Clutch slave cylinder went bad.

**RickyD** · 07-09-2008, 11:52 PM

Have any of you had this problem yet? After 40,000 miles (only 4000 out of warranty!!) I lost my clutch slave cylinder. When this goes out as most of you know you can not disengage the clutch. Also make sure you read the parts that "ARE NOT COVERED" on the back of the first page of the extended warranty. It really doesn't cover much and NO it does not cover the slave cylinder either.

GaryH · 07-10-2008, 10:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RickyD

Have any of you had this problem yet? After 40,000 miles (only 4000 out of warranty!!) I lost my clutch slave cylinder. When this goes out as most of you know you can not disengage the clutch. Also make sure you read the parts that "ARE NOT COVERED" on the back of the first page of the extended warranty. It really doesn't cover much and NO it does not cover the slave cylinder either.

I think you may be the first for this problem. But, most people don't have 40k on their Skys yet. Just what does the extended warranty cover/not cover?

**RickyD** · 07-10-2008, 10:57 AM

Well not much Gary. No hydraulics,trim,paint,body panels, brakes or rotors, and bunch of other minor stuff. I will take a look tonight and get back with more later. The funny thing is. You cant drive the car with a bad slave cylinder but NO it is not covered by our power train warranty either!!.
The extended warranty would cover the A/C. But what about the power steering pump or the water pump? You cant run the car without the water pump but is our warranty going to cover that??

If not, if the water pump does go out maybe we just need to run it until it blows up that way we would have to pay for a water pump but at least get a new engine out of it.

Dumb Asses!! I hope Saturn reads this and fixes this warranty scam!

uranium-238 · 07-10-2008, 01:06 PM

is this a saturn extended warranty? because i know alot of times you really pay someother company for the extended warranty and they pay saturn to work on whatever is covered. these companies do their best to appear like the manufacturer or the dealer. i've had several such offers for my civic, but since none of them are honda, no deal.

**RickyD** · 07-10-2008, 03:20 PM

I purchased my extended warranty right from the Saturn Dealership. I sold GM's back about 15 years ago and Every extended warranty I have seen is not a true GM warranty. They were all a separate company that covered the warranty and works with GM. When I get off work I will get the exact name from the warranty paper work and let you know what company it is.

JRinKY · 07-10-2008, 08:03 PM

Quote:

RickyD : ... If not, if the water pump does go out maybe we just need to run it until it blows up that way we would have to pay for a water pump but at least get a new engine out of it.

I think you would find that failure of a covered part, if caused by abuse or neglect, would not be covered.

**RickyD** · 07-11-2008, 09:57 AM

You are right. Of coarse they wouldn't cover it if you were beating on the car!! I know that but I was just driving down the highway and tried to shift down and it wouldn't go. Also the warranty the Dealership sold me is called Olympicane ( or it could be a "G" in the front also) by Titan Insurance Company.

**RickyD** · 07-11-2008, 10:00 AM

Well they changed the slave cylinder and that didn't fix it so now the Trany is coming out and we will see what is wrong. The dealer ordered the 2.4 & 2.0 clutch and pressure plate to see the difference. I will let you all know what we find out.

The dealer is treating me very good and even gave me a loaner car instead of me renting a car this whole time so I cant complain to much.

SKY Spy · 07-11-2008, 10:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RickyD

Also the warranty the Dealership sold me is called Olympicane ( or it could be a "G" in the front also) by Titan Insurance Company.

That's your problem right there...

You should had bought an SSP (Saturn Service Plan) that would cover pretty much everything.

The reason some retailer sell "aftermarket" warranties is because the profit margin on those is better than the SSP but after some time they (the retailer) figures out (hopefully) that the headaches and the unsatisfied customers are not worth the extra hundred or two they can make on them warranties as compared to the SSP which pretty much fixes anything especially if the Service Manager thinks so (if it is a questionable situation).

I wish you good luck and keep us informed...

BA...

**RickyD** · 07-11-2008, 10:18 AM

He didn't even offer me a SSP!!

I am calling them right now

JRinKY · 07-12-2008, 10:30 AM

Quote:

RickyD : You are right. Of coarse they wouldn't cover it if you were beating on the car!! I know that but I was just driving down the highway and tried to shift down and it wouldn't go.

I was referring to the comment about running the car with a failed water pump to get a new engine, not to your problem with the clutch.

**RickyD** · 07-12-2008, 10:33 AM

So was I

**RickyD** · 07-12-2008, 04:53 PM

They changed the clutch slave cylinder and that didn't help so now the trany is coming out. Any body else have any manual trany problems?

