Clutch Engagement

[amiller360]

Having trouble figuring out what's going on. I replaced my clutch slave cylinder a few days ago because it was leaking, and bled the system using a vacuum bleeder from the slave. Everything was golden until a few hours ago. The engagement point of the clutch pedal shifted higher when I was driving. The first thing I felt was like it had no pressure. It then quickly built up again and the engagement point had moved further away from the floor. I've owned the car for a year and the engagement point had always been fairly close the floor, engaging about an inch or two off. Now it engages about 4 or 5 inches from the floor.

Please let me know your thoughts, or if I need to explain anything more clearly!

Thanks in advance!

[justin_l_]

Need to be bled again IMHO

[Poeman446]

Try bleeding again. I cant think of anything that would cause it to change the engagement point.

[amiller360]

I'll bleed again later today and report back. Thanks for the responses.

Hopefully my process has been correct:

1. Build pressure on bleeder screw with vacuum bleeder
2. Have helper depress pedal
3. Open bleed screw
4. Maintain pressure for 30 or so seconds
5. Close bleed screw
6. Release pedal

[328ijunkie]

typically a hyd leak/bleeding issue causes the engagement point to get closer to the floor not farther away... very weird... possible you broke/wore down the pivot pin?...

[amiller360]

Very possible.

It happened shortly after I took off the pivoting bolts (on the pedal assembly), re-greased them, and put them back on. The pedal feels awesome and everything shifts smooth, it's just the sudden engagement position shift that caught me off guard...

I'm hesitant that it would be the pivot pin only because the change was really sudden. It felt like a loss of pressure, then immediately regained and back to normal. The clutch also engages further away from the floor rather than right off the floor. I could be wrong, but isn't it the other way around for broken pin?

[328ijunkie]

Yes a broken pin would engage closer to the floor. Scratch that idea :(.
Master dying and keeping pressure on slave is the only thing i can think of off the top of my head...

[gkurey]

I was going to suggest that the 'lazy' part you replaced wasnt getting full stroke and now the clutch pedal is getting full OEM throw. Mine changed after swapping to a new master and slave. Also, my pedal bracket was cracked and causing non-linear pedal motion...I guess I mean the pedal wasnt pushing on the master straight so there was a lot of wasted motion before I fixed it all.

[vpilarrt]

1. Build pressure on bleeder screw with vacuum bleeder
2. Have helper depress pedal
3. Open bleed screw
4. Maintain pressure for 30 or so seconds
5. Close bleed screw
6. Release pedal

I don't think you want to perform steps 2 and 6. When you depress the pedal the master cylinder closes off the port leading to the reservoir (that way you don't pressurize the reservoir during pedal engagement) so you won't get any fresh fluid flowing through the system.

[m735is]

Actually sounds like the clutch is working better now, maybe you were just used to a weak slave.
I ran this way for almost a year before my slave let loose and I had to replace it. My engagement point is much higher and probably where it should be.
If in doubt, you can try the push the slave piston against the tranny method of bleeding.

[nrubenstein]

If the engagement point shifted higher, it may simply have flushed a bubble through the system. An air pocket passing through the master cylinder would screw around with clutch feel.

4-5 or so inches from the floor is around the right engagement point.