Yaaay there goes my slave cylinder... No clutch and a 10 k drive.

[75Guy]

So I have decided trans-axle cars are bad and out to get me - or alternatively I bought a dud. There were a few odd noises coming from the back for a few days now but nothing much (a tiny, tiny squeak as the clutch pedal was raised), it didn't happen continuously and I knew the clutch is as fresh as a daisy - plus I just put in bilsteins - so I just assumed it was fresh rattles from stiff suspension. First mistake.

3:30 AM: I was running late for work (yay shift work!) and jumped in the Alfa instead of the Honda (second mistake, but in my defence its the only bright point of my early morning starts) and speed off, responsibly. First half of my journey no problem.

3:50 AM: Second half I noticed that the pressure point was getting lower and lower. I pulled over, switched off and popped the bonnet. Brake fluid mostly gone. Topped it up and pumped the brakes and clutch - no leaks but more importantly no more clutch. Oh dear.

Now I am stuck in first, at four in the morning, in the middle of nowhere on a Saturday.

4:10 AM: Oh well, I called work let them know whats going on ([insert a bosses tirade about Alfas being bad news here]), put it in neutral, held my breath and started the car. As per usual it starts first go without a hassle. Still no clutch. At this point I am thinking its either a slave cylinder or a massive air block. So I eased off the brakes and let the car roll down the hill push the revs up to 2000rpm(ish) and go for first. Crunch then success! I try again and managed second! At this point I am thinking I can try for third but there are three tight roundabouts between here and home. Luckily its early and there's no traffic. I hope the average tyres and good shocks/springs are up for this and chances are if I have to change down a gear (or heaven forbid have to stop!) I am royally screwed. Somehow I got it into third (2500 rpm[ish]).

5:00 AM: Two roundabouts (both taken at three times the speed a sane man should have taken them...) and two twisty back roads and I am home. I stall in the driveway. Third mistake. I just blocked the Honda in. Doh. Fourth mistake. Roll the car out of the driveway and get stuck in the lip of the road and the driveway with no way of starting the car in reverse. Fifth mistake. Dump it in first with lots of revs (not recommended) swing on it and handbrake turn into an open car park on the street. Sixth mistake (although I did I feel like the stig). An elderly neighbor who has watched this drama unfold in a cloud of tyre squeal, smoke and swearing. I swear she said funking hoons - or something to that effect - before hobbling back inside, she is at least ninety I would have assumed she grew up instilled with better manners, or at least my grandma was.

5:15 AM: Feel like a beer. I get to work three hours late. Adrenaline has worn off by this stage.

So, the moral of this story is: when your alfa makes a funny noise you can't put your finger on DON'T assume it's something simple. Assume that something else is wrong. Secondary moral: grandmothers who witness handbrake turns call the police regardless of the cars make or model (doesn't really fit the definition of moral but who cares?). Hopefully you are as lucky as me and get officers who understand the plight of the Alfisti - or at least can't be bothered with paperwork this early in the morning (or I guess depending on their shift late at night?).

Also who has a spare slave cylinder? I think I need a new one. Or can someone point me in the direction of a new one?

I think I have another Alfa related problem - I just got three Alfettas. Hmmm, can anyone say club car project? May the fun continue

[johnnyc]

bugger, great story though!!

[VeeSix]

Honestly, always carry a spare master and slave cylinder, they operate on a time basis and are going to go eventually, they usually give you a bit of warning though with funny noises, i did have one go on me once with my first vehicle a 1982 Alfa Romeo GTV, no warning what so ever just pop and gone, they must be the achilles heel of the Alfetta model vehicles GTV, GTV6, 90, 75 etc
Slave relativly easy to replace but that master especially on 90s and 75s with those damn allen keys especially if they have not been removed for a while god damn what a pain, 90 not too bad socket set straight thru near steering column area but 75 because it is angled up a bit i found the most comfortable and easy way to remove the top allen key was to remove the speedometre unit and go down thru there, i am thinking about just putting a bolt thru with a nut on the engine side next time, anyone done this? 

[75Guy]

Yeah i will probably replace both of them, the master cylinder looks a bit gunky.

It could even be the master cylinder as I was pretty sure the slave had been replaced at some point in the recent past...

Anyway, does anyone have any other tips for me or is it mostly just getting the bloody thing out to start with thats the main problem?

[VeeSix]

No really it is easy peezy, remove, replace and bleed but those darn allen key screws and their position brings tears to my eyes especially if someone is doing it for the first time, i have done about 10 in the last 15 years of Alfa Romeo ownership, but i do have around ten vehicles in my collection, you also have to remove a connecting pin with securer from the the top of the pedal but that is relativly easy   

[75Guy]

Excellent, well I just got the bits I need so off I go, fingers crossed it all works out well...

[VeeSix]

Let us know how you went and how long it took you from start to finish!

[75Guy]

Finally had a day off work and got stuck in. Guess what? Someone has rounded the hydraulic fittings so that they can't be removed with a wrench... Vice grips couldn't even get a hold on it. I'll call pirtek tomorrow, I know they can come out and remove and replace it for bugger all. Such a pain.

[75Guy]

So I got the fitting off with a vice grip and replaced the master cylinder in under two hours. Painful though. The old master cylinder was badly corroded and made a horrible noise when the piston was compressed. So that is one problem down.

Anyhow, I go to bleed the clutch and I notice that a fair bit of brake fluid is coming from the slave cylinder... Oookay. Now I am getting angrier. Looks like I need to find myself a slave cylinder as well, tracked one down locally and will be going to get it tomorrow. Sigh...

So anyone have any tips for removing the sucker? From the workshop manual I have its a case of just disconnecting the hydraulic hose, removing the fastening ring on the cylinder itself, and unbolting it.

That said is there anything I should be mindful of? There isn't some horrible pitfall I will run in to?

I have changed a few slave cylinders before but not on transaxle cars so I figured that it couldn't hurt to ask.

[Darryl]

Slave cylinder is far less painful to remove than master.

The clutch can be a pig of a thing to bleed though....

[Typhoon90]

I once drove my sister's Moke home with a blown out clutch hose. Fortunately I was in town, so speeds were low. Unfortunately, there were lots of intersections....
I left it in second gear (Mokes are short geared) and when I had to stop at an intersection, I'd just drag the engine against brakes till I was where I needed to be, then kill ignition. When I had to move off, the Moke was fortunately so light, and the gearing short enough, that I could hit the starter and just mash the accelerator pedal to get going.
I dare say if you tried any of that in a transaxle car, you'd have lots of broken parts when you got home....

Regards, Andrew.

[75Guy]

All sorted now! Wasn't that hard (well the split pin in the clutch pedal was a pain in the arse but apart from that...) another Alfa up and running again.

The sense of achievement and pleasure far outweighed the pain of not being able to drive it. In other news my other 2.5 75 is for sale, I'll make an ad up later.