clutch changing?

[killahaas@gmail.com]

hey guys, i have been having a problem with my clutch and engaging differently everyday. i brought it to my mechanic because i had to go on vacation. I left it over the weekend told him i thought there was air in the lines. I come back to pick it up he tells me the top bolt to hold the slave cylinder in was completely stripped. so he replaced the bolt. and the clutch was perfect.That was about 4 days ago. we had our first big snow today(long island NY) and i figured i would drive it around a bit. that clutch had sunk all the way down and engaged at the very very bottom. i let it sit for about an hour and it seemed worse. started it up in gear and it pulled the truck a bit when started up, i had the clutch all the way down. i had almost NO clutch at all i could only shift gears if i really pushed into the the clutch very quickly and hard. i drove home like this. i pull into my driveway and all throw it into reverse, all of the sudden the clutch went back to normal. what the hell happened?! i checked the fluid it is fine. i check the slave bolts again and they are fine. i dont know what it could be. i know almost nothing about this type of thing. please help.
Dylan

 

[LtFuzz]

Sounds to me like a classic case of air in the line. You'll get a different pressure "feel" depending on where/when the air bubble(s) move. We motorcyclists deal with this pretty frequently.

I'd start by re-bleeding the clutch (very simple job) before I worried about replacing a master/slave cylinder. If you aren't comfortable bleeding a clutch let us know -- I'm sure someone will post up (or I can) to walk you through it easily.

 

[killahaas@gmail.com]

that is what i am thinking. but i dont feel a bubbling affect. and the slave i replaced about 2 months ago. and the master was replaced before i bought it which was about 7 months ago. and i have an idea on how to bleed the clutch (push down on the clutch, loosen the bleeder nipple, close the nipple, release pedal, repeat) but does the truck have to be on an angle to have all the air go to the bleeder?

 

[LtFuzz]

that is what i am thinking. but i dont feel a bubbling affect. and the slave i replaced about 2 months ago. and the master was replaced before i bought it which was about 7 months ago. and i have an idea on how to bleed the clutch (push down on the clutch, loosen the bleeder nipple, close the nipple, release pedal, repeat) but does the truck have to be on an angle to have all the air go to the bleeder?

Yep, you got the process down. Generally speaking automobile master cylinders are strong enough to push air bubbles out without tilting (which is a common technique for motorcycles for particularly stubborn air bubbles). At least that's been the case in my [limited] experience. You can buy vacuum bleeder tools that help if you're having real trouble.

Some people have success with holding the pedal down for an extend period of time (i.e. overnight) using a strap or brick or whatever, and then bleeding the next morning.

 

[killahaas@gmail.com]

ok thanks i will be bleeding it later this afternoon.

 

[Fivespddisco]

Are you loosing fluid?

 

[killahaas@gmail.com]

it isnt loosing any fluid i havent touched the fluid since i bought it and it looks the same since i bought it.