So my boyfriend says that the reason my clutch doesn't work is because it has a leak (he is on the forum also, owns an '84 2M4, so I do believe him). But since I am new to fiero's and he lives far away/works, I am relying on you guys to help me with this!

I don't know where it is leaking, but I do know it isn't leaking onto the carpets at all, I don't know if it's leaking on the ground at all though.

My first question would be: Where would I check for leaks? As I said, I'm new to working on cars and I don't know much, or what is what...so any pics would be very helpful.

Second: I might need to establish where the leak is before this will get answered, but how would I go about fixing it?

And third: Any easy way to bleed a clutch by yourself? Actually I can get my parents to push down the clutch for me, but my boyfriend bled my clutch before, so I know the general area of where to bleed it, but not the specifics. Any help would be great, I would love to drive her some more before it snows again...

Thank you so much for any advice, and pictures would be very helpful too! I have yet to know her inside and out

I had planned on just putting her away for winter and wait to fix her afterwards but I miss her so dang much!!! She's an 86GT

Hey there,

Shill said you had a leak? Look at the master cylinder. It is located in the front "trunk" area directly on the fire wall. it will be the small, white plastic container. use a flashlight, and inspect there first.

Next, pull back the carpet on the drivers side. It may not leak onto the carpet, but undneath it.

The next spot is the slave cylinder. That is located in the engine area between the firewall and the engine on the drivers side. There will be a braided steel line going to it.

If none of those are leaking, perhaps a line under the car has a pin hole rusted through.

If the leak is bad enough, park it on a clean area of the drive, and cycle the clutch until it leaks.

Other than that, it really is a matter of giving her a thorough inspection on a lift.

Good luck,

Tony

Thanks Tony, hopefully it won't have to be put on a lift!! It gets dark too early around here, I may have to start waking up early......

quote Originally posted by Tony Kania: Hey there, Shill said you had a leak? Look at the master cylinder. It is located in the front "trunk" area directly on the fire wall. it will be the small, white plastic container. use a flashlight, and inspect there first. Next, pull back the carpet on the drivers side. It may not leak onto the carpet, but undneath it. The next spot is the slave cylinder. That is located in the engine area between the firewall and the engine on the drivers side. There will be a braided steel line going to it. If none of those are leaking, perhaps a line under the car has a pin hole rusted through. If the leak is bad enough, park it on a clean area of the drive, and cycle the clutch until it leaks. Other than that, it really is a matter of giving her a thorough inspection on a lift. Good luck, Tony

When checking both the slave/master be sure to pull the boot back as the fluid will collect inside and look as if it is not leaking. If running on original slave/master then I suggest start swapping them with Rodney's parts as this will save you from tons of trouble.

quote Originally posted by MstangsBware: When checking both the slave/master be sure to pull the boot back as the fluid will collect inside and look as if it is not leaking. If running on original slave/master then I suggest start swapping them with Rodney's parts as this will save you from tons of trouble.

Should I replace those now or just if it's leaking at one of them? This fiero has been sitting for 4 or 5 years, I can't remember. I got her in August and drove it since probably November I think, then I started having these problems.

If it is leaking at all,which doesnt have to be much for it to effect the performance of your clutch first of all. As stated check the obvious at the master and slave....then get the car up as high as you can SAFELY (on jackstands very securly) and laying/moving underneath trace the hard line from front to back chances are it will have rust on it and in some places it is wrapped in a spiral spring like wire for extra support/rigidity if it is leaking you should notice a 'wet spot" seeping for quite a ways on the hard line even if it is a small leak. maybe evn a foot or more will appear wet with a super small leak, with a more pronounced leak it mighjt be two or three feet appear "wet". Also if you pump the clutch and can get it to leak on the ground...one DROP of brake fluid (dot 3 is what you should be using in it) will make a spot 2 inches around or MORE on concrete in a 24 hour period as it spreads out....even bigger if the concrete is sealed with paint. What im trying to say is if it is leaking with a proper careful inspection you should be able to see it. Good luck with your repair and if you are going to drive a Fiero....you will HAVE to learn to work her. This forum and its "search" feature has saved my butt many times. I am threatening to sell her when I get my income tax this year as she is my only car right now and my neighbors think I work on her cause I love her...But the truth is I am always having to fix SOMETHING! She is my only transportation at this time and the pressure of trying to keep her running gets to be too much sometimes....but then I wouldnt know what to do with my spare time if I wasent always working on my Fiero.... And I DO love her. ......Oh And P.S. dont replace anything until you find out what it is. If you replace both the master and the slave cylinders....then find out its a rusty line...the line will cost more than both of them. These cars will break the bank just throwing parts at them

