Clutch Repeated Disaster

1992 Saab 9000s 2.3 plant, 5 sspeed box and 168k miles

Last August I made a trip of about 1400 miles to the Toronto, Canada vicinity and while I was there three or four times the clutch pedal went to the floor and did not come back by itself. However when I pulled it up it remained up and the clutch acted normal for sometime and then the same thing repeated. I got back here, Baltimore, without to much trouble and then the clutch finally gave in. You could not pull thre pedal and have it act normally! All the clutch action was gone

The result of that experience, so my repairer said, was that he rebuilt the clutch almost completely because both master and slave cylinders were shot and the clutch plate was saturated in hydraulic fluid.

Today, in town the same thing occurred but on a much faster cycle. Three times the pedal went to the floor and I pulled it on and every thing was fine. This happened three times within twenty minutes and then a few minutes later it recurred and this time it would not respond.

The car was towed in but it was after closing so I had no one there to examine it.

I f it is master cylinder I will be very annoyed, if it is slave, L am going to exploded . could something like this re- occur in 3 to 4

What could cause such a rapid failure. And without much warning.

Comment or assistance would be greatly appreciated.

Unfortunately I am scheduled to got to canada again on Thusday. It is now the wee hours of Wednesday morning and I will be at my repairers early tomorr0w. Can anyone make a suggestion. Estimate or guess a cause. ___________________________________________________________

We bumped our way to Toronto and back in my wife's Wolfsburg

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That was about a week ago and my local guy messed around trying to bleed this thing and claimed to have solved the probleb by bleeding the system. As a guess, iI feel that this cannot be corrected by bleeding. If he bled air out, how did it get in.

However, foolishly I took the car and drove a short distance only to have the experience of the clutch pedal on the floor again. However this time I filled the reservoir (It was down to the Brake /Cluch partition.) and found that if I pumped the pedal manually that eventually ( 10 or 15 pumps ) that the system would pressureize and I had my clutch back. It is scheduled to go into the guy who is supposed to be the private Saab mechanic in my area with the most experience in my area. I find that I can drive it aroyund townif when I am stopped at a light or a stop sign aand with the transmission in neutral I pump the system up, that I can maintain pressure. But I feel that not only is this a sloppy way to drive but before long, there will be enough fluid lost, replaced and lost again that the system will have air entering each time and that ultimately there will be so much compressible air that all the pumping I can do will not restore the clutch operation.

Noting that I had similar symptoms three and a half months ago to repair which vitually the entire clutch was replaced with both slave and master cylinders, what is left?

what can be happening?

All replies would be much appreciated.

Again the saab "affectionately known as Sven" is a 9000s 92 with165k + mi;les with a 2.3 engine and a five speed box. I have always felt that with some TLC Sven would make it to 200k miles easily.

Malcolm

Reply to
Malcolm
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Sorry for the repeat. This clutch ordeal has become a nightmare.

Sorry!

Malcolm

Reply to
Malcolm

Could be the pipe between the slave and master that has failed and letting in air (and fluid out).

also, the clutch has to be pressure bled, becuase part of the pipe work is uphill, and normal pedal pump bleeding doesn't work too well.

Reply to
MeatballTurbo

Oops, sorry I'm thinking of the layout of the C900. Don't know if it still applies to the 2.3 9k

Reply to
MeatballTurbo

youre definately right, see also my post about my own clutch problems :)

bye

simon

Reply to
Simon Putz

So, is the pressure applied from the Master Cylinder, or can it be done via backwashing the bleeder screw on the clutch end?

I ask because I got back some clutch action by the old style 'pump the pedal and hold while bleeding air out' method but I can tell it's not 100%.

tia, TBerk nope, don't yet have a repair manual

Reply to
T

you apply pressure at the master.

Al

Reply to
_Al_

you can back bleed from the slave bleed nipple too (just need something like a turkey baster or large syringe to make sure the fluid reservour doesn't overflow).

Reply to
MeatballTurbo

I've had good luck, myself, by raising a turkey baster full of brake fluid, connected by an appropriate sized hose, to the slave-end of the system. Pushes the bubbles _uphill_ rather than trying to force them down that long vertical section of metal tubing against the wheel arch.

Just attach the baster to the top-edge of the hood (while open of course). I used a clip-type clothes pin but of course duct tape would work. Keep the baster (just the funnel part) full with brake fluid, and it'll sloooooooowly push the new clean fluid through the system. Takes a while but beats swearing at the inevitable bubbles when doing it the other way.

Dave "yeah, I'm around..." Hinz

Reply to
Dave Hinz

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