Advice requested on clutch fluid hardline repair

[vtcgr]

Let me first say i really respect everyone's in Capital NECO's knowledge and i wish i had as much experience as many of you have in your pinky fingers. I live about an hour south of DC, close to Fredericksburg. A friend of mine happens to live in the same apartment building as tnkgirl and she left a note inviting me to come meet everyone. Unfortunately that was last May and my schedule didn't work with the meets you've had.

I'm wondering how often the hardline between the master and slave clutch cylinders fails in addition to the seal on the firewall to the master. I found the leak on the firewall and wished to repair it myself but no local shops had our master cylinder. I broke down and took it to the dealer. They ran a pressure test and said it was the master cylinder. Today they said as they ran a final pressure test, they found that the hardline was also cracked.

Next they claim there are two pictures but one part number in their book. One picture shows two pieces of hardline and they could possibly just repair the top portion. If it's one piece, they have to replace the whole thing which means removing the transaxle/transmission to get to the end at the slave. That would cost $400 in labor.

My question is if i'm being taken for a ride. From searching on here, i understand if it is one piece and has failed that they do have to lower the transaxle. Could both the seal and the hardline fail? Or maybe they misdiagnosed the seal?

I posted the following thread in the Problems section but no one responded, that's why i'm writing here.
http://www.newcougar.org/forums/showthread.php?t=109415

Since receiving tnkgirl's note, i've "lurked" on here to see what you guys were like. Congrats to MetallicaCoug on her new baby. And i saw that DanG has a new avatar from the old Cartman spoof, congrats too. And the guy with the trailer avatar couldn't make it to a big meet. And tnkgirl and the other big racing guy had cool pictures from their races. And i saw tnkgirl's new MiniCooper parked a few spaces down from my friend. Anyway, if anyone has time to get back to me, i appreciate it.

By the way, i got new wheels, Enkei Evo5's, last September. Having them and my car's title is great. Just passed 100k miles last week. This is only my second mechanical failure so i really love my Cougar. Hope the picture attachment works...

[DanG]

Good to have you on the boards- We'll have meets this season for sure- Gainesville isn't too far away from you (usually the meets end up at my place since I've got the big garage).

You know, I dig the chrome wheels with the black Cougar. The pinstripe isn't my cup of tea, but hey, it's all good!

My avatar is the actual first ultrasound picture of my and my wife's baby, due in August- Not sure what the Cartman reference is... :shrug:

A hardline failure is a rarity unless it's been physically damaged. There is a brakeline-like hose that comes from the clutch master cylinder to the hardline that plugs into the slave cylinder. There is an O-ring seal at the junction of the slave cylinder and hardline, but I've never seen one of those fail, either. Usually it's the slave cylinder that goes (meaning the trans has to come out). Trevor (FastCougar) up in WVa had a master cylinder failure- I'll PM him and ask him to chime in with his opinion. He's got more experience with the clutch master cylinder than I do.

Good luck.

[skater]

I think he was referring to your previous avatar, Dan. :)

$400 to remove and reinstall the engine sounds like an incredibly good price for a dealer...

[vtcgr]

I’m wondering if the real problem is a clog in the hardline. The linked thread is very similar to my issues. (Assuming the dealer really did install a new clutch master cylinder and it still leaks.) Would the only outlet for the increased pressure be at the seal on the firewall?
http://newcougar.org/forums/showthread.php?t=80518&page=2&highlight=clutch+line

Thanks for mentioning you think the $400 is a deal. I had already agreed to pay $388 for replacing the clutch master that they said had failed according to their tests. I don’t have much experience to gauge if the 4 hour work quote is possibly a way to cover their butt after they may have replaced the master for no reason…

Either way I’m kinda by the short hairs here – I don’t have any way of moving my engine or axle (not sure exactly what has to happen) to attempt to do the work myself.

Oh yeah, I was thinking of Dan’s old avatar: a South Park looking guy with glasses, goatee, and T-shirt saying, “Got 400 FWHP?” Cartman was just the first thing that popped in my head.

Thanks guys.

[tnkgurl]

I TOTALLY saw your car a couple of weekends ago. I was like, "Huh, I thought he was going to get rid of it!" Guess you're addicted like the best of us! :rofl: :rofl:

Good luck with your clutch stuff. Master cylinder wha?? And I thought Hardline was a news program on tv. :shrug: At any rate, you've come to the right place cuz Mr. DanG is the BEST!

