- Joined
- Apr 14, 2016
- Messages
- 14
- Points
- 8
The clutch biting point on my Fiat 500 Pingado was getting lower and lower. So I guessed the fluid level was going down. I topped up the reservoir to the mark and it was fine for a few days, but the same problem returned later until it was difficult to change gears, then I parked at home and I couldn't leave the drive anymore.
So I read several posts here and decided to do it myself. I bought the LUK clutch slave cylinder with its pipe from my local Eurocarparts (£40 in stock).
I set to disassemble the old part and diagnose the problem at the same time, since I didn't know what was the cause.
The photos below illustrate the procedure.
1- Disconnect the battery (positive first) then remove the belt and the battery
2- Remove the battery plastic tray
3- You will need a long socket key to remove this one. As I had none, I had to buy a new kit from B&Q.
4- Remove these clips around cables, there are loads of them
5- And press from the inside to remove these
6- Lift these bits to disconnect the ECU connectors. One at a time, it needs to go all the way up, then wiggle the socket to release it
7- The old clutch slave cylinder in place. It's quite rusty and dirty but there wasn't clear sign of fluid leak
8- Eventually I found the culprit: the link between the master and slave pipes. It was all wet from the dot4 fluid. It's located behind the left front wheel, which I had to remove.
9- The crack on the outer part of the connector, which is part of the slave cylinder pipe
10- The plastic ring which releases the connector was not moving and the solution was to start from the crack and continue breaking the outer part of the connector. I used a pile of bricks, screw drivers and hammer
11- It eventually broke in two, so I could remove the whole slave cylinder and pipe
12- I kept the original master cylinder connector in place, even though it's not looking in great condition. I cleaned and oiled it, then attached to the new slave cylinder connector. It seemed to link fine, so I'll keep it like that and see what happens.
Then I worked my way back: attaching the slave cylinder in place, then replacing the battery tray, wires, replacing the wheel, lowering the vehicle and filling clutch fluid cup.
Issues / tips: I learned the hard way that without the battery we can't open the booth! So to remove the wheel I had to access the spare kit by folding the back seat.
There is no need to remove the ECU from the battery tray as I did, it's quite difficult and time consuming. Just disconnect the cables and take out the tray with the ECU still attached.
I decided to bleed the master half of the pipes before connecting, so I wouldn't need to do it on the whole system. I asked my mum for help, she pressed the clutch pedal while I pressed the middle of the connector where there's a one-way valve. When we connect the master and slave pipes, they open the flow.
I admire who can do this type of job in one hour, as I read in other posts. For me it took about a day.
So I read several posts here and decided to do it myself. I bought the LUK clutch slave cylinder with its pipe from my local Eurocarparts (£40 in stock).
I set to disassemble the old part and diagnose the problem at the same time, since I didn't know what was the cause.
The photos below illustrate the procedure.
1- Disconnect the battery (positive first) then remove the belt and the battery
2- Remove the battery plastic tray
3- You will need a long socket key to remove this one. As I had none, I had to buy a new kit from B&Q.
4- Remove these clips around cables, there are loads of them
5- And press from the inside to remove these
6- Lift these bits to disconnect the ECU connectors. One at a time, it needs to go all the way up, then wiggle the socket to release it
7- The old clutch slave cylinder in place. It's quite rusty and dirty but there wasn't clear sign of fluid leak
8- Eventually I found the culprit: the link between the master and slave pipes. It was all wet from the dot4 fluid. It's located behind the left front wheel, which I had to remove.
9- The crack on the outer part of the connector, which is part of the slave cylinder pipe
10- The plastic ring which releases the connector was not moving and the solution was to start from the crack and continue breaking the outer part of the connector. I used a pile of bricks, screw drivers and hammer
11- It eventually broke in two, so I could remove the whole slave cylinder and pipe
12- I kept the original master cylinder connector in place, even though it's not looking in great condition. I cleaned and oiled it, then attached to the new slave cylinder connector. It seemed to link fine, so I'll keep it like that and see what happens.
Then I worked my way back: attaching the slave cylinder in place, then replacing the battery tray, wires, replacing the wheel, lowering the vehicle and filling clutch fluid cup.
Issues / tips: I learned the hard way that without the battery we can't open the booth! So to remove the wheel I had to access the spare kit by folding the back seat.
There is no need to remove the ECU from the battery tray as I did, it's quite difficult and time consuming. Just disconnect the cables and take out the tray with the ECU still attached.
I decided to bleed the master half of the pipes before connecting, so I wouldn't need to do it on the whole system. I asked my mum for help, she pressed the clutch pedal while I pressed the middle of the connector where there's a one-way valve. When we connect the master and slave pipes, they open the flow.
I admire who can do this type of job in one hour, as I read in other posts. For me it took about a day.
