Soft Clutch - Advice Please!

[scrappydog]

I'm trying to work out what the main culprit of my soft clutch pedal is. The symptoms are that if I apply very light pressure and very slowly depress the pedal it will offer no resistance and push all the way through to the end stop, whilst the clutch will stay engaged.

If I push firmly and swiftly on the pedal it will offer resistance and the clutch will disengage as expected. If I keep the clutch depressed the clutch seems to stay open indefinitely.

I'm wondering if anyone can help answer the following:
1) Would what I describe just be a symptom of air in the system and I just need to bleed it?
2) Or is it more likely that one of the cylinders needs replacing/refreshing?
3) And if it is the cylinders, which one is most likely and how can I tell?

Thanks in advance for any advice!

Andy

 

[Thomas76]

Did the problem come after other maintenance?
It sounds more like internal leaking of master or slave. Some are rebuildable some are not.
Lets see what others think..

 

[Stevehose]

I would first check for leaks and try a bleed. If you have the external clutch slave it's best to remove it from the bell housing to bleed.

 

[boonies]

Good advice above, inspect for wetness, if none then bleed first. If wet or wont firm up, then rebuild/replace.

I had good luck rebuilding the clutch master which maintaned the original slave cylinder line routing.

 

[Cornishman]

my guess is;
If the fluid level is reducing in the reservoir, it’s the slave that is leaking.
If the level is staying good, then the master cylinder is probably the issue.
I doubt it just needs bleeding as with air in it I doubt it would work at all.

 

[scrappydog]

Thank you all for the advice received so far.

Did the problem come after other maintenance?
It sounds more like internal leaking of master or slave. Some are rebuildable some are not.
Lets see what others think..

not exactly maintenance - I had a new engine and gearbox, incl rebuild master and slave cylinders! Actually, all was fine for a good few months and then this started. I've sort of lived with it and have just adjusted to applying the clutch using a swift and firm pedal movement. However, I thought it was time I actually sorted this out.

Good advice above, inspect for wetness, if none then bleed first. If wet or wont firm up, then rebuild/replace.

I had good luck rebuilding the clutch master which maintaned the original slave cylinder line routing.

my guess is;
If the fluid level is reducing in the reservoir, it’s the slave that is leaking.
If the level is staying good, then the master cylinder is probably the issue.
I doubt it just needs bleeding as with air in it I doubt it would work at all.

I have driven the car some more and checked for leaks / wetness and I really can't see any.
Regarding the fluid level, this seems to have stayed constant.

I'm off on holiday soon and won't have a chance to drive the car or attempt to bleed the system for a couple of weeks now. But I will report back any developments.

 

[skk]

Start by informing the team that did the engine/transmission. If that team is you, then revisit the master/slave rebuilds. Were the bores honed and inspected?