[DanG]

Oh yeah, I was thinking of Dan’s old avatar: a South Park looking guy with glasses, goatee, and T-shirt saying, “Got 400 FWHP?” Cartman was just the first thing that popped in my head.

Rikenbomb actually made that avatar for me a while back since it looks like me- Glasses, goatee, and my usual Dan G. Signature Scowl (tm). I added the horsepower rating after I dynoed my turbo.

$400 for an engine pull is a very good price from a dealer. I spec 8-10 hours for the complete job in my garage, which turns out just under that.

And yes, I believe it's a slave cylinder issue. Now would be a great time for a lightened flywheel and new clutch!

[vtcgr]

tnkgirl... yep, some out of town friends were in for a wedding in DC so we all got together. you passed my friend Luke's Audi while rollin in your new ride on 66. yes, once i got my title in August, owning a very reliable :rofl: car and not having to make payments i thought was pretty nice, so no switching in the near future.

DanG... i always got a chuckle reading the lounge thread and watching people invoke the trademarked scowl. :disgust: it would have been VERY tempting to get a lightened flywheel and new clutch. but they didn't have to move the engine or axle. just curious - how much does that cost? also, love your GTO! i followed it from that australian model. in the end, i'm too chicken to only own a RWD car in VA with the snow.

so i just got home with my car back. phew. i wanted them to try blowing out a potential clog, but when i called in they had just got the new pipes and had begun moving the battery, etc and believed they could replace the top of the line without moving the engine. they were successful and deemed the car completely fixed. i originally wanted to get the failed pipe and post pictures but was caught in the moment of getting my car back so i could get beer on friday night and get to the airport sunday morning. not moving the engine or transaxle, they billed me for 2 hours today for a total of $600. roughly $400 for yesterday's master cylinder replacement and today's work and parts.

thanks for everyone's thoughts. it sucks having something wrong and having no idea what it is. but i'm guessing most everyone has gone thru that.

my clutch is now catching much closer to the floor. is this okay? it feels as squishy as it did last week when i thought something was wrong. i can get used to it but it's a good bit different. i don't have nearly as much "negotiation" room. i was guessing it would have much more pressure and spring back out but it doesn't...

sorry for the long post but i'm very happy to have my girl back. no emergency to get back to me immediately. i just got cable internet at my house in the country (only 2 year wait!) so i can keep up better. hopefully i can meet everyone sometime now that the weather's getting warmer. under the hood, i'm completely stock so maybe i can learn how to put some parts in to have a little more fun. thanks again!

[tnkgurl]

Where does your friend Luke live??? There's a Luke with an Audi in my building. Is his dark blue??

[vtcgr]

i think Luke is in the group of apartments in the second door from the road. i always have to call and ask when i get there. yep, his Audi is dark blue. last time i was up, he was having trouble with his neighbor parking across the line in his spot.

[tnkgurl]

:rofl: :rofl: I always thought you were visiting people on the court behind us! I'm in 101 and Luke is in 202. You may have seen me. I'm the one with the crazy dogs. I have one that is my dog and then I foster others. They like to greet people in the hallways!

[vtcgr]

tnkgurl... yeah, i figured i'd bump into you at some point, but i haven't seen any crazy dogs. i really like your area - people are always out running or with their pets and you have all those stores so close. but i'm not sure if i could deal with the traffic up there.


ugh. as i got in my car this morning i saw a spot on my front driver wheel. somebody at the dealer hit something with my wheel. the damage isn't that bad but the cuts are deep. i wanted to get pictures tonight but had to replace mulch until dark. anyone heard of waterproof pine mulch? not so good for plants...

if i had done the damage i could shake it off after a week. but the principle of the matter is that while they were in control of my car, they didn't respect my investment. i've wanted wheels for 12 years (high school) and last Sept i finally got my first set. i would remember if i hit a curb.

the service manager said he couldn't say if they did they damage or not. he checked their rules for what they're responsible for and then talked to the owner of the dealership. the owner wanted to talk to the guy who worked on it and see if he remembered seeing prior damage but he had already left.

the cost of a new wheel is less than the two labor hours yesterday. i just expected to get my car back with no more damage than when i brought it in. my friend said that was a bad assumption. :o) i don't really expect to get anything out of them. just write a nasty letter that will get crumpled up by upper management.

[vtcgr]

well, here's a picture of the new road rash. no damage to tire - did something fall on it? is it worth the hassle of fighting with dealership? my friend said, "it's their fault, they should make it right."

[DanG]

A better question would be:

What's with those rusty rotors??? :cover: