Loose Clutch line

[BlackZ]

Hey, i was drivin to work today, and my clutch gradually got softer and softer until it was pretty much free, and like really soft, it wouldnt let me put anything in gear or even pull out the clutch from the feel of the pedal.
i had my friend check it out and said the clutch line was loose or there was not enough or too much brake fluid in the lines.
how can i tighten the clutch line in a h23 tranny?

[kelton]

Do you have any brake fluid in you clutch reservoir?

[wed3k]

operated by hydraulics not cable. check fluid and for leaks.

[BlackZ]

yeah i just put in some brake fluid. but right after it happened it looked like there was barely any. but after i put the fluid in it still didnt do anything

[wed3k]

because you need to bleed the air. id be more worried about where it is all going?

[BlackZ]

How do i bleed the air out?
Yeah imma check for leaks and stuff when i get back to work where its parked at.

[batever]

The search function is your friend on this one,

there are lots of threads here about the clutch hydraulic diagnosis and methods of clutch line bleeding.

If you have a question after reading through some threads about it feel free to post back.

To start with diagnosis though:

You either have a leaky master cylinder, a leaky slave cylinder, or a hole or leaky connection in your clutch line someplace.

Stand in front of your car with the hood up, look over the radiator and down the front of the engine. You will see the clutch slave cylinder there. See if it has any leaks coming out of it (usually through the rubber boot).

If so it needs replacing (or a rebuild--either way works).

then look up at your clutch fluid reservoir, and follow it down to the engine firewall at about thigh height. You will see the clutch master cylinder there.

Look to see if there are any leaks from that as well. If so you need to replace or rebuild it.

If you want to know how to bleed the lines with a 2x4 instead of an extra person or a vacuum bleeding kit, I have written several posts (batever) about the clutch bleeding procedure and if you search using my name and clutch you will find them.

good luck.

[kelton]

The easiest way to bleed the clutch system for me anyway is take a fluid pump something like this


put the end of the hose on the nipple on the slave, open the slave and pump untill fluid comes out the master cylinder.


But before you bleed it you need to find where the fluid is going like said above. Should be an easy fix once you find out where it is leaking.

[BlackZ]

well i went back to the car today afterschool, and checked for leaks but i didnt see any, then i tried pumping it with the car off and there was still no pressure. but then i turned on the car and pumped it liek crazy and suddenly it returned back to normal. would this be a faulty master cylinder or something?
should i park it till i get it checked out or will it be okay to drive. since i was able to drive it back home and it felt completely normal no loss in pressure even now like an hour after i did it.

[kelton]

I would bleed it, then drive it. And when you do drive it keep the tools you used to bleed it with you lol. When my slave went out I had to drive with no clutch and when I had to stop I would have to pull over and start bleeding it. Thats why using the pump is the easiest way because you can do it by your self fast.

[90_ACCORD]

i had the same problem. everything for my clutch got messed up. i had to get a new clutch master cylinder, clutch slave, and hose. slave ended up being cracking from being dried out since the clutch master cylinder wasnt working and didnt put out any fluid.

[BlackZ]

damn are you serious, how much did it run you?
i think i might just bleed it and see how itll turn out for now

[kelton]

For the slave and master is fairly cheap. I forget the exact price.

[batever]

Turning the car on had nothing to do with it, you got pressure because of the "pumping like crazy" part.

If you can't see the leak I'd suspect the master cylinder. Becuase normally when the slave goes the clutch pedal will just sit on the floor (once you press it down) because the hydraulic system loses static pressure.

Whereas with a faulty master cylinder, the clutch pedal will usually stay up but you'll have difficulty acttually engagine the clutch mechanism in the tranny.

it's easy to replace the master cyl, all you need is sockets, a flare nut wrench, and some foot long extensions so you can reach under the clutch pedal to unfasten and fasten the clutch master cylinder.

buy a generic clutch master cyl from the parts store, costs half as much as the HOnda one and works great.

what happened to you is you have a slow leak somewhere and then the fluid level dropped down so low that air got in the system. So I'm betting that yes, if you want, you can just bleed the system and it will work for you fine for a long time, even years, as long as you make a point to check the clutch fluid reservoir every week or so.

of course it is better to replace the master cyl but hey I understand if you want the quicker fix.

letting clutch fluid leak over your car will rust stuff though so you know.

[BlackZ]

Yeah i guess ill just get a new master cyl, and just park the car for now
thanks for the help though.
Any diys on replacing the master cylinder or a quick explanation