Need opinions on my clutch slave cylinder which seems to have been overextended.

Here's some background. While changing my rod bearings, I decided to remove the clutch slave from its mount on the bellhousing to diagnose a slipping clutch. While the slave was dismounted, a friend came over to try my race seats and seating position and he depressed the clutch (I forgot to tell him not to). Yesterday, I went to re-install the slave into the housing and found the rod extended to the point where I can't get the slave housing anywhere close to mating to the bellhousing. The stock bolts are at least an inch short of catching the threads in the bellhousing.

I tried pushing the piston back into the housing, and even with the bleed screw cracked, I couldn't budge it with my hands. I grabbed some longer bolts (CV bolts worked), threaded thim into the bellhousing, and used them to pull the slave closer. The slave housing is about 1/2 inch from contacting the bellhousing and the pressure from the rod, even with the bleeder screw open, is forcing the clutch fork back. It appears the rod just won't go back into the housing. No fluid is leaking.

Any ideas to correct this before I chuck it and buy a new slave cylinder?

 

I had the exact same problem when I replaced the slave cylinder on my car a couple of years ago. Mine was brand new and I was bleeding it before I installed it and the rod popped out about and inch. I was told that you could just push it back in but it did work for me. Had to get another new one.

 

This happened to me too, but it didn't ruin my slave cylinder. Once I pulled the pedal back up by hand, I was able to mount the cylinder, but I had to push it really hard in order to get the bolts to thread in. Hope this helps...

 

Hey Tom, as you were threading it in, did it start pushing back the clutch fork? That's what mine is doing so it seems the slave rod isn't even retracting back into the housing.

 

It was pushing the fork some, but not enough to begin disengaging the clutch, it just took up the slack. Then I kept tighening the bolts until the slave cyl. was seated against the the bell housing.

Try it with your brake resevoir cap off, cuz you'll be pushing the fluid back up the line into the resevoir when u try and push the rod back. I do remember I tried to push the rod back in by hand, and it was solid as a rock, wouldn't budge. That's when I discovered the clutch pedal was still on the floor so I pulled it back up by hand then attached the slave cyl. to the bell housing and all was fine.

 

Thanks Tom, I'll give that a try.

 

Just did this last night, and I ended up taking off the line to the slave cyl from master cylinder and drained the fluid out, opened the cap on the master. I then took the slave and braced the one ear bolt flange on a cinder block and wacked the rod end with a hammer and the piston finally went back into the bore while spraying fluid out of the uncapped hole. I could not press it in and I tried bolting the slave back to the bellhousing but the damn threads started to pull because there Aluminum. I will have to bleed out the system again, but I have to bleed the brakes for my next track event anyway.

My turbo is apart right now with a slipping Kevlar clutch and I have a +30% pressure plate too. I am now looking at a Feramic (no not ceramic(this is cinterd iron with impregnated graphite)) which has a friction coefficient of 0.7! And is more streetable than most ceramic metallic combos's and is easier on the wear faces of the flywheel and PP. I will be ordering from South Bend Clutch Co. Or check out http://www.dxdracingclutches.com/home.html You will have to call or email.

The price I was quoted was $375 for a sprung hub disc and you can either get 4, 6 puck for full faced applications.

Best of luck and I hope this helps!!