Question on P5 clutch pedal feel

[bob850]

On our P5 five-speed with the 2.0 non-turbo engine, the clutch pedal doesn't feel very good. The previous owner had the clutch replaced about 25k miles ago. The car has 260k miles on it.

The clutch pedal is generally hard to push as compared to my other vehicles. But the biggest concern is that after pressing the clutch pedal down, it gets even harder to press near the end and reach the disengagement point so you can shift gears easily. It's really wearing my left leg out. I replaced and bled the clutch slave cylinder yesterday because the bleeder was frozen on the old one and I wanted to bleed fluid. I'm not sure when the clutch master cylinder was replaced, if ever.

Any ideas on how to improve the situation? I read a little bit about the pedal adjustment procedure, but have not done anything yet. Would a worn clutch master cylinder make it hard to press the clutch pedal, especially near the disengagement point?

 

[pcb]

Would a worn clutch master cylinder make it hard to press the clutch pedal, especially near the disengagement point?

I think that yes it could. I remember that when I bled my clutch, I thought I broke it or had a huge air bubble because it was so smooth and easy to push. And that was from just changing the fluid.

I remember a few guys chasing that problem down and replaced the slave and master cylinders.

Some said it was good for a while but would be problematic once the car was hot. There was mention of cheap aftermarket parts failing fast. Some guy opted to rebuild his OEM with new seals.

If it were me, I would throw the $20 part at it.



Another thing that I remember is that the clutch eventually connects with the transmission and that connection point might need a dab of grease, or it could be worn out.

 

[pcb]

... The previous owner had the clutch replaced about 25k miles ago...

Replacing the clutch doesn't necessarily mean that the clutch hydraulics were replaced.
That's kind of a separate job.

 

[bob850]

Ok, thanks for the info. Do you need to bleed the clutch master cylinder the same way you would bleed a new brake master cylinder? Or can you just bolt it up, connect the rubber hose from the reservoir and output hard line fitting, and bleed it from the slave bleeder nipple?

 

[pcb]

As far as I recall, you can just install the new cylinder.
You just bleed the clutch and push the air out.





"2.Draw the fluid from the reservoir with a suction pump."...

A turkey baster from the dollar store works great...

 

[bob850]

Ok thanks PCB. If anyone else has had first hand experience with this issue, I’d appreciate your comments as well.

 

[pcb]

Here's a few related threads...

Clutch hydraulic problems (2002 Protege5)

So last week my clutch hydraulic hose blew a leak. Obviously the clutch lost pressure, pedal went to the floor, and it stayed engaged. My uncle drove out to me, drove my car to his house with no clutch (the tranny took a beating), took the hose off, patched it, we bled the clutch, and it worked...

www.mazdas247.com

URGENT question re brake/clutch fluid complete flush - clutch master cylinder rebuild

Hey everyone, I've been happily driving my MP5 since the last major overhaul but it's time to deal with my annoying intermittent shift issues (diagnosed earlier) which I'm hoping will be resolved by rebuilding the clutch master cylinder (bought the kit from Mazda), replacing the flex hose from...

www.mazdas247.com

'02 P5 - clutch on the floor even after bleeding

Hey, So I was out driving, had a couple shifts where I had to push the clutch further down than usual, thought it was just me, then soon after I shifted and the clutch stuck to the floor. Had it towed back to my place, and it looked like the clutch line had gone, there was fluid all around it...

www.mazdas247.com

Do I need to replace the Master and Slave Cylinders?

Problem: Clutch pedal is getting stuck when I push down for more than a few seconds. Some days more than others. I had the same problem 2 years ago and a Mazda expert mechanic told me that I needed to replace the Master and Slave Cylinders. He did that with after-market parts and the car was...

www.mazdas247.com

 

[bob850]

Thanks again pcb..

 

[pcb]

Thanks again pcb..

Your welcome.

It looks like you might need an OEM replacement for the slave & master cylinders, to get more than a few months out of them.

 

[bob850]

Do you recall what brand is OEM for the master and slave cylinders? Or do I have to buy them from Mazda?

 

[pcb]

That, I don't know.

I'm guessing the more expensive option at Rockauto is better quality or the original OEM supplier.

 

[pcb]

I found this...





OEM is expensive but surfing around the web is probably cheaper than getting it directly from your local Mazda dealer.