I really need some help

stonesjunkie · 09-15-2009, 11:24 AM

Hi, my name is David and I recently joined this forum because my friend told me that this was where he got all the advice he needed for his MR2.

I drive a 1989 MR2 NA with the 4-AGE engine which I got from the friend and a pretty serious problem occurred for me.

I found that the master cylinder was leaking(to the point that the driver's side carpet was wet with oil). It got bad enough that I could barely engage the gears and shift. Since I neither have the time or knowledge to try to fix it myself, I took it to an auto shop and got it fixed. Right after I got it back, it was driveable but I noticed that the clutch was EXTREMELY light and lost all the pressure.

I started it up this morning and I had a hard time shifting again. So, I wanted to know if I need to replace the clutch now or if its the slave cylinder thats gone bad or if it's something else wrong with the car. It only has 140k miles.

Also, if anyone lives in SoCal, which mechanic would you recommend if I needed to repair my MR2 since it's gonna be a while before I can do anything myself. Any advice would help and thanks a lot!

mr3 · 09-15-2009, 11:34 AM

There are only a few parts to the clutch system that would cause this problem. 1 is the master cylender. 2 is the slave cylender. 3 is the lines. You had the master replaced so you shouldnt be leaking any fluid. They did use dot 3 brake fluid right? When you let the car sit is there a puddle of brake fluid under the engine?

It should be fairly firm. Make sure it was bled correctly. A cheap solution is the $20 brake bleeder from harbor freight. I did my 87 without the bleeder and my leg got tired. It took about 30 minutes that wa. With the bleeder on my 88 it took 5 minutes and was firm. Before anything, make sure you are bled and have 0 air in the lines. If you have pressure then lose it after a day or 2 then it may be a leaky slave cylender. It wont hurt to replace the slave. Chances are that it's pretty old.

stonesjunkie · 09-15-2009, 11:53 AM

Thanks MR3 I guess I will buy the bleeder but how do I bleed the brakes since I basically have no knowledge in auto repair. I dont see a puddle of oil but I think I see some oil drops or it could be something else.

I dont know how to check if it was bled properly though and the clutch isnt firm at all like it used to be. I need to push it all the way to the mat or else I cant shift.

Also how much would a slave cylinder be from the junkyard and would I need to take it to a mechanic to get it replaced?

espguitarist33 · 09-15-2009, 12:00 PM

yea if it has to go all thy way down it sounds like an unbled issue...haha that or your clutch is like 3 inches wide

mr3 · 09-15-2009, 12:08 PM

Bleeding the clutch is just like bleeding the brakes. When you get the thing from harbor freight it does have instructions. It has a pump with a hose then a gauge and another hose that will go to the bleeder screw. Pump the bleeder up then crack the bleeder screw.

Dont buy a junkyard slave. For all you know it may be worse than the current one. Go to toyota and buy the rebuild kit. You should be able to get the rebuild kit pretty cheap. I ended up buying a new slave cylender because I work at a parts store and it wasnt too expensive.

dirocyn · 09-16-2009, 08:34 AM

A little bit of leak at the slave cylinder will make your clutch do this, and if you have a normal (dirty) engine you won't be able to tell. The issue is more air getting in than fluid coming out, anyways. Could be the hose at the slave, could be the bleed screw. Or your slave cylinder could be shot.

Last clutch I bled was an MG Midget, I was able to cheat because I've got long arms and could reach the bleed screw and clutch pedal at the same time. Just put my finger over the end of the bleed screw to keep air from getting back in, pumped the clutch until a solid stream of fluid came out, tightened up the bleed screw, refilled master cylinder, cleaned up the puddle, done. This was after rebuilding the slave, wasn't too hard on that car.

On an MR2 you either need the bleeder tool or an assistant to pump the clutch pedal for you, and check the level in the master cyl every 5-6 pumps 'cause you don't want to suck any air down it.

mr2tim · 09-16-2009, 11:03 AM

Many times when the Master is rebuilt your slave may fail as they are often maintained at the same time period and deterioate at nearly the same time.

Dude, take your time with the slave replacement it is in a hard to get place and lays atop the shift cable assembly arm and bolt alignment can be a bit....frustrating.

Unfortunately the boneheads at Toyota put the bleeder under the car on that same shift cable assembly, (some of us lifetime owners change that to atop the engine when we do the slave change.)

My pit-crew chief (wife?) puts her talcum powder around my brake/clutch repairs to make sure I don't walk away with leaks at joints. She's tuff (& a co-driver) but my racecar smells good?

BTW go for aluminum Master and Slave cylinders and parts they don't degrade like steel!!!

