Air Getting into Slave Clutch CyL? HELP!

[boon94]

... btw... I have a 1994 saab 9000 2.3 turbo
there is air getting into my hydro clutch system, and i can bleed it and it works great for about 10 minutes, but the air gets back in, and the clutch basically becomes unresponsive. It can be pushed to the floor with very little or no effect.

There is a leak at the very bottom of the engine, a very slow leak, my clutch fluid/brake resevoir is not noticably dropping but is most likely the one leaking.

but for something to leak, air has to be getting in right?, and air usually doesnt get in through leaking lines/hoses right?

My local saab junkie mechanic says that i need to replace my slave clutch cylendar, but that will cost upward of $800.00, and i am wondering if this is going to fix it, anyone had a similar problem??

[Stefano]

I had the same problem with my '87, the clutch could work right for a couple of days or lose all the oil in a night, it only depended on its mood of the day. I decided to buy a new car because I didn't think it was woth it to repair, and I was becoming too good at driving with no clutch
Besides, the last bleeding I did, 5 months ago, is still working . Apparently buying the new car cured the faulty slave cylinder in the old one .

[Marrk]

It definitely sounds like the slave cylinder has failed and as its a gearbox out job is expensive. Ensure you have checked the flexible for leaks though.

Mine did the same and I took the cheaper action of hoping it was the master cylinder and as its easier and cheaper to change, did it, no different, so changed the flexible, no different then bit the bullet and pulled the gearbox and did the slave....problem fixed at more expense than it should have been!

[yaofeng]

Whoever made the decision to put the slave inside the bell housing should be fired from SAAB if he has not been. That said, I have not had a single slave gone bad on me on the four 9k's I own/owned.

[Jim Mesthene]

Originally Posted by yaofeng

Whoever made the decision to put the slave inside the bell housing should be fired from SAAB if he has not been. That said, I have not had a single slave gone bad on me on the four 9k's I own/owned.

You think that's coincidence?

[Stefano]

Originally Posted by Jim Mesthene

You think that's coincidence?

What do YOU think?

[yaofeng]

Originally Posted by Jim Mesthene

You think that's coincidence?

No I don't think it is coincidence. There is no reason to put the slave in there even if it is designed to last 500,000 miles. I am just lucky is my guess. It give the mechanic and the dealer more business. No wonder you do not agree.

[Jim Mesthene]

Internal slave cylinders don't fail as often as external ones; I think that's why you're so lucky.


"It give the mechanic and the dealer more business. No wonder you do not agree"
What did I do to deserve this hostility?

[Stefano]

Slave cylinders usually outlast the first clutch, but not the second. So, replacing the clutch without changing the slave cylinder (like I suspect the previous owner of my car did) is looking for troubles, while changing the slave everytime the gearbox is out, even when it's still new, is safe(ish) motoring.

[yaofeng]

Originally Posted by Jim Mesthene

Internal slave cylinders don't fail as often as external ones; I think that's why you're so lucky.


"It give the mechanic and the dealer more business. No wonder you do not agree"
What did I do to deserve this hostility?

I apologize if I offended you. It doesn't change my opinion the slave should not be installed inside the bell housing. The slave may be designed to out last the clutch, or even a second clutch. Does SAAB warrantees that? Doing a gear box removal because you need to replace the slave cylinder simply doesn't make sense.

On my 525 or a 325 I used to own, changing the slave takes 15 minutes.

[benoberon]

The slave cylinder in my '93 2.3T (now my daughter's car!) died at 85k mi. I had the entire clutch job done by a good mechanic in Coos Bay, Oregon, but he was not specifically a SAAB mechanic. (European cars in general)

Now we are having issues with the clutch slipping. It happened to me only a month or so after the new clutch...I was climbing a hill with the car fully loaded, and in 4th gear. It has since done this slipping several times, even on level roads and not in a high gear. It doesn't happen on start-off in first, but will slip if I floor it in any other gear.
Has anyone had this issue? Could there be oil leaking onto the clutch from either the trans or engine?

Thanks......Ben

[Jim Mesthene]

Originally Posted by benoberon

It has since done this slipping several times, even on level roads and not in a high gear. It doesn't happen on start-off in first, but will slip if I floor it in any other gear.
Has anyone had this issue? Could there be oil leaking onto the clutch from either the trans or engine?

On a few occasions, I've seen clutch lines or clutch master cylinders that would not let fluid flow back to the reservoir when the pedal was released. The fluid heated up and slowly disengaged the clutch. Diagnose this by opening the bleeder when it happens. If it's pressurized, that's the problem.

[benoberon]

"Diagnose this by opening the bleeder when it happens. If it's pressurized, that's the problem"

Thanks, I will try that. If that is it, what would you suggest as a fix?
Ben

[Jim Mesthene]

Replace the offending parts. You'd probably want to do both at the same time.

[boon94]

Originally Posted by benoberon

The slave cylinder in my '93 2.3T (now my daughter's car!) died at 85k mi.

ARGH!! It was just replaced in 2000 (is that really 6 years ago...?) damn anyone here ever have to replace the slave cylendar twice? Im up to 150k... so i guess maybe it had it comming...

or maybe my driving habbits are a bit to harsh