Clutch trouble

[hash]

Hopeing some of you may be able to advise me...
When i try 2 select a gear its very difficult to get in, mainly when the car is cold and has sat for a while, like in the mornings. I started it the other morn with it in gear foot on the clutch and it jumped foward a little. There is no hydrolic leak tho. Its on an Is. Cheers guys

[Saga]

Is the pedal soft? Has the travel increased at all over time? It could be a dying clutch slave - you wouldn't necessarily be able to see a leak.

[hash]

have only had it for about 2000miles n pedal feel has always been as it is, even b4 th

e prob, or no major change anyway. Is it an alkward job 2 do?

Also when say in 4th going about 30, or any of the gears at low revs its judders badly, i no it would to a certain degree, but this is more clunky. Thanks

[hash]

Changed the slave cylinder, still no difference. The fluid was very black in the resivour, like a pipe or seal is breaking dwn. Is this likely to be the clutch master cylinder, or the rubber pipe leading 2 it? When i blead it thru it didnt seem to have much pressure and when i finished the pedal was right at the bottom, and after a few miles returned to being mid push?? Cheers

[daimlerman]

Sounds like the seal has failed in the master.

Hope you enjoy lying upside down with pedals in your mush!

[Brianmoooore]

If you weren't losing fluid, the slave cylinder was unlikely to have been at fault anyway, although considering the state you say the fluid was in, it would likely fail shortly after changing the master in any case. The new master would push the piston in the slave slightly further than it has gone before, destroying the already fragile seal tip on the crud collected there.
Most E30s are LH drive, and the clutches on these share their fluid with the brakes, so this usually gets changed occasionally as part of normal servicing. RH drive E30s have separate reservoirs for the clutch, and the fluid rarely, if ever, gets changed.
I'm not entirely convinced you have a hydraulics problem though. Your symptoms are consistent with oil contaminating the clutch disc.

[hash]

Sounds like the seal has failed in the master.

Hope you enjoy lying upside down with pedals in your mush!

Ha, thanks, not particularly, last one i did was on my mates old 2002, and didnt enjoy it.

[hash]

If you weren't losing fluid, the slave cylinder was unlikely to have been at fault anyway, although considering the state you say the fluid was in, it would likely fail shortly after changing the master in any case. The new master would push the piston in the slave slightly further than it has gone before, destroying the already fragile seal tip on the crud collected there.
Most E30s are LH drive, and the clutches on these share their fluid with the brakes, so this usually gets changed occasionally as part of normal servicing. RH drive E30s have separate reservoirs for the clutch, and the fluid rarely, if ever, gets changed.
I'm not entirely convinced you have a hydraulics problem though. Your symptoms are consistent with oil contaminating the clutch disc.

Oh, so whats the best way to see, is it a case of gearbox off, or atleast pulled back?

[e30topless]

what happens if you pump the clutch pedal a few times before going for a gear?