LFA951

I've noticed that my clutch is feeling a lot softer than before. It goes in gear fine, but when I barely lift off the pedal, it moves forward, no visible sounds or brake fluid leaks. Feels soft like my wife's Mitsubishi Lancer. I wonder what it could be...

quinnfiske

You may have a failing seal in either the master or slave cylinder. It happened to me. No fluid loss, just a soft pedal. I could pump it and it would get harder. I replaced the master cylinder and it was fixed. Most people will recomend replacing the slave cylinder also at the same time, but I was fine. Do a search here on bleeding as I had a hard time with that.

LFA951

Actually, my mechanic and I bled the system, pumped it and everything, and he said there is no leaks and no air in the system and that everything was fine in terms of the hydraulics, he thinks its something else...

Tom M'Guinn

It is very difficult to get the air out of the system using the old pedal-pumping routine. Air gets trapped in the slave, and you can pump it for hours and not get it fully vented. If he was not using a pressure bleeder (e.g. Motive) then I would not rule out air in the system and/or leaks.

How does the pedal feel at the top of its range -- does it feel firm when you first press it down, or is it soggy for a bit until you get solid resistance? If its not firm, that would be a sign of hydraulic issues (air, leaks, etc.). Also, check the carpet under the clutch pedal to see if it is wet. If so, the master is leaking.

Lorax

tap the slave a few times with a wrench while you are bleeding too. That air is sneaky.

Rock

The 87 turbo I just bought had a problem similar to this.

There is a spring that determins how hard the pedal pressure is. That spring (circled in green) had broken on mine, causing it to feel spongy. You can also adjust this spring with a 13mm wrench by twisting the nut.

Also, what you might want to try is adjusting the rod that connects to the master cylinder also with a 13mm open end wrench (red circle). If this is adjusted improperly you will get a spongy feel. If you back it out a few threads, so the nut gets closer to the firewall, it might firm up. However this shouldnt need adjustment unless the master cylinder was reinstalled or someone loosened this nut. Another thing, if this nut isnt adjusted properly while bleeding the clutch, there is a chance that when you push the pedal down to vent the slave cylinder, you will not get all of the air out because it wont compress the piston in the master cylinder far enough with incorrect adjustment.

http://clarks-garage.com/shop-manual/clutch-04.htm

Here is a good write up on replacing the master cylinder, but it also has information on adjusting the clutch pedal.


EDIT- Also one more thing to check for, I had this also happen to me. The rod that holds the clutch fork from pivoting had started to back out. The clutch felt spongy and had a lot of play until eventually it had no clutch . If none of the above works, jack the car up and check the clutch fork for play. It shouldnt have much play in it at all. If its broken or misaligned youll get pedal problems.

If the rod backed out, then its possible to get it back in without taking anything off. However if the clutch fork has broken or worn down, youre up shat creek without a paddle.

LFA951

Everything on the clutch peddle assembly is the same, he said it wasn't the adjustment. What he actually did was getunder the car, open up the bleeder valve on the slave and have me pump then hold the peddle down. I brought it up with my hand and did the same thing twice. Some brake fluid came down and after the second try, he said it was fine and there was no air in the system, brake and slave cylinder have no leaks...

LFA951

Had a pro look at it, turned out to be the throw out bearing...going to have it fixed tomorrow, thanks for all the input!

quinnfiske

Throw out bearing is a big job. It is inside the bell housing.........

LFA951

No Big deal, dropped it off this morning, will have it back by tomorrow evening, my guy is charging me $400 labor...

VOoDOoGTX

i thought your mechanic knew everything

LFA951

He does, but he doesn't have a boroscope which was used to determine the problem....

bigdeano

I don't think he understands what he's getting himself into... but good luck!

VOoDOoGTX

sounds like a sick mechanic. Dosent have the right tools too diagnose a problem.

LFA951

Sounds like you're talking out of your *** as usual...