i went and replaced those. it has been done now about 2 weeks and i still have no pressure. i have the double bleeder but every time my buddy pumps on the clutch i hear a hissing sound like air is escaping. i have put over two bottles of DOT 3 into the resevior, it bleeds no air and isn't losing any fluid at all...i have no idea how to fix it.

i took it to autozone and they guy tried to tell me my clutch wasnt working because my brake booster was broken but miraculously i still have full pressure in my brakes....any help would be awesome. i may end up getting the ss lines and do a top end bleeder delete..

asand1

iTrader: (1)

The Guy at AZ is a fool. They are two separate systems. Its likely you still have air in the system. Did you bench bleed the MC before installation?
It is also possible you have a broken clutch fork.

Closetcanibal

Yeah i checked that and im bleeding no air, i believe i figured out what it is though, i replaced my old master cylinder and adjusted the forks to the same length but didnt notice that it didnt have the locking nut on it. So last night i pulled it and lengthened the travel distance of plunger. Now my clutch comesz back so i have to increase the travel a little more tonight and re-bleed it. I think that has fixed my problem and im extatic lol