[This message has been edited by Basic88 (edited 12-27-2011).]

quote Originally posted by Basic88: If it is leaking at all,which doesnt have to be much for it to effect the performance of your clutch first of all. As stated check the obvious at the master and slave....then get the car up as high as you can SAFELY (on jackstands very securly) and laying/moving underneath trace the hard line from front to back chances are it will have rust on it and in some places it is wrapped in a spiral spring like wire for extra support/rigidity if it is leaking you should notice a 'wet spot" seeping for quite a ways on the hard line even if it is a small leak. maybe evn a foot or more will appear wet with a super small leak, with a more pronounced leak it mighjt be two or three feet appear "wet". Also if you pump the clutch and can get it to leak on the ground...one DROP of brake fluid (dot 3 is what you should be using in it) will make a spot 2 inches around or MORE on concrete in a 24 hour period as it spreads out....even bigger if the concrete is sealed with paint. What im trying to say is if it is leaking with a proper careful inspection you should be able to see it. Good luck with your repair and if you are going to drive a Fiero....you will HAVE to learn to work her. This forum and its "search" feature has saved my butt many times. I am threatening to sell her when I get my income tax this year as she is my only car right now and my neighbors think I work on her cause I love her...But the truth is I am always having to fix SOMETHING! She is my only transportation at this time and the pressure of trying to keep her running gets to be too much sometimes....but then I wouldnt know what to do with my spare time if I wasent always working on my Fiero.... And I DO love her. ......Oh And P.S. dont replace anything until you find out what it is. If you replace both the master and the slave cylinders....then find out its a rusty line...the line will cost more than both of them. These cars will break the bank just throwing parts at them

Yes and I plan on working on her! The main reason I bought her and am selling the firebird, I had no help fixing her, it was always to the shops! I have my own tools and am slowly building my 'garage' collection! I do have a second/winter car for when life calls for it! So I usually have all the time in the world to fix her, no pressure, well except for the "I need to fix her because I miss her so much!" pressure haha Thanks for the advice

quote Originally posted by FireGirl: Should I replace those now or just if it's leaking at one of them? This fiero has been sitting for 4 or 5 years, I can't remember. I got her in August and drove it since probably November I think, then I started having these problems.

If u have the money and can replace both at the same time then that is the route I would take. Would be preventive maintence as once you fix one the other will become the weak link...

On our 86 4 speed manual we have a very slow leak at the slave cylinder. Gently pull back the rubber boot on the slave clyinder piston and feel for wetness. If the leak is slow enough you may be able to get away with just keeping an eye on the fluid level in the master cylinder resivior till you can rebuild. Look into the MR2 slave rebuild.

My 11 year old son and I bled our clutch and got it back to working. I had neglected to check the fluid level and it had run low enough to allow air to enter the system. Bleedings super easy, NO pumping the clutch pedal when bleeding. Best thing to do is get a helper, any helper will do. Instruct them to NOT pump the pedal, just push and hold it in till you tell em to let it out.

Open the master cylinder resivior and add fluid to the full mark. It is important to keep an eye on the fluid level during bleeding cause if it goes too low you will have to start all over. After each bleed cycle quickly check and fill the resivior as needed.

We used a short piece of clear rubber tubing and jammed it onto the end of the bleeder screw at the slave cylinder. Slid my, if I remember correctly, 11mm box end over the tube and onto the bleeder screw. Stuck the opposite end of my clear tube into an empty clear soda bottle. Using clear tubing will allow you to see when the bubbles stop coming out and its just fluid. Anyway when your clear tube and wrench and bottle are all set up go ahead and crack open the bleeder screw just about a half turn, enough to open the system. Have your helper push the pedal down and hold it down. Watch the bubbles flow. When the flow stops tighten the bleeder screw, check the resivior and start over. Keep doing this cycle till no more bubbles come out at the bleeder screw. When you get to where you think your system is air bubble free, and your almost done, with the bleeder screw still open and helper holding pedal down gently tap the slave cylinder with a wrench to help any remaining bubbles in the slave escape. Tighten the slave bleeder screw, remove your clear tubing and bottle, check fluid level at resivior and replace the cap. Test the clutch. Pat yourself and helper on the back and beam with pride at a job well done! Took us about a half hour to complete. Just remember to check the resivior regularly and fill as needed. Dont over fill either as this will cause major problems

Where on the firewall is the master cylinder?

quote Originally posted by FireGirl: Where on the firewall is the master cylinder?

You haven't looked too hard if you need to ask that.

These guys are being nice to you because... well, because you're a girl. But I gotta tell ya, the questions you're asking have been answered here a hundred times previously.

First thing to learn about fixing your Fiero is to make use of the Search function at this forum. There is a TON of info posted at PFF. IMO it's best to do some research first and then ask questions if you're still stumped.

It's that black rectangular plastic thing that looks like a refrigerator storage dish.

[This message has been edited by Gall757 (edited 12-30-2011).]

quote Originally posted by Gall757: It's that black rectangular plastic box thing that looks like a refrigerator storage dish.

Okay, now you're messing with her head.

quote Originally posted by Patrick: Okay, now you're messing with her head.

Ooops, sorry, we're talkin' clutch here aren't we......It's that little plastic bottle with the black cap...

quote Originally posted by Patrick: You haven't looked too hard if you need to ask that. These guys are being nice to you because... well, because you're a girl. But I gotta tell ya, the questions you're asking have been answered here a hundred times previously. First thing to learn about fixing your Fiero is to make use of the Search function at this forum. There is a TON of info posted at PFF. IMO it's best to do some research first and then ask questions if you're still stumped.

Yes I realize this and I apologize. I was mainly looking for a quick answer before it got too dark...I was actually hoping no one would reply because it was a stupid question. I am using my phone right now because I can't find my laptop (rearranging my room and its a mess) otherwise I would have deleted that comment..I did end up just going to google/calling the boyfriend and I found it...right in front of me. I knew the general area, just not sure which specific part...
I remeber searching about clutch leaks on here before I even made the post with not much luck, but searching for master cylinder is completely different. I apologize again for asking questions before researching it!

Anyway as stated I did find it and I do believe that's where its leaking. I did rinse the dirt off my car so it might just be water, but its only in that area which seemed more likely that its a leak and not water.

quote Originally posted by FireGirl: I apologize again for asking questions before researching it!

No need for an apology. I just didn't want you using up your allotted number of questions on the simple stuff.

Yeah, exactly. I always have google for the easy stuff! Haha

Double post

[This message has been edited by FireGirl (edited 12-31-2011).]

I did nothing but confuse her at first by telling her the plastic thing was the resevoir and to follow it to the master cylinder. She hopefully knows now the difference. It has been probably 4 months since the car was even started. If there is a leak i doubt it would be very wet at this point.

So I did a search on master cylinders instead of bleeding clutch. Wow I got a lot more results of exactly what I was looking for, I was just searching for the wrong terms! Thanks for all of the advice, hopefully I can get the master and slave replaced soon

when hydraulic fluid leaks, it likes to make a much larger spot than oil or water that you are used to.

edit: what I mean is, one drop of brake/clutch fluid will spread out to about 5x the size of a water drop on a flat surface.

[This message has been edited by Shill (edited 01-02-2012).]

quote Originally posted by FireGirl:

http://rodneydickman.com/ca...h=61&products_id=280


In the picture above the upper clutch master cylinder is the late style (87/88)
The lower clutch master cylinder in the picture above is the early style (84-86)

So, according to Rodney site, she has the '87/88 master cylinder. yet her car is an '86...

Which to get?

Seems like you should go back to what was on the car originally.......

GO rodney dickman on everything. I didnt and it took me a long time of working on it to figure out that My brand new parts store master was leaking right out of the box

Stop down and see me show you were everything is and what parts you need

Joe Sokol

------------------
85 SE Daily driver with a 3.4 DOHC OBD II
88 Formula/GT 4.9 Allante Intake (My Baby)
www.fieroking.com

quote Originally posted by fierogt27: GO rodney dickman on everything. I didnt and it took me a long time of working on it to figure out that My brand new parts store master was leaking right out of the box

Yes, I am buying from rodneys. But the master that's in my '86 fiero right now is, according to rodney, a master for the '87/'88 models. So the question should I continue to buy the 87/88 model or should I put in the '86 one?

Pump the clutch pedal a few times.

But remember you will need to do that later when you get to a stop sign. It always works to slip it out of gear - but you need to do that before there is a lot of tension going through the drive train.

quote Originally posted by phonedawgz: Pump the clutch pedal a few times. But remember you will need to do that later when you get to a stop sign. It always works to slip it out of gear - but you need to do that before there is a lot of tension going through the drive train.

We've bled it a couple of times already

quote Originally posted by FireGirl: That would be great but I can't shift the fiero into gear without it grinding on me...

I can drive it without any grinding. I can get your car to Joe's if you need. A working clutch is not necessary for me.

