I replaced the clutch master (and slave) cylinder on my 1996 Mazda 168K and now I have a lot of freeplay in the clutch pedal. I didn’t replace any of the linkage on the pedal itself, but I did adjust it to it’s maximum length. Could the master cylinder I bought be more recessed than the original? Is there a place I could get replacement parts for the linkage?
Do you still have the old master cylinder? Measure the recess depth of both the old and new pistons. I am wondering if you were sold the wrong part.
How did the bleeding go? Is there any possibility that air is still in the master or slave cylinders? Does the clutch pressure feel spongy after the freeplay is taken up?
Does the clutch adjust at the pedal? If you adjusted the push rod to its maximum length the master cylinder piston may not be able to retract fully to the port. This will make bleeding nearly impossible. There must be free play between the push rod and the piston.
I pitched the old master cylinder after the replacement seemed to work well.
I used a friend’s vacuum brake bleeder we pulled a lot of fluid through it without air. We never ran out of reservoir fluid during the process…so I am confident that the bleeding was done properly.
Okay,
So you are saying that I should make sure that there isn’t pressure on the master cylinder when the pedal is up. If there is, then I should shorten the push rod and bleed again. I will check that.
So what is the purpose of the spring? Do those break often? It always had a squeak (like a hand strengthener) when I would push the clutch down. Not so much anymore.
ed: Yes it does adjust at the pedal.
It has been forever, but I wanted to mention that I bled the clutch again and it works fine now. So I still had some air in it. Thanks for your help Researcher.
It has been forever, but I wanted to mention that I bled the clutch again and it works fine now. So it still had some air in it. Thanks for your help Rod Knox.