Transmission/Clutch Questions

[meikees]

Hello I own a 2004 saturn vue 5 spd. I have owned it for 7 years never had any serious problems. UNTIL the clutch started losing pressure when exiting the highway. Had the master replaced and the transmission fluid changed. Now 2 weeks later its doing the samething, only this time when I pulled up to the stop sign on the off ramp and put it in first it got stuck. The clutch was very weak and only moved maybe a half an inch. I pulled over gave it 2-3 min then I pulled it out of first. Drove it no problems after. It drives like a dream in town no issues since the master and the transmission fluid have been changed. The only problem is the highway. Im hoping somebody here has some ideas. It is my first car and has served me well. I dont know if its something easy to fix or its time to say goodbye. 195k miles. I got it with 116k miles. Thanks for being here!

[Bruce Rock]

What pressure is the clutch loosing? The spring pressure that engages the clutch to the flywheel or the hydraulic pressure that disengages the clutch from the flywheel?

How were you able to tell the clutch moved 1/2"? Did you mean the clutch pedal?

How is the hydraulic fluid level for the clutch?

[meikees]

The clutch pedal looses pressure after riding on the highway, it only moved half an inch. The fluid level is good. I believe it to be the hydraulics, but I know nothing of cars. Research has come to the conclusion the slave might need replaced or its the inner workings of the transmission. Its just odd it works fine if in town, but once I get on the interstate for a short period it tends to act up. No shifting just riding in 5th.

[Bill Murray]

It is possible for the piston in the slave cylinder to leak (bypass fluid) without having an external leak. Assuming your replaced master cylinder is OK (lots of defective replacement parts on the market these days so you always have to be suspicious) and there's no external leak, maybe the slave cylinder is faulty.

Never worked on one of these but it appears it's the "concentric" unitized design slave cylinder / throwout bearing which means you have to remove the transmission to change it out. If you get to that point, it's worth it to remove the clutch assembly to take a look how much material is left on the friction disc.

[meikees]

Good to know! Thanks for your replies!

[Bruce Rock]

What is stopping the clutch pedal from moving more than 1/2"?

[meikees]

There was hardly any pressure which led it to not being able to move it more than a half an inch.


UPDATE....IT WAS THE SLAVE CYLINDER. Internal leak of the cylinder, no signs of leakage. Had it replaced, everything is working as it should. Thanks for your responses!