So my clutch started feeling very soft all of a sudden, when i pressed the pedal in there would be almost no resistance until about 2 inches from the floor. It is also more difficult to shift into gear (most notably first and reverse).

I have never replaced the clutch fluid since i have owned my car (about 2 years) and not sure if the previous owner has ever replaced it.

My question is, if there is a master cylinder leak like honda claims, is it pointless to try and bleed the clutch fluid?

Honda refused to bleed my clutch fluid, because they told me there is a master cylinder leak and if they try and bleed the system all the fluid will just leak into my interior at the driver footwell...

thoughts?

 

i heard that bleeding it could fix it.. it is common on the S

 

yeah i also heard that bleeding could fix the problem, that is why i wanted to try this route first.

Thing is honda refused to do it..they told me that if they tried to bleed it the fluid would all leak into the interior and ruin it..the way they described it made it sound as if the fluid would all leak out suddenly into the interior of my car..sounds like bs to me?

Now i'm no expert, but aren't leaks in master cylinders very small and gradual? I mean if i have a leak mine must be small, because i didn't even notice any signs of a leak in the driver footwell carpeting.

 

I suspect they refuse to do the bleed, because they want me to dish out around $400 for a new master cylinder installed.

I wanted to try a clutch fluid flush first, because i heard that can sometimes remedy the problem. Am i being impractical for wanting to try a simple fluid flush before dropping big money on a new master cylinder?

Just wondering if they are correct in telling me a fluid flush is not possible in this situation..can anybody with experience in this area chime in? I highly doubt all the fluid is just gonna leak out if they do a flush, but i'd like to be sure..

 

Don't pay dealer prices if the MC is leaking, check this out:

http://www.hardtopguy.com/store/product.ph...5&cat=56&page=1

I can see why they won't bleed the fluid, but if someone on here says that bleeding the fluid may fix your problem, then take your car elsewhere (or do it yourself). YOU are the customer at the end of the day and they should meet your requirements...

HTH

 

for the short term adding some fluid and bleeding it may fix your problem (for a week or so). but a clutch master cylinder is an easy fix.

it's two nuts holding it to your firewall, disconnect your hardline (that goes to slave cylinder), and disconnect the actuator rod that attaches to the pedal.

i bought my master/slave from HTG and he shipped out fairly quickly and he charged very little for shipping. he uses fedex and they seem to take half the time that ups or usps does for delivery.

i'd buy a clutch master & slave cylinder from hardtopguy and in the meanwhile, bleed your clutch 'til it arrives.

 

check 2 things, under the car look at where the slave cylinder moves the clutch fork, looks for leaks.

2ndly, crawl under your dash by the clutch pedal and look up where the rod goes into the firewall, look for a leak there, its quite commen to leak there.

if it all looks good, just bleed it. you need some honda brake fliud and you bleed it like bleeding the brake system, 1 person holds the pedal down while another person cracks the bleeder loose untill the pedal sinks to the floor. then you tighten the bleeder and pump the pedal and repeat.

just watch the level in the clutch resvour.

keep doing it untill you have fresh brake fluid comming out.

i recc. bleeding your clutch fluid every 3 years 45,000 miles with your brake fluid, thus protects all your seals in the master and slave cylinders.

 

Check for leaks, replace the part that's leaking.

A bleed won't help since it's a closed system, you shouldn't loose any fluid unless there's a leak.

 

i had the same problem with the clutch, so i checked the fluid and it was low so i added to the max line. then checked the firewall underneath the dash and there was a tiny bit of fluid. after running my car like that for a couple of days my clutch came back to life. resistance all the way to the top and i havent seen any fluid coming throught the firewall.its a bit strange but its been a few weeks now and my clutch is acting as if nothing ever happened

 

Thanks for the replies guys, ok so i had my clutch system bled and flushed at another place and all i can say is WOW what a difference. The clutch feels brand new again, better than it ever has before, the resistance is back, and the release point is back to normal.

I checked once again for leaks underneath the drivers footwell, near the firewall i see slight TRACES of a leak, a couple very small black smears. Should i be concerned, or will my clutch most likely be ok for a while? I guess i'll have to wait and see but it sure feels great now..