Strange fluid on my clutch pedal...

1659 Views 14 Replies 10 Participants Last post by noresull, Dec 12, 2003

Jimmy

Discussion Starter · Oct 12, 2003

Howdy all. This could be my first post in here where I actually have a problem. Not bad for 38k miles.

Anyway, a few days ago, I noticed my clutch pedal seemed to slide a little bit. Like the pedal would wiggle a little under my foot. I looked at it, and the rubber part was kinda loose. I popped it off, and the metal pedal itself (and the inside of the rubber cover) was covered in some kind of fluid. It looks like it might be brake fluid.

Now, as I understand it (I've actually read my owners manual cover-to-cover) the clutch fluid is actually brake fluid, fed through the same place, controlled by the brake master cylinder.

But I cant find where its coming from into the cabin. Nothing above it seems to be wet (as far as I can tell). It just suddenly appears halfway down the "stem" of the clutch pedal. And the rubber cover is MUCH softer and flexable than the cover on the brake pedal (which is odd because its the same part #). Brake fluid level is still in the normal range, too.

Any ideas?

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airforcefocus

· #2 · Oct 13, 2003

I believe the clutch master cyl. is just above the clutch pedal. I have heard of this leaking onto the pedal itself.

Jimmy

Discussion Starter · #3 · Oct 14, 2003

Really? The manual made it sound like the clutch uses the brake master cylinder too. Hmm...

Would brake fluid soften rubber though? It seems like that would cause problems with gaskets and such.

airforcefocus

· #4 · Oct 14, 2003

I will check out the car tonight and let you know. I have heard of this problem before, I was hoping they would chime in by now.

airforcefocus

· #5 · Oct 14, 2003

Yep, looked at the manual and the car. Turns out the clutch master cyl. IS just above the pedal. The brake master cyl is on the other side of the firewall.

covert1

· #6 · Oct 14, 2003

It is most likely from the clutch master cylinder.

On my ZTW, my clutch pedal had a weld failure - this horizontal rivet broke off, which connected to a plastic piece, which, when you pushed the clutch in, pushed down into the master cylinder.

Basically, one day I was sitting in the car, finishing my lunch. When I started it, the clutch felt unusually heavy. I pushed it some more, until I heard a *ching* and then the rivet had broken.

Before I could get time for an appointement at the dealer, I used zip ties to hold the rivet, as well as the white plastic piece, in place. Well, that didn't last too long - either the master cylinder was totally shot, OR, my temporary solution misaligned that white plastic piece.

[Though the clutch pedal felt a little more rough at the time, I did not have much trouble shifting]

One night, I got home and noticed something wet on my rubber floor mats. I dismissed it as water, because it was where my feet usually sit, and it was wet out. However, it wasn't gone the next day, so I touched it - turned out to be red. I noticed, also, that the rubber boot and white piece at the master cylinder looked greasy... upon wiping it off, it, too, had red fluid on it.

The dealer replaced the pedal and clutch master cylinder under warranty.

Oh, yeah, my car had about 30k miles on it at the time of failure.

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Jimmy

Discussion Starter · #7 · Oct 14, 2003

Ok, cool, thanks. Looks like I'm making an appointment for the dealer...I am SO glad I bought the 7/75 warranty. I'm at 39k now.

Jimmy

Discussion Starter · #8 · Oct 16, 2003

OK, my ESP actually has a $100 deductable, which I cant afford, so I'm doing it myself. Apparently the clutch master cylinder is only $23 from the dealer anyway (that is so much cheaper than I was expecting!) which is closer to my price range.

Any tips on removing it? I've looked at my ford cd, and it seems like its a piece of cake, but I've done enough engine work to know better. Specifically, how low do I have to drain the brake reservoir?

nordy200

· #9 · Oct 17, 2003

There should be some kind of divider between the clutch and the brake parts of the rersevoir so you don't have to worry about the brake line(losing fluid, bleeding it). You should be able to drain the clutch side by opening the bleeder screw on the clutch master cyclinder, disconnect the hose, remove/re-install the clutch slave cylinder, then add brake fluid (only from a new sealed container), open the slave bleed screw so that fluid comes out, then bleed it and you will be good to go.

Patrick

· #10 · Oct 26, 2003

I just noticed mine started to leak, and I'm at 24K miles. What is weird is I noticed it after I got my car back from the dealership today.. cause those foot-print papers the dealerships put on your floor-board to work on your car had oil residue on it.. So then I looked and well enough the clutch pedal had fluid dripping down.. The upsetting part is the technician should have seen this and made note of it

.. Well, looks like Tuesday they'll do the DPFE and the clutch master cylinder!

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BlueByYou

· #11 · Oct 26, 2003

It is most likely from the clutch master cylinder.

On my ZTW, my clutch pedal had a weld failure - this horizontal rivet broke off, which connected to a plastic piece, which, when you pushed the clutch in, pushed down into the master cylinder.

Basically, one day I was sitting in the car, finishing my lunch. When I started it, the clutch felt unusually heavy. I pushed it some more, until I heard a *ching* and then the rivet had broken.

Before I could get time for an appointement at the dealer, I used zip ties to hold the rivet, as well as the white plastic piece, in place. Well, that didn't last too long - either the master cylinder was totally shot, OR, my temporary solution misaligned that white plastic piece.

[Though the clutch pedal felt a little more rough at the time, I did not have much trouble shifting]

One night, I got home and noticed something wet on my rubber floor mats. I dismissed it as water, because it was where my feet usually sit, and it was wet out. However, it wasn't gone the next day, so I touched it - turned out to be red. I noticed, also, that the rubber boot and white piece at the master cylinder looked greasy... upon wiping it off, it, too, had red fluid on it.

The dealer replaced the pedal and clutch master cylinder under warranty.

Oh, yeah, my car had about 30k miles on it at the time of failure.

same exact thing happened to me, the dealer wouldnt cover it under warranty though. So they wanted to charge me $881 total to swap the pedal assembly.

What a bunch of idiots. All that needed to be replaced was the clutch master. $60 bucks for the part and an hour of my time to put it in. About the pin that goes through the clutch pedal bracket and the composite piece on the clutch master, I just drilled a hole through the pin on the free end, and put a cotter pin there to hold everything in place after it was assembled. I love how dealerships try to rob you.

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Qdoba Addict

· #12 · Dec 11, 2003

My wife's ZX5 has this problem now. She told me she needed new pedals because the rubber part of her clutch pedal fell off.

Any idea how long it will take Ford to replace this? Should be covered under the 3/36 bumper to bumper warranty.

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AIRICCC

· #13 · Dec 11, 2003

my master cylinder is leaking as well... i noticed this while swapping a centerforce... the reason i put in the centerforce is because i felt the clutch slipping, could this be due to a loss of fluid from the master cylinder?

G1-Focus

· #14 · Dec 12, 2003

My wife's ZX5 has this problem now. She told me she needed new pedals because the rubber part of her clutch pedal fell off.

Any idea how long it will take Ford to replace this? Should be covered under the 3/36 bumper to bumper warranty.

If the pedal covers are not covered...
I paid $3.36 for each cover from Ford, to give you an idea.

noresull

· #15 · Dec 12, 2003

my master cylinder is leaking as well... i noticed this while swapping a centerforce... the reason i put in the centerforce is because i felt the clutch slipping, could this be due to a loss of fluid from the master cylinder?

Low fluid, or leaking from the master will not cause the clutch to slip.

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