Air in clutch line?

[CleanNeon98]

So I have a bit of a strange issue with my 97 civic EX (D16y8 5-speed) 110k miles. Here's what happened today, and this has been going on for a little bit now.

3:00pm - leave work, clutch pedal is really soft and floppy up top and the clutch catches all the way at the bottom. It's even hard to get into gear, almost feels like it's not disengaging all the way. You have to push the pedal to the absolute end of the floor and if you're not careful it grinds gear.

3:20pm - driving home from work, the pedal is getting better. Not so much play up top, catches in the middle, I can even lift it an inch or so from the floor before the clutch starts to grab (just how I like it to be).

It seems like if I drive for like 10-15 minutes it's good, but if I let it sit and "calm down" it starts acting ****ty again. Could this be an air bubble in my clutch line? If not, what do you suspect?

[Got Insulin?]

Sounds like there's a hole in the line to me. Try letting the car sit for a minute, then just pump the clutch pedal a bunch of times and see what it feels like.

[97TurboDSM]

^this^ started happening when my slave cylinder was going bad.

[OutToWinPAHC]

try flushing it. Drain fill, bleed, repeat. Check for leaks, if not maybe replace the MC / Slave

[CleanNeon98]

Did some snooping tonight. Came out to start the car (I always leave it in gear). Get in, no pressure till the very bottom. Start the car with the clutch fully down, it tries to launch forward (e-brake held it tight). Shut the car off, check my fluid reservour (sp), nothing in it, and whatever was in it was brown. Pump the pedal a few times and get some pressure back. Head to the gas station and get some DOT3 brake fluid, add it in, drive to dinner.

Come outside, again, no pressure, started the car in neutral and with the clutch in it didnt even want to get into gear. Pump the pedal 10x or so, and it's better, drive for a minute and it's fine.

No visible leaks around the Master or Slave Cylinders. No loss in fluid since I filled. Also no fluids under the hood or under the car to indicate a leak. Maybe because the thing wasn't full it sucked air in from the top?

Gonna bleed it, wanted to do this anyway, and see what happens.

[97TurboDSM]

it's your slave cylinder or master cylinder. bleeding will do nothing for you.

[CleanNeon98]

Same story this morning, limp when I came out in the morning, a few pumps and it was fine, and fully corrected itself during the drive. I know it's going to be loose again when I get done work today. If it is the Slave or Master Cylinders, I'd like to know which.

edit: There are no visible leaks around either one.

[CleanNeon98]

Found brand new Slave Cylinder and Master Cylinder online from Daikin Clutches (EXEDY) for $49 shipped for both. Mine aren't visibly leaking but since it's not expensive I may buy them regardless and replace them, one is bound to solve the problem so I'd rather just get both in there and not worry about it. If it's not either of them, I hear they are a soft spot so replacing them won't hurt.

[OutToWinPAHC]

Just do it Alex, not worth the guess for 45 bucks. Stingy you must be.... oh that's right

[CleanNeon98]

Keep in mind my paychecks are still low. Also keep in mind that I currently have 2 cars. One of which doesn't even drive. And is being parted out to be fixed. Trying to get both cars done on my salary is hard, $50 is $50 that can be used somewhere else. But yea, I'll order em up and get em done, I feel pretty confident about it.

[russiankid]

Autozone has a slave for $12, btw.

[kjs1820]

on my evo I had no clutch pressure last year and no visable leaks, turned out the boot on the slave was filling up like a ballon and didn't leak a drop!

[JSpecV03]

my car did the same thing. turns out my master was leaking. and there was a ring around the master of fluid that had leaked. and apprently they can leak interanlly. so im told. but i did the same got a new master and slave and i got a stainless line for the clutch them problem solved.

[i_ride_fieroGT]

Its your master cylinder or slave cylinder. Check around the area where you hook the plunger up to the peddel on the firewall see if theres any leaking around there. Than check around the boot of the slave cylinder. This is the easy part. If its anything like my cars your challenge is going to be bleeding it after you fix it.

Also rule of thumb (at least in the fiero comunity) change the master and slave at the same time. makes it easyer so you dont have to bleed it again if the other component goes.

[97TurboDSM]

you're late to the party and we've told him that like 3 times already chiefton.

[russiankid]

you're late to the party and we've told him that like 3 times already chiefton.

^That AND if you have a fair bit of miles on your car, changing the master cylinder when doing the slave is pretty normal. Why? Because you're eliminating one weak point in an enclosed system, which puts more stress on another.