CP

I'm driving the Caravan Sport while my baby sits pathetically in the garage with potential knee problems...

It's symtoms are as follows:

Clutch engagement point moves all over the place. Mostly from barely pushed in to
about halfway down. Actually, it starts at about halfway, and if I'm in stop-and-go
traffic, it works it's way up to the point that I only have to push in the clutch an inch or
so. Over the past week or so, I've also begun feeling a vibration/rub when starting from
a standstill. This occurs when the clutch is let out slowly, as in from a standstill. I
thought it may have been the clutch cable rubbing something; feels like
rubber-to-rubber. But from what you describe, it sounds like the master cylinder. What
happens when this lets go? What does a new one cost? Will my clutch get fried if I
leave it as is?
Thanks...very worried now that I'm off warranty,
Cy

JayP

The pedal wouldn't come back to the top position and would vary the distance to clutch engagement.

Mine was repaired under warranty and was possibly a common problem on the '97 cars.

BeetleB

When the slave cylinder failed on my Camry, it was hard to get in gear

Bob W.

...brake fluid leaked inside the car, in the drivers side footwell, as well as under the car. Close inspection revealed fluid dripping from the slave cylinder. Pushing on the brake made fluid gush out of the slave cylinder.

Hope that helps,

Bob W.

Denver J

Most of the folks on this forum are not mechanics... although there are certainly many skilled folks here that have done some work on their cars. Something like this is a shot in the dark, the car really needs to be checked out by a dealer or independant Audi mechanic. Even if someone here says, "yes it's definitely your master cylinder" you still don't know how much this repair is going to run, since you have to make some decisions about where to take the car for repair (hourly rate, how much the part runs, etc).

If you are asking these questions because you want to do the work on the car yourself, consider taking the car apart to try to find out what the problem is. If you are not going to do this, you need to take the car to a mechanic.


Besides, it could be something else entirely... you won't know until a mechanic checks it out.

John Davies

If it has an internal leak, where the fluid is bypassing the piston seal, you won't see the fluid level decrease in the reservoir, but the clutch feel will get weird. I suspect this is your problem _if_ your fluid level is ok. Sometimes if the seal "grabs" a little better the clutch will feel fine, then the next time, say if you depress the clutch more slowly, it will bypass and feel mushy and the engagement point will change.

The same holds true for the clutch slave cylinder, so the internal leak could also be there.

If there is an external leak, but no other problems, the clutch should feel normal until the fluid is all gone, then your foot will go to the floor with no resistance. External leaks are easy to locate - just look for the drip.

No matter what, you won't hurt the clutch, since the pressure plate is spring loaded into the engaged position. However, you do risk damaging the tranny if you persist in driving with a balky clutch.

Get it checked ASAP before you are stranded somewhere.

CP

Thanks folks.

CP

I haven't noticed any fluid underneath the car or leaking off of the belly pan. Where are the master and slave located? Can I visually inspect them or are they buried in the tranny somewhere?
Thanks for the info...driving the Caravan sucks!
Cy

edwyo

I'm not a mechanic, but I fool around with motors and cars. I work in insurance claims (you wreck 'em, I pay 'em) and have many experiences dealing with mechanical problems from accidents and handling problems as a result of impact. (over 5 years) I don't own your type of car, but all cars work along the same principals by and large. Even so, don't trust me on this, but this may help you. (Sorry for the long note) Keep in mind also most cars are built to last 5 years without major problems (usually when your warranty ends is when problems occur... manufacturors ain't dumb) and if you have high mileage or like driving your car hard through the gears and shifting, your problem will happen sooner rather than later. Most slave cylinders will let go at about 70-100k miles.
If you are getting different points of engagement for your clutch, you have some kind of leak in your clutch system. Could be the hoses to the slave cylnd, the small gaskets inside the cylnd, or wear and tear in the foot pedal assembly.
Move the clutch pedal around with your hand. Does it wiggle, move too much side to side, have too much play? If you sense the pedal has too much free play (and you can trust your common sense on this)you may want to check if the pedal has loosened over time. The pedal could just need a few bolts and mounts tightened.
Do you see any type of fluids under your car? For example, radiator fluid is green. The color for the slave cylinder fluid should be red/brown/or orange. If you see these fluids under your car, near where they could drip down from the rear panel of your engine compartment, you may have a cylinder leak. If you continue to drive, you'll continue to push this fluid out each time you dpress the clutch. Worse case scenario? You press the pedal and you can't move gears.. it feels like you'll crunch the gears if you move your gear shift. You'll be stuck whereever this happens.
A slave cylinder going out would not hurt your clutch plates too bad (these are the friction pads that engage and disengage during your gear shifts to permit the cogs of your tranny to slide in and out for gears you select) since plates are built for abuse. Most plates can last up to 100k miles if you are gentle on your clutch action. Even if you "smashed" your gears together when the clutch lets go, they can take a beating too. Just don't force the gears. Racers have very light clutches (small engagment zone, short throw gear shifts) because the gear cogs are built with high tolerance for abuse and clearances.
If you can, try to locate your slave cylinder. Trace via common sense (trust yourself)from the floorboard into the engine compartment the hoses and hookups for your clutch assembly. The salve cylinder is excatly that: a cylinder. It should be close to your transmission housing (near the motor on a FWD, more towards the center behind the engine in a quattro) and look for its condition. Leaking? Banged up?
If you are going to have to replace the cylinder, ask for a quote from your mechanic or dealer. Labor could be anywhere from 1.5 to 4 hours to remove/reinstall (multiply that by your local mechanical labor rate). This includes access to part, bleeding your clutch system, hooking back up, and time for a few donut breaks. Then call a different dealer than the one you want to fix it at, say you need the type of part you want, and ask for its price. They will probably quote you list (versus wholesale or dealer cost). Keep that in mind to avoid your own dealer marking up his price too much. Dealers make their money not from selling cars, but in service (warranty or not, it'll be paid by you or the manufacturer) and parts. This way you can prevent overcharges and have a good idea of what to budget for this possible job. My exerience with the problem you have is that its easier to replace the whole cylinder aseembly than try and fix... this assembly really isn't a fixable part.
Lastly, different engagement points for your clutch WILL NOT be a problem with your gears (expensive), you motor (not even close to the problem you have), or tranny assembly (quattro or not). It could be the foot pedal is loose, or you actually have a bad cylinder (again, replace is only option, not fixable). If it turns out to be none of these things, then write back in a note... your problem would be a new one I've not heard before. Good luck!

CP

Damn dude, thanks...how long did it take you to write that? I'll post follow-ups as they come.