blackboy

Yesterday I got in to drive my wife's car and when I went to start it I noticed the clutch pedal felt funny. I depressed the pedal and it seemed softer than what is normal. I asked my wife about it and she told me that she had been experiencing the same thing over the last week but that it did'nt happen all the time.
I decided to take it anyway and after driving it for about 40 minutes I only felt the pedal soft on that one start-up, afterwards it was normal.
Can anyone offer any suggestions as to what could cause an intermittent soft clutch pedal.
The clutch slave was changed about 3-4 years ago. Thanks.

968workaholic

Try bleeding the system. There could be some air that worked its way in there. Also check the rubber hose that goes form the clutch master cylinder to the slave. It could be bulging and causing a soft pedal.

blackboy

Thanks, will check it out this weekend.

PorscheDude1

Look at this one.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKPbj93gpGI

blackboy

Know that's what I call bulging. Thanks for the link.

blackboy

I tried bleeding the system this weekend and I must have done something very wrong because after I was done I had no pressure in the clutch pedal, It would go straight to the floor and not return unless I pulled back manually.
I happened to have a new clutch slave on hand so I put that in just in case the old one was defective but the results were the same. Can someone explain the clutch bleeding proceedure I must be missing something in how it should be done or I am doing it totally wrong. Thanks.

RajDatta

Use the motive power bleeder. The pumping method does not work well with the clutch. You have air in the system. You probably went below the low pressure hose feed mark on the reservoir and now have air into the system.
Once the air is out, it should spring right back.
Raj

PorscheDude1

Try lifting the rear of the car higher than the front.

blackboy

Thanks guys , I will be trying again today. I will let you know how I made out.

blackboy

Okay, I can now shift the car into all gears, however the clutch pedal still feels soft. After I bleed the clutch system and the Motive Power Bleeder is still hooked up the pedal is firm, when I release the pressure in the bleeder and disconnect it the pedal gets softer. Is this normal for awhile or do I still have an air issue in the system?
I drove the car for a short run and other than the soft pedal it seemed fine. I did a search on the subject of bleeding the clutch and some of the threads on Rennlist said I might have to drive it for a day or so for the air to work it's way out and the system returns to normal, at least that was the experience of some of those in the previous threads. Does this seem plausible? Thanks.

jpk

I had similar problems after replacing the clutch hydraulics last summer. It seems to take a while for the air to make its way down to the slave cylinder and out. I kept thinking I had it and the pedal felt great untill I removed the motive.
Try running half a litre or so of fluid through, relatively slowly (over 10-15 minutes) That did the trick for me.

blackboy

Just a quick update. After driving the car a few times yesterday during the course of the day, I am happy to say that the clutch pedal is now back to normal and feels fine. Thanks to all who offered their helpful suggestions.