09-15-2009, 11:24 AM	#1 (permalink)
stonesjunkie No Skills Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 8 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts iTrader Rating: (0/0% )	I really need some help Hi, my name is David and I recently joined this forum because my friend told me that this was where he got all the advice he needed for his MR2. I drive a 1989 MR2 NA with the 4-AGE engine which I got from the friend and a pretty serious problem occurred for me. I found that the master cylinder was leaking(to the point that the driver's side carpet was wet with oil). It got bad enough that I could barely engage the gears and shift. Since I neither have the time or knowledge to try to fix it myself, I took it to an auto shop and got it fixed. Right after I got it back, it was driveable but I noticed that the clutch was EXTREMELY light and lost all the pressure. I started it up this morning and I had a hard time shifting again. So, I wanted to know if I need to replace the clutch now or if its the slave cylinder thats gone bad or if it's something else wrong with the car. It only has 140k miles. Also, if anyone lives in SoCal, which mechanic would you recommend if I needed to repair my MR2 since it's gonna be a while before I can do anything myself. Any advice would help and thanks a lot!

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09-15-2009, 11:34 AM	#2 (permalink)
mr3 Cage Fighter Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Plymouth Mtg, Pa Posts: 842 Thanks: 19 Thanked 26 Times in 25 Posts iTrader Rating: (2/100% )	There are only a few parts to the clutch system that would cause this problem. 1 is the master cylender. 2 is the slave cylender. 3 is the lines. You had the master replaced so you shouldnt be leaking any fluid. They did use dot 3 brake fluid right? When you let the car sit is there a puddle of brake fluid under the engine? It should be fairly firm. Make sure it was bled correctly. A cheap solution is the $20 brake bleeder from harbor freight. I did my 87 without the bleeder and my leg got tired. It took about 30 minutes that wa. With the bleeder on my 88 it took 5 minutes and was firm. Before anything, make sure you are bled and have 0 air in the lines. If you have pressure then lose it after a day or 2 then it may be a leaky slave cylender. It wont hurt to replace the slave. Chances are that it's pretty old.

09-15-2009, 11:53 AM	#3 (permalink)
stonesjunkie No Skills Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 8 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts iTrader Rating: (0/0% )	Thanks MR3 I guess I will buy the bleeder but how do I bleed the brakes since I basically have no knowledge in auto repair. I dont see a puddle of oil but I think I see some oil drops or it could be something else. I dont know how to check if it was bled properly though and the clutch isnt firm at all like it used to be. I need to push it all the way to the mat or else I cant shift. Also how much would a slave cylinder be from the junkyard and would I need to take it to a mechanic to get it replaced?

09-15-2009, 12:00 PM	#4 (permalink)
espguitarist33 Cage Fighter Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: west chester PA Posts: 415 Thanks: 4 Thanked 5 Times in 5 Posts iTrader Rating: (2/100% )	yea if it has to go all thy way down it sounds like an unbled issue...haha that or your clutch is like 3 inches wide

09-15-2009, 12:08 PM	#5 (permalink)
mr3 Cage Fighter Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Plymouth Mtg, Pa Posts: 842 Thanks: 19 Thanked 26 Times in 25 Posts iTrader Rating: (2/100% )	Bleeding the clutch is just like bleeding the brakes. When you get the thing from harbor freight it does have instructions. It has a pump with a hose then a gauge and another hose that will go to the bleeder screw. Pump the bleeder up then crack the bleeder screw. Dont buy a junkyard slave. For all you know it may be worse than the current one. Go to toyota and buy the rebuild kit. You should be able to get the rebuild kit pretty cheap. I ended up buying a new slave cylender because I work at a parts store and it wasnt too expensive.

09-16-2009, 08:34 AM	#6 (permalink)
dirocyn Cage Fighter Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 133 Thanks: 6 Thanked 12 Times in 12 Posts iTrader Rating: (0/0% )	A little bit of leak at the slave cylinder will make your clutch do this, and if you have a normal (dirty) engine you won't be able to tell. The issue is more air getting in than fluid coming out, anyways. Could be the hose at the slave, could be the bleed screw. Or your slave cylinder could be shot. Last clutch I bled was an MG Midget, I was able to cheat because I've got long arms and could reach the bleed screw and clutch pedal at the same time. Just put my finger over the end of the bleed screw to keep air from getting back in, pumped the clutch until a solid stream of fluid came out, tightened up the bleed screw, refilled master cylinder, cleaned up the puddle, done. This was after rebuilding the slave, wasn't too hard on that car. On an MR2 you either need the bleeder tool or an assistant to pump the clutch pedal for you, and check the level in the master cyl every 5-6 pumps 'cause you don't want to suck any air down it.

09-16-2009, 11:03 AM	#7 (permalink)
mr2tim SUPERcharZed ToyZ RacZer Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: South Florida Posts: 690 Thanks: 2 Thanked 41 Times in 38 Posts My Google Map iTrader Rating: (2/100% )	Many times when the Master is rebuilt your slave may fail as they are often maintained at the same time period and deterioate at nearly the same time. Dude, take your time with the slave replacement it is in a hard to get place and lays atop the shift cable assembly arm and bolt alignment can be a bit....frustrating. Unfortunately the boneheads at Toyota put the bleeder under the car on that same shift cable assembly, (some of us lifetime owners change that to atop the engine when we do the slave change.) My pit-crew chief (wife?) puts her talcum powder around my brake/clutch repairs to make sure I don't walk away with leaks at joints. She's tuff (& a co-driver) but my racecar smells good? BTW go for aluminum Master and Slave cylinders and parts they don't degrade like steel!!!