# Bad clutch master cylinder? **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Created:** [July 22, 2019, 2:17pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/bad-clutch-master-cylinder/144995 "2019-07-22T14:17:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![shadowfax](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/shadowfax/32/13026_2.png) [@shadowfax](https://community.cartalk.com/u/shadowfax)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2019, 3:37pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/bad-clutch-master-cylinder/144995/21 "2019-07-24T15:37:28Z")
> [@crakumskull\_153659](#): > > am now thinking the seals inside the cylinder are bad, and or going bad. An entirely reasonable conclusion. > [@crakumskull\_153659](#): > > Now that i changed the slave cylinder the pedal will stay all the way down when i drove it last. So the pedal doesn’t return at all now? System needs more bleeding. Might as well replace the master first since you’ll have to do it all over again if you don’t. > [@crakumskull\_153659](#): > > Also it really chatters and makes all kinds of racket only in reverse. I think the throw out bearing is going bad in the clutch assembly itself Get the hydraulics sorted first, then see what it does. ---
**Author:** ![crakumskull\_153659](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4af34b/32.png) [@crakumskull\_153659](https://community.cartalk.com/u/crakumskull_153659)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2019, 10:12pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/bad-clutch-master-cylinder/144995/22 "2019-07-24T22:12:58Z")
The system should be good and bled. I pulled pulled just short of a quart thru it with a vacuum bleeder to flush the sediment out and what not. After replacing and bleeding it behaved as it always did, shifting ok and stopping an inch or so short of all the way back up. The next morning the pedal was all the way depressed. I pulled it up and, again it behaved like it always has, just short of all the way back up. ---
**Author:** ![mperry\_153483](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a4c791/32.png) [@mperry\_153483](https://community.cartalk.com/u/mperry_153483)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2019, 10:36pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/bad-clutch-master-cylinder/144995/23 "2019-07-24T22:36:08Z")
Out of curiosity, is there supposed to be a return spring on the clutch lever? ---
**Author:** ![crakumskull\_153659](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4af34b/32.png) [@crakumskull\_153659](https://community.cartalk.com/u/crakumskull_153659)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2019, 11:23pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/bad-clutch-master-cylinder/144995/24 "2019-07-24T23:23:13Z")
Yes. Its fine too as far as I can tell ---
**Author:** ![George\_San\_Jose1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e5b9ba/32.png) [@George\_San\_Jose1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/George_San_Jose1)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2019, 2:47am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/bad-clutch-master-cylinder/144995/25 "2019-07-25T02:47:32Z")
> [@mperry\_153483](#): > > Out of curiosity, is there supposed to be a return spring on the clutch lever? Yes. At least on my Corolla there is. And it wasn’t attached to its mooring the first time I had a faulty clutch MC , so that’s a good thing to check. I’ve had to replace the clutch MC 3 times I think on my 27 year old Corolla, so I wouldn’t be surprised that’s the problem you’ve got. The symptom for me always started as I would notice it was hard to shift from neutral to first gear. Pumping the clutch pedal 2 or 3 times in rapid succession made the shifting possible. So if pumping the clutch pedal seems to help, good chance the clutch MC is the problem. On my Corolla bleeding the clutch hydraulics is very simple procedure, never had to do anything other than open the bleeder at the slave and press on the clutch pedal. Rinse and repeat. The bleeder is very easy to access on the Corolla. On newer vehicles, with the slave mechanism encircling the transmission input shaft, not so much. ---
**Author:** ![shadowfax](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/shadowfax/32/13026_2.png) [@shadowfax](https://community.cartalk.com/u/shadowfax)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2019, 12:43pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/bad-clutch-master-cylinder/144995/26 "2019-07-25T12:43:01Z")
> [@crakumskull\_153659](#): > > The system should be good and bled. I pulled pulled just short of a quart thru it with a vacuum bleeder to flush the sediment out and what not. Oh ok. Yeah, that should have done it. Strongly suspect your master is bad. Don’t feel like you wasted effort replacing the slave. Usually when one is bad, the other isn’t far behind it, so you’d have ended up replacing it anyway. ---
**Author:** ![crakumskull\_153659](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4af34b/32.png) [@crakumskull\_153659](https://community.cartalk.com/u/crakumskull_153659)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2019, 1:34am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/bad-clutch-master-cylinder/144995/27 "2019-07-28T01:34:01Z")
So i bought a cylinder. Does it need to be bench bled? Its only got one line. I do have access to a vacuum bleeder that hooks to an air compressor so… ---
**Author:** ![shadowfax](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/shadowfax/32/13026_2.png) [@shadowfax](https://community.cartalk.com/u/shadowfax)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2019, 12:19pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/bad-clutch-master-cylinder/144995/28 "2019-07-31T12:19:08Z")
Usually you should bench bleed it but with the vac bleeder you can get away without it. [Previous page](https://community.cartalk.com/t/bad-clutch-master-cylinder/144995.md?page=1)