Hey guys, hoping you might be able to shed some light here. A month and a half ago I replaced my clutch with an AC Delco stock replacement kit, I also purchased a new flywheel and a new slave cylinder.

Before the clutch replacement I was having problems with the clutch pedal going soft on me while driving, to the point that it was engaging almost on the floor. Sometimes it would do this, and then firm back up....other times not at all. Anyway, I figured it was slave related, and I was going to be in there anyway so why not replace it.

Fast forward to this past week. I was sitting in stop and go traffic (northern VA area SUCKS!!) and started noticing the clutch pedal going soft yet again. Even since it has been soft, and once or twice has firmed up. Any ideas what this could be caused by? The master cylinder was replaced about 10,000 miles ago with a brand new unit, and I can't see that there are any leaks coming from it.

Also worth noting, I have started seeing transmission fluid leaking down the passenger side of the trans and dripping onto the pavement. Today I finally put the truck up on the ramps and got under there with a flashlight and a small telescoping mirror. I noticed that it looks like there is a gap between the top of the trans and the shifter plate. As in, the rubber gasket is not sealing. I wiped everything down and let it sit for 2 hours, no leak. After I took it for a road test and put it back up on the ramps, sure enough it looks like that's where it's leaking from. So......I guess I'm going to have to yank the DS, take the crossmember out and lower the trans down so I can acess the shifter plate to see what's going on.

Also, I've got a BAAAAAAD intake manifold gasket leak. It's leaking from the front and the rear. When I had the trans out doing the clutch install it looked like it was leaking down the back of the motor into the flywheel/clutch assembly, so I'm planning on tackling that AND my horribly leaky oil cooler lines the week I'm off work for Christmas. Wish me luck!

-Brian

 

If the master cylinder and slave cylinder are new, then you may still have air in the lines. Do not rule out a faulty component though and if you have a warranty on either of them, replacement may be the next step in the diagnostic process.

 

Seems to me that a faulty MC might be the issue. I can't imagine the clutch system working perfectly fine for over a month and then somehow getting air into the lines after this long. I was hoping it was slave related when it was happening before....but it sounds like it might be a defective Master Cylinder after all. What a PITA!!!