clutch - master/slave sealed assembly ?'s

Got it installed, and on the first shift it works great, go down the road and go thru the gears and it starts working progressively worse until I can no longer disengage... pedal goes all the way to the floor...

Do the "sealed assemblies" need to be bled, or do I have other issues?

Please help.

I don't think the sealed assembly is supposed to need bleeding. No mention of this in the 99 FSM. It doesn't sound good. If it isn't leaking, it sounds as if the master cylinder might be defective.

You don't specify what year. I think the pedal mechanism changed in 97. If you've had a history of clutch problems, and if this is a pre-97, make sure before going too much further that the pedal mechanism and bracket are not bent. The pin that engages the MC pushrod is on a bracket that is welded on, and not always very well. My son had this problem on his 96, and it cocked the master cylinder pushrod and ate the MC. I notice that my 99 has a different setup, with the pin for the pushrod right on the pedal, so it's not an issue there.

How about for shiz and giggles you share with us the year/engine/trans that you are working on?

Did you do a clutch too?

Was the flywheel surfaced?

sorry...
1997, 4.0, ax-15.
The master cylinder "plunger" attaches directly to the clutch pedal.
I did not touch the clutch/flywheel... did not remove the bell.
The clutch does not slip or chatter.
This is the first clutch issue I have had.

This is the assembly I purchased/installed (got it from NAPA).


I don't see how to bleed it... or, remove the line, or anything to that effect... pictures taken from under the rig
http://members.cox.net/huddy31/P2070013.JPG
http://members.cox.net/huddy31/P2070012.JPG
http://members.cox.net/huddy31/P2070011.JPG

Thanks for the help so far.

It should still be possible, more or less, to bleed it, by pushing the slave cylinder all the way in (you have to dismount it from the bell housing), making sure the reservoir is very full, then allowing it to push out as far as you can go without accidentally pulling it out of the bore. You have to be really careful doing this, but in theory, at least, you should end up with it bled, because the slave cylinder in its full travel displaces more fluid than the line.

However, I suspect that if it's getting worse after an initial good shift, it's a defective MC. One thing you might try is to push the pedal down, shift into gear with engine at idle, and then sit there with it down and see if it starts to drag. If it does, that's pretty certainly a master cylinder issue.

I would call Napa, tell them the trouble you are having, and that you are coming back in to get a new assembly, or better yet get a separate MC and slave.