Since I've bought the car I've been fighting the little gremlins that I keep finding. Nothing unexpected with a car this age, and most of it typical Fiero stuff....

One of those items from day one was getting the clutch flushed/bled. The bleeder has been stuck since I bought the car. I had made 3 or 4 attempts to get the job done and walked away with my head down in shame each and every time.

My clutch was grabbing right at the floor, I knew it wasn't right but it was working and I didn't want to risk breaking the slave cylinder to get the bleeder off. Yesterday morning I couldn't take it anymore and as determined as ever I went out to the garage to give it one last shot.

It had been soaked in PB blaster numerous times before and that's how I started again (after I had been soaking it for 3 days prior already). Breaking it loose was still a no go.

Next I tried tapping it with a hammer... still a no go. It was so tight it looked like I was bending the whole slave and I was worried something on it was going to give before the bleeder did.

Feeling defeated I tried the only option that I thought I had left... heat. At this point I decided I was going to replace the slave if this didn't work. I used only a little heat, and worried about seals and such (and brake fluid) I used it VERY carefully. I heated the bleeder with a fine tipp on my MAPP torch. Only for a few seconds, I didn't want the slave itself to get too hot - I was aiming to warm up the bleeder then cool it right away with a cold water soaked towel. I did this twice. I did not get anything hot enough to change colours (nothing like the youtube videos I had seen), I just thought it was my only chance at breaking the rust.

After two attempts I still had made no progress and I didn't want to risk getting it any hotter. Another shot of PB Blaster went on there. Then something happened by chance which I believe ultimately led to my success... With the lube of the PB Blaster and my frustration I guess I twisted my socket on a little angle (not intended) and the socket rouned off about half of the bleeder.

A little peeved I got my socket and extension and hammered it back onto the bleeder making sure it was on there good. With the one last good tug there was a snap sound. Thinking I just broke it I was surprised to see that I was able to twist it back and forth while still attached to the slave. When I got my socket off of the bleeder I was a little surprised (and happy!) to see some very brown bubbles stuff come out of intact - but half rounded - bleeder. I believe it was the combination of a little heat expansion/contraction and the PB Blaster getting in there when hammering my socket down in frustration enabled me to break it loose.

From there I was able to vacuum bleed it with my Mightyvac tool. I bought it to do this job a few months ago and only now got to use it. There was enough meat left on the bleeder to use a regular flare wrench. I compressed the slave and vacuum bled until no air bubble and clean fluid came through the line. This little tool made it a simple, easy and clean 1 man job.

When that was done I vacuum bled the slave by hand on the car. Closed the bleeder valve, let the slave out, pushed it back in and cracked the valve open. Closed the valve again with the slave still compressed, then extended the slave (sucking fresh fluid into the slave), compressed it and then cracked the valve (pushing the dirty fluid out of the slave) until the fluid stopped when I closed the bleeder again. Each cycle only took a few seconds. I repeated this about 4 timesuntil the fluid became clean and air stopped.

As soon as I started the car and moved it in the driveway there was a massive difference in the clutch pedal. The grab point is about 1/2 way up the pedal's throw as opposed to 5mm off of the floor as it was before. The pedal is firmer than ever. When taking her out for a spin it took a bit to adjust but I was able to shift much smoother and the transmission was noticeably smoother through the shifter as well.

Sorry for carrying on, I just wanted to share my small victory and how I did it. If the pedal stays good I know that's all I needed, I did not find any evidence of any leaks. If the pedal goes dead again I know I need to do the slave and master. I don't believe that the system had ever been flushed/bled before given the kms on the car and the state of the fluid that came out of it: BLACK out of the line and black/brown out of the slave when I did that last even after bleeding the line clear.

Thanks to the forum for the tips :-) I couldn't have tried it myself without this place. Next free time I get I'm going to flush the brake fluid.

Good to hear you won a battle

If you end up replacein a slave or master cylinder, I recommend Rodneys:
http://rodneydickman.com/ca...934bd694dc6a8421e0a7

Congratulations on your persistance.

You can get replacement bleeders from napa.
If you do, put some copper anti-seeze on the bleeder.
When I flushed my clutch system, I used an entire quart of fluid.
I kept getting droplets of water out, so I would close and pump
the pedal many times, then bleed, close, pump and bleed, till it
didn't have anything but fluid come out.
When I was done, the clutch lets loose at the top of the pedal.
Mine was worse than yours, I had to start in gear, or else the
tranny wouldn't shift without grinding first...

Crash, I believe mine was headed to that point. I was getting worried because I actually thought the clutch was starting to drag. Some shifts were getting "notchier" than I thought they should be.

I don't know exactly how much fluid I used, but it was probably 500-600ml or a little more. It was a little over half of the bigger container of fluid.

I actually have a spare (though unknown condition) slave from a bulk spare parts buy not long ago I was going to take the bleeder from if I had to, in a little bit I probably will switch my half rounded one to the better one I have if everything stays good. If it goes bad again Rodney will be getting an order from me.

[This message has been edited by Ry86GT (edited 06-04-2013).]

If your transmission is a 4-speed, take your spare slave and rebuild it using an 85 Toyota MR2 rebuild kit. It will be the double seal piston like Rodney uses in his slaves. Then you shouldn't have any problems for a long long time.

If about the possibility of doing this, but never looked into it specifically. I hadn't thought about it myself. Now I may do so :-)

I do have a 4spd, and I actually have 2 spare parts slaves: a longer one and a shorter one. I forget which one but one of them looked almost exactly like what was on my car. I think I will take a look at rebuilding my spare one when I get bored. Thanks for the tip!

The longer one should be for the 85 and 86 4-speed slave. It will look like this. The studs should be attached and it should have a long pushrod. I think ithe rod is about 5 3/4 inches long. The shorter one could be for the 84 4-speed or for the Getrag 5-speed. The Getrag won't have the studs attached.

Just for grins, pull the boot and look into the cylinder.
When I looked into my first one, it was coated with rust
from sitting unused for a few years.

Yes, that will happen. I bought a small hone at Harbour Freight to smooth mine and break the glazing. Before rebuilding, I rubbed the inside with a light coating of Syl-Glide synthetic brake slider grease. It will keep it from rusting while it sits in reserve on the shelf and won't harm the rubber seals.

Now that I can do right away with the spare one. First I'll make 100% sure my spare is the right one. I have no idea how old or new the spare is, it was just in a bin that I got of random parts.