Repair shop rate

That's a really easy job. Essentially all you need to do is have a helper depress the clutch pedal while you open the bleed fitting. Close the fitting when the flow slows to keep air from getting back in, then have your helper let off on the clutch pedal, and repeat. Do that until the fluid runs clear, which won't take long. Keep topping off the reservoir during the process so it doesn't run out of fluid.

You don't need to pay a highly skilled Ford mechanic to do it, any place that works on brakes can do the job. Same for replacing the master cylinder, it's less complicated than a brake master cylinder- no ABS, no vacuum servo, only a single circuit instead of two.

-Paul

Thanks. Apparently, they are not just going to change the fluid, but they're also going to pressure test the system some how to see if perhaps there is a leak somehow. Based on the result, they'll decide whether the clutch problem is being caused by leak or something else - or maybe just contaminants in the fluid. I don't have anyone here to help me try it myself. And I don't know how to pressure test the system. I'll report back.

Since I posted, I called two other dealers - another near Westchester. NY is

89 an hour, and one near Hartford, CT where I used to live is 80. I'm not concerned about paying for the fluid change and test. But if the slave cylinder needs to be replaced, along with the clutch, etc., that will be a huge bill - maybe even more than my 92 is worth (though the vehicle remains immaculate) Haven't even worn the original brakes much. I really baby this thing.

Yeah, my front brakes have hardly been worn at all!!!! I really try not to use them. I take the foot off the gas when I see a red light ahead, keep at least four seconds between me and the car ahead and coast around a lot (and I have a manual tranny). Oddly, the back drum brakes are worn more than the front disc ones. I'm always torquing the lug nuts and regreasing the calipers and slide rails, too. Keeps the brakes sliding nicely and prevents rotor warp. And if I do replace the pads, I'd sand but not turn the rotors. Now that I moved to hilly Westchester, New York, I'm having to use the brakes a bit more.

I think the main reason the older models last so long is they don't have calliper slide rails to grease any longer. If you didn't grease them regularly in the older models the brakes would prematurely wear.

My 98's original brakes are still going strong...