Hi All,

Noticed today my clutch going spongy and the bite point changing. Once it’s pumped it then goes back to being firm. Got to the point where I was struggling to change gear and had to go into neutral and pump it.

I really don’t think the clutch is on its way out. Having tried 5th @ high RPM and it not slipping.

So it’s likely either air or bad cylinder? Unless anyone else has any similar suggestions?

Wondering how easy the slave and master are too change? It’s a 2.4 Abarth

Thanks!

The Abarth clutch fluid is a pig to bleed/change. I had my fluid regularly changed (or so I thought). When the clutch finally gave up and the whole system was stripped down, it was obvious from the cr*p that came out, that the fluid in the clutch cylinder itself had never been changed.

Suggest you find a FIAT specialist who can do this for you (without braking the bleed nipple!).

It does sound like the clutch slave cylinder is on the way out.

If it's on top of the gearbox housing then it's an un-bolt, attach new one and re-bleed job.. maybe an hour.

If it's a concentric cylinder, inside the clutch bell-housing then it's a gearbox off job and your wallet gets to learn a new language - pain!

Bleeding the slave is the same as bleeding brakes... although a concentric one has a tab you pull open rather than a screw-down bleed nipple.

In this case, I'd look at replacing *at least * the release bearing... (people seem to never change these, even when they fit a new clutch)... although ideally/if in doubt I'd change that and the clutch too, so that you don't have to do the job ever again ever. If both are pretty much brand new then re-use the old ones.

Ralf S.