Tony

quote Originally posted by Tony Kania: I can drive it without any grinding. I can get your car to Joe's if you need. A working clutch is not necessary for me. Tony

Spencer says he can drive it to Joe's...except his car is down so maybe I could use some extra help so I can figure out the real problem instead of just guessing it. I'll have to jump start her back up as she likes to die on me when I let her sit for a couple of days...and clean all those pine needles out! I'll send you a PM

Edit: Oops, realized I posted as Shill...oh well, his computer! haha

[This message has been edited by Shill (edited 01-08-2012).]

quote Originally posted by Shill: So, according to Rodney site, she has the '87/88 master cylinder. yet her car is an '86... Which to get?

If the fluid line is bent to match the late design master you can stay with the late design master. If the fluid line is bent awkwardly you may want to go back to the early style master again and rebend the line back to the original shape. Unless at one time someone put in the late style line?

------------------
Rodney Dickman

Fiero Parts And Acc's Web Page:
All new web page!:www.rodneydickman.com
Rodney Dickman's Fiero accessories
7604 Treeview Drive
Caledonia, WI 53108
Phone/Fax (262) 835-9575

quote Originally posted by Rodney: If the fluid line is bent to match the late design master you can stay with the late design master. If the fluid line is bent awkwardly you may want to go back to the early style master again and rebend the line back to the original shape. Unless at one time someone put in the late style line?

Thanks Rodney, I will have to check that and see...

quote Originally posted by phonedawgz: Pump the clutch pedal a few times. But remember you will need to do that later when you get to a stop sign. It always works to slip it out of gear - but you need to do that before there is a lot of tension going through the drive train.

We've bled it a couple of times already

where are the mechanics,we need more female fiero owners & they should get royal treatment,
becomming the beautiful dominant goddess they are,do you guys not read my post??
pardon my rambling gracious beauty & fiero queen,FIRST install a double seal piston in the slave.
order this part yesterday or sooner.it will be about $20.00 ship to the drawbridge of your castle or estate,By a uniform messenger.
...every fiero should have rodney dickman slave piston install,one of the biggest Fiero problem is the clutch slave leaking or the single seal piston does not seal properly.
.. when you install your double seal piston ,you should clean up the inside of the old slave ,a double seal piston will overcome a plethora of slave imperfections,install of a double seal piston will over come many Fiero bugboos like bent clutch pedal ,ect,..
..a simple way to clean up a slave is to hone it ,then use some denim material jammed in a driill to remove sharp edges left by hone,or just hone with denim
,, the best way to bleed the fiero slave is to use the archie method ..
Rodney Dickman will be waiting for your order
enough for now, I am pulling the rock over my troll hole for now

[This message has been edited by uhlanstan (edited 01-08-2012).]

quote Originally posted by uhlanstan: 10 lashes of the cane for phone dawg who knows more about mechanics & fieros than I ever will in my dreams ,,it would be 100 but phone dawg service to the fiero community is with out peer,a giant of fiero mechanical intellect,,I am in awe of his electrical diagnostic prowess please explain the archie method to bleed a slave use the search feature at the top right of tech enter =bleeding clutch.... entire thread you will have to go to 2nd page post #14 scroll down to post 7 ,,mike gonzales ,, there be archie method if any life is left in the single seal piston, archie method will bring it to life like the frankenstien monster single seal piston slaves are because of rodney double seal piston & archie method,I am now dating a millionair black rock video dancer ,who replaces an elegant 6'1"former movie actress & model ..thank you Rodney!! pulling rock over troll hole now or google =V8 archie slave bleed method the above will take you to the original archie site

I actually have V8 Archie's page bookmarked (on my phone anyway) and it seems like the double seal is the way to go. I will hopefully be taking my fiero to someone more experienced in cars so he can tell me what I do and do not need..

..Firegirl using the archie method,it is easy to do,,it is effective to bleed the single seal slave .
it is difficult using other methods to get all the air out,often when the final step in the archie method is done a large amount of air being expelled anouces itself..
I am a brain damaged spastic & have perform this by myself using a stick to hold brake pedal down

1.. there are 2 things every V6 fiero should have done
use double seal slave ,because the slave is a major problem,causes faulty transmissions

2= the exhaust manifolds should be ported because they are poorly design from the factory
this how ever is a difficult job because manifold bolts ,,studs may break..

frustration can lead to expense at the garage
if slave is replaced,, ONLY use rodney Dickman with 2 seal piston ,no other
rodney has great support & outstanding products,previously I relied on miracles ,but then I discovered rodney & this forum