file.newsgroup.cars.103344 Maven / Gradle / Ivy
From: [email protected] (Bill Christens-Barry)
Subject: 2 Camrys eating clutch master cyls?
I have both an '84 and an '86 Camry, each with manual 5-speed transmissions.
The '84 has about 105,000 miles on it and the '86 about 83,000 miles. ABout
a year ago I found that the master cylinder on the clutch in the '84 was
leaking fluid around the piston seal, leading to air in the system and fluid
back into the passenger compartment of the car. I pulled the plunger and
got a rebuild kit (new plunger, seal, etc.) and thought I had the problem
licked. Much to my surprise, the same problem developed several months
later! This time I looked carefully at the master cylinder to make sure
there were no scratches, burrs, or other obvious causes of the problem. I
didn't find any. Ever since I have been periodically feeding the clutch
hydraulins additional fluid and bleeding air from the system. I knew I
would be selling the car and didn't want to go all the way to solving the
problem.
I should add that the clutch is original, and that I've had to adjust the
pedal to allow maximum extension of the piston into the master cylinder in
order to actuate the clutch.
My hypothesis is that this means that when fully depressing the clutch pedal,
the angle of the piston rod (attached to the pedal) is off the axix of the
cylinder, thus cocking the piston and seal and perhaps deforming it.
What do you think of that as an explanation? Can you suggest a possible fix
short of replacing the master cylinder and getting a new clutch put in?
Now the '86: same problem, except that the above diagnosis doesn't explain
why all of the fluid leaked out (by way of the master cylinder, into the
passenger compartment) while I was on vacation for 10 days, during which
the clutch pedal was not depressed or otherwise caused to distort. What
can you suggest here?
Many thanks. Let's hope I don't end up going to Click and Clack on this...
Bill Christens-Barry
[email protected]