[DIE HARD NISSAN]

I have a 95 4WD kingcab, V6. This problem kind of came out of the blue. I was finshing my plow route and and my last pass,all of a sudden the clutch pedal didn't come up when I tried to engage it. Thinking it was the Master Cylinder I changed it but that didn't correct the problem. I now have the clutch operation cylinder (slave cylinder??) off wondering if I should change that too. I also see there is a clutch dampener that looks like it has moving parts. The clutch wasn't slipping so I don't think that is the problem. Took both the master cylinder apart and the operation cylinder apart and my untrained eye doesn't see anything out of the ordinary. The only symptom that has cropped up over the past couple months is I really have to get the clutch all the way to the floor to trip the interlock switch. Fluid was full when all this happened. Just strange that BANG - all off a sudden clutch to the floor and it wouldn't come back. I read all the old posts about people that had problems, some dated back to 2003, so I'm looking for a fresh reply. Anybody have this problem before?

 

[DIE HARD NISSAN]

I changed out the master cylinder, (inspected the workings but couldn't really see any flaws), did the best I could to bleed out the air, but the pedal still would come up from the floor. Then I took off the slave cylinder, took it apart and couldn't see anything (this is when I posted looking for help). Read where you should change both anyway, and heck $50 for both still better than a clutch job so I changed it. Read all sorts of posts from different forums and guides on how to bleed the system - the usual push pdeal to the floor, crack the bleeder, then let go of the pedal and repeat several times, another suggested pumping the pedal (several said DON"T PUMP THE PEDAL it creates thousands of air bubbles, but the packing instructions in one of the parts I got did say pump!), then tried this one - take the old cap from the master cylinder, put an old tire valve in it and screw on a hand pump (the kind for footballs,soccer balls basketballs etc etc) and pump the fluid through the system right out an open slave cylinder bleeder, then close it, pump it to pressurize the system and bleed it down at the slave. Didn't seem to have air at that point but the pedal still didn't have back pressure like I thought it would. Then tried (oh my god) pumping the pedal, did start to get resistance in the pedal and at least it would stay off the floor, but still only needed slight pressure to send the pedal to the floor. Lastly did the one pump and hold (board from depressed pedal to the front of the drivers seat to hold it) and then bled it at the slave but still no real resistance (good bleeding action though throughout this process - no air coming). Finally I remember reading one blog about someone starting up the vehicle which then the vacuum assist was the finishing touch to normal operation and viola, clutch engaged normally. Don't know if vacuum assisted here, but I was back in business. Maybe had I done all this bleeding crap after putting in the master cylinder that would have been all I needed, but they say change both anyway and I'm back in action so there you have it. Thanks for showing your interest - can't keep a good hard body down! (there was one more bleeding technique I didn't try but sounded good, get one of those oil can with the hand pump lever and long spout with the point on it, connect a hose to it and the open slave bleeder and push the fluid backwards through the system right out into the master cylinder resevoir)

 

[DIE HARD NISSAN]

I'm glad I posted as much as I did, my memory is shot and could even remember I changed out the master cylinder. Of course I had a similar problem with my Hyundai Elantra a few months before that where I first changed the clutch before looking into the slave cylinder, but that is a whole 'nother story. I can't add any more to what you should look into. Like I said in the post, didn't look like anything was working until I started it up and bingo - the pedal returned to normal operation.