Clutch Slave Cyl on the FWD went tits-up

[1958 F.W.D.]

Wanted to clean/straighten up the garage this morning, so I started up the FWD and let her warm up for about 5 mins and then went to pull her out- got a surprise when the clutch went ALL the way to the floor/stops.....NOTHIN!!!! No resistance whatsoever. Shit.

Drove her about 5 miles 2-3 weeks ago, gave ZERO indication that anything was wrong. Nothin!!!

Opened the master cyl- empty!!!! No fluid on the floor. Looked at the lines, all dry- no drips or wet spots anywhere. Checked all linkage- direct pushrod through the firewall to master cyl is intact and present/accounted for. Pushrod from slave cyl to clutch itself is intact and present/accounted for. Had my 9-year old jump in and push the clutch while I watched from the underside. Aside from the hose flexing ever so slightly from a very tiny bit of pressure, nothing. No one home. Checked hoses and flex tube for breaks/wears/frays/holes....nothing.

We rebuilt the master cyl about 8 years ago. The parts were easy to find, Bendix has a kit with a stainless steel cyl/piston & lifetime warranty. Since we did that, I think I am going to start with the slave cyl this time. Going to take it out and take it to the Never Any Parts Available man and see if Bendix has a kit for it and rebuild that one. If that doesnt work I'll rebuild the master cyl......They're Ford Master Cyl's, Dont know who's slave cyl it is.

Anyone have any suggestions???

[j hancock]

Just for the heck of it, put some brake fluid into the master and see what action you might get or show the leak.

Brake fluid will dry out over time but if you just had the truck out a few days ago, something should still have some wetness to it somewhere on the system. Did you check the fluid level when it was last out?

Every so often, I have had masters get a little nick in a seal and bypass so there is fluid in the system but won't make pressure. Since your master is empty, it is not the case.

Usually for me, when the slave goes bad, the fluid leaks past the seal and out the end of the rubber boot and is real easy to spot.

[1958 F.W.D.]

Just for the heck of it, put some brake fluid into the master and see what action you might get or show the leak.

Forgot to mention that this was the first thing I did before I crawled under it earlier this afternoon.

UPDATE: I found out where all the fluid went!!!! Down the inside of the firewall and under the piece of carpet I have under my feet. After Momma got home from work around 8:30, I went out to the garage and pulled the slave cylinder, which only took 10 mins, so I said the heck with it, and pulled the master cyl too. I guess when I looked inside earlier to check the linkage I didnt really pay attention to anything but the linkage. So when I pulled the master cyl, I dropped one of the bolts on the inside, so I lifted the carpet to find it and...ewwwwwww gooey mess of eaten paint and brake fluid. Gonna have to clean that up tomorrow and get it all decontaminated and then a coat of primer on there or something.

Also on Monday gonna call the NAPA man and order the Wagner rebuild kits.

[Mike]

One bad thing about brake fluid is you have to paint any place that stuff gets on or into. My dad had been checking a master cylinder of one of his cars. Another one of his cars was sitting beside it, when he decided to pump the brake pedal on the first car. Suddenly fluid squirted onto the hood and fender of the opposite car. It took the paint down to the metal he said later. I saw that day, a very dissatisfied man.

mike

[slpwlker]

That sucks!!!! Atleast you found the problem.I hope they have the parts.

[j hancock]

Glad you found it.

Brake fluid is a pain to clean. Use soapy water to help clean the area. Because brake fluid is hygroscopic, it will suck up the water and help the cleaning process.

Same reason a can of brake fluid should always be sealed tight because the brake fluid wants to absorb water which will ruin it over time.

[fxfymn]

Randy,

If you cannot find the kits any shop that re-sleeves brake cylinders can re-sleeve the slave or master cylinder. I use White Post Restorations in White Post , VA to do mine. Usually runs around $60.00 and comes with a lifetime warranty.

http://www.whitepost.com/brake.html

Maybe it's time to learn how to drive without using the clutch like a real trucker!

Carl

[1958 F.W.D.]

Carl: thanks for the tip. Last time we went through this (about 8 years ago) we walked into the NAPA store and laid it on the counter, and said to the NAPA guy "We need a rebuild kit for one of these" thinking we would stump him.....He had one ordered in less than 5 minutes- Wagner still makes them as both the slave and the master are plentiful and parts are in demand. I still hope that's the case,

[fxfymn]

Another avenue I have used is Amazon. Try running the PN on Amazon and see what you get. I found the MC for the Mack and my 72 IH there at a real good price.