Hi All

Yips, I got the RED light on the way home last night. The brake fluid was just below the Min mark and it looks like there is a leak under the gearbox area.

The car has manual transmission and I figure that this has to be the clutch Slave leak. Can you please give me some pointers and pitfalls with overhauling this, can this brake fluid find its way into the clutch assembly and cause further damage ??

I have the Haynes manual and they donot provide any information on manually bleeding the clutch pneumatic system. Can this be done without the power bleader??

slave cylinder installation is not difficult if you have a rack. 2 bolts mount it to the transmission, bleeder screw @ back of cylinder. use a flare wrench on inlet pipe.

Hi Guys

Somebody please give me a tip on how to undo the top bolt. I'v tried everything including foul language. Do i need to use a small diameter extension to get at this bolt as the one I have is standard and does not allow me to get past the protrusion where the brake fluid pipe connects to the slave. There is very little working room in this area, must say that I never had problems like this with my little Golf and Jetta ( they are a dream to work with in comparison to this !!). And while I was "down there" I noticed just how difficult other repairs could be such as removing the starter and the alternator and changing the O2 sensor .... phew....

I used a "wobbly" extension on my 190.

To fill the clutch system, open the bleed valve on the slave about half a turn, then connect a piece of 3/16" clear vinyl tubing between the RF caliper bleeder screw and the slave bleeder. Fill the clutch system up by "bleeding the brake." After about a dozen strokes of the brake pedal, close the slave bleeder and test the system.

Flush the brake system before you fill the clutch system as above so only clean, new fluid is introduced.

Flushing the brake/clutch system every two years should prevent future problems. I bet your system has not been flushed regularly.

My clutch slave failed not due to lack of fluid maitenance - the slave pushrod tip wore away to the point where the clutch would not release.

Duke

Hi Duke ... thanks for the info provided .. am I correct in assuming that once I manage to get the top nut loose the rest should not be a major problem. The brake hose attachement to the slave also seems tricky because of the limited space in this area but I gather from Haynes that it is easier to disconnect the hose on the "other" side.

Your configuration sounds similar to mine, but may not be exactly the same. I recall that I used a crowfoot tubing wrench on an extension to disconnect the hydraulic line at the slave cylinder.

Duke