Also I talked to the finance guy about a SSP "Saturn service plan" and they don't offer one because he said they are almost twice the price. Really!! I paid 1200 buck for mine for a 6/90,000 mile warranty. Which the way I am racking up miles wont take me long even though I have slowed down a little

GaryH · 07-12-2008, 09:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RickyD

They changed the clutch slave cylinder and that didn't help so now the trany is coming out. Any body else have any manual trany problems?

Also I talked to the finance guy about a SSP "Saturn service plan" and they don't offer one because he said they are almost twice the price. Really!! I paid 1200 buck for mine for a 6/90,000 mile warranty. Which the way I am racking up miles wont take me long even though I have slowed down a little

"slowed down a little".... I guess you can't put many miles on it while it's in the shop! Sorry for your problems, Rick. As I remember (and I don't remember much at my age) if it's not the slave or master cylinder, it must be the clutch/pressure plate.

**RickyD** · 07-13-2008, 08:41 AM

Well you see the problem isn't any slippage. It is that I cant get the clutch disengaged! It wasn't the slave cylinder so now we have to look at the throw out bearing. On the Sky's I guess it actually has hydraulic bellows on the front so maybe those went flat. We are not sure but I will be at the dealer first thing in the morning because I want to be there when they get the trany out. I guess I am kind of anal. I just have to see it right as it hits the floor. hahahaha

JRinKY · 07-13-2008, 09:20 AM

With a hydraulic clutch linkage there are basically five things that can cause the clutch to fail to disengage:
1) The master cylinder can have a bad seal. This is a tricky one because there is no external evidence. The fluid simply leaks back into the resevoir. Usually the clutch can be made to disengage, at least momentarily, by "pumping up" the system with rapid depressions of the pedal.
2) The hydraulic lines can be damaged, or there can be air in them, so that motion of the master cylinder does not generate motion in the slave cylinder.
3) The slave cylinder can have a bad seal. This nearly always results in loss of fluid and a puddle on the floor or in the bellhousing.
4) The throwout bearing. This normally will cause a loud grinding while the clutch is disengaged with the engine running.
5) The throwout fingers on the clutch diaphragm can wear in such a way that the throwout bearing cannot move them far enough. This normally happens after a prolonged period of driving with a bad throwout bearing.

**RickyD** · 07-13-2008, 10:31 AM

Yes I know it's tricky. What is weird is everything was fine. Car was shifting good went through all the gears to highway speed and everything was fine then when I went to down shift it just wouldn't go. That's how come I really don't think it is the clutch (because it has never slipped) or the pressure plate (because usually you would have felt something strange once in a while before. I don't think it would just go like that) the slave cyl was changed. So who knows maybe one of the synchronizers came apart?? I know I cant wait to get the trany out to find out!

JRinKY · 07-13-2008, 01:58 PM

A problem with the clutch disengaging, even if it is caused by the pressure plate, would not be related to any slippage under power, so lack of one is not going to rule out the other.

Is this the first time you have mentioned that the transmission would not shift ? I did not see anything about that earlier in the thread. There is a guy on the Sol forum who has had trouble downshifting from 5th to 4th. Could be a related problem.

A blown synchro would not prevent the clutch from disengaging, but it would certainly cause problems shifting.

A shifting problem, absent any other symptoms, is very likely in the shift linkage.

What exactly are the symptoms of the problem ?

**RickyD** · 07-13-2008, 02:11 PM

The pressure plate keeps the pressure on the clutch disc. The slave cyl pushes the throw out bearing against the pressure plate diaphragm/fingers that allows the clutch to loosen or reduce the friction against the fly wheel or disengages the clutch. If the pressure plate was bad the clutch would be slipping but it is not. The clutch is fully engaged. When I push the pedal nothing happens. The clutch will not disengage and unless you feather the gas the trany doesn't want to come out of gear. It's tight. Kind of weird.

JRinKY · 07-14-2008, 11:56 AM

Quote:

RickyD : The pressure plate keeps the pressure on the clutch disc. The slave cyl pushes the throw out bearing against the pressure plate diaphragm/fingers that allows the clutch to loosen or reduce the friction against the fly wheel or disengages the clutch. If the pressure plate was bad the clutch would be slipping but it is not. The clutch is fully engaged. When I push the pedal nothing happens. The clutch will not disengage and unless you feather the gas the trany doesn't want to come out of gear. It's tight. Kind of weird.

The pressure plate diaphragm fingers transmit the force from the throwout bearing to the clutch pressure plate to release the clutch. If there is a problem with the fingers the clutