Clutch Issue

[JPBeast]

Hey there. My wife recently mentioned that putting the car into reverse or first was difficult. I took shortly after she did one evening and seemed fine but the next time I drove it after sitting I noticed it as well. Before we had a chance to bring it in she tells me the clutch pedal "dropped". Sure enough it has but I can pull it up with my foot. If I start the car out of gear I can't put it in a gear without grinding. However I tried to start it in reverse and it worked, I could let out ilon the clutch and move it but it didn't feel like I could take the gear shift out of reverse. Cannot see any fluids dripping underneath but the brake fluid is at or near minimum.

Any ideas what the issue might be? I'm hoping for something like slave cylinder but fearing the worst.

[Ibuckfitches]

I had the same thing happen, the slaves in our cars are really shitty and the seals can burst. You’ll probably need a new one like I did.
I got the Beck Arnley OE replacement as it is a metal slave instead of plastic. JXB Performance has a good option as well, as his is metal now too.


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[JPBeast]

Thanks for the reply. Yes I've read the original is plastic and crap.

[JPBeast]

Managed to get under her car today and take out the slave for inspection. It's loaded with grease and when I messed with the rubber boot it dripped a little. Should I assume this is the issue and buy a replacement??

[JPBeast]

Have pics but unsure how to post.

[A4Qwattro]

Managed to get under her car today and take out the slave for inspection. It's loaded with grease and when I messed with the rubber boot it dripped a little. Should I assume this is the issue and buy a replacement??

The boot shouldn't drip. The seal or the plastic failed and allowed the brake fluid to leak past the cylinder. That's why it's in the boot. Replace.

[JPBeast]

Thank you!

[jungy4]

If the pedal drops and does not pull back up, most definitely the slave cylinder. I owned my S4 manual from 30k to 140k miles and it needed replaced twice. These plastic housings do not last long.

[Zimjoe]

Sounds like you’ve got a hydraulic issue, likely the clutch master or slave cylinder. The fact that the pedal dropped and you can pull it up with your foot points to a loss of hydraulic pressure. Since your brake fluid is low, you might have a slow leak somewhere in the system.

[Zimjoe]

If the pedal drops and does not pull back up, most definitely the slave cylinder. I owned my S4 manual from 30k to 140k miles and it needed replaced twice. These plastic housings do not last long.

Check around the master and slave cylinders for any seepage. If you can, try bleeding the system and topping up the fluid, if it temporarily improves, that’d confirm it’s hydraulic. Worst case, if the clutch fork or pressure plate failed, it’d explain the engagement issues, but I’d start with the hydraulics before fearing the worst.

[jungy4]

Check around the master and slave cylinders for any seepage. If you can, try bleeding the system and topping up the fluid, if it temporarily improves, that’d confirm it’s hydraulic. Worst case, if the clutch fork or pressure plate failed, it’d explain the engagement issues, but I’d start with the hydraulics before fearing the worst.

For both instances that I needed a new slave cylinder because of the leak, low brake oil light came on the dash. That is another easy sign to look for since it is tied to the brake fluid system.

[JPBeast]

I replaced the slave and when I did I bent the slave piston rod! Now I'm not sure if I misaligned the new slave or there's something more major going on. How would I know if it's the fork or pressure plate as opposed to my mistake aligning the slave?

[JPBeast]

Update in case anyone else experiences the same. I used a Sachs replacement slave and it was my alignment that must have bent the first one. I bought a second slave and was extra careful installing and now all seems good.

[Atrevido]

Glad to hear you were able to solve the problem. Thanks for sharing the solution.