Clutch Master/Slave Cylinders

[Lagotto]

Can anyone recommend a good after market source for clutch master/slave cylinders. I suspect the parts Ive used could be sub standard due to some ongoing issues. Seems to be a lot of different makes available with varied prices?

[Trevor]

I would say OE but probably too expensive....look at offerings from BluePrint, never had any issues with their parts

[Lagotto]

Well after finding some tiny black dots floating on the surface of my clean clutch fluid reservoir, I removed the master cylinder (again), stripped and examined. Wiping my finger around the piston seal (furthest from pedal) I found more tiny black particles. I obviously suspected a faulty seal.

 

Having read about the problems many others have experienced with aftermarket CMC's I decided to bite the bullet and go HONDA, stupidly expensive. Changing the CMC is a PIA so I removed the drivers seat to gain better access, lay on my back, head in the footwell. Cleaned, fitted, hours spent bleeding the system, I finally had a very nice feel to the pedal. Could be just in my head, but the operation now feels smoother with the clutch operation.

 

Ive been using the car frequently since, with consistent good operation, no change to the pedal feel and feeling optimistic that the problem is fixed. However, I was quite happy for a while after fitting the replacement aftermarket CMC some time ago, but that ended badly, wait and see how this goes.

[Trevor]

Crikey, sounds like a complete pain to change the Master Cylinder.
Good idea of removing the seat to gain more space.

Thanks for sharing the feedback and nice to know that OE parts are worth paying the extra money for

[Bc1974]

What did you use to get the upper bolt off behind the pedal????

[Lagotto]

I have a pretty extensive tool collection (I'm an engineer) and found the only tools I could use with success were, 1. a quite short ring spanner with a fairly deep 90 degree crank each end (not modified), it only allowed a limited turn so was slow to undo. 2. I also used a short combination spanner. Once the nut was loose, it turned freely by hand. It was more of a pain to replace than to remove. I used a magnet on a rod to position the nut, then managed to turn it a little with a screwdriver just to start it, then by hand with a final tighten with the ring spanner. It fell off many times before i achieved success. I placed a cloth to cover the area, to prevent the nuts falling into any voids and getting lost.

 

Ive now been driving the car regularly with no change to the good pedal firmness and smooth operation. The aftermarket slave cylinder appears to be operating ok still, time will tell.