T-Series Crapped up Clutch cylinder...

[Black MX-5]

I was cleaning up things in the engine bay yesterday, and I opened up my clutch resoviour, as I have no clutch pedal feel.

Not only do I have no clutch fluid, but there's some sort of thick, oily, black crud occupying the cylinder. Any idea of what this might be?

How would I go about flushing it and cleaning it up? I have yet to play with the slave or the clutch itself to see how bad the damage is.

Thanks.

 

[JTB]

Don't know anything fancy. I would try to wipe it out with rag or add a little clean fluid and then try that. Then add clean fluid no wait....better way:

Reverse Bleed Technique for Clutch
Empty system of fluid completely. Get inexpensive pump style oil can or “oiler” with tip that will permit a small plastic hose to slide on (or cut off any big honking end fitting). Fill with brake/clutch fluid. Put plastic tube on and the other end on the slave cylinder nipple. Leave top off clutch master cylinder and have someone what while you do this so you don’t overfill and have it run over. Open nipple with wrench and pump fluid back up through system when master reservoir full, hold pump handle down and close nipple.

For some reason the clutch is a B _ _ _ h to bleed. You may want to try it the standard way first and pump a lot of fluid through system to clean it out, unless someone has a better process but this absolutely works if you are having hard time getting firm pedal and can't see fluid coming out anywhere. Then you can find out if the master is crapped out or it all leaked out via the slave, the rubber hose component has gone soggy, etc. I guess assume DOT 4 fluid unless you know it's DOT 5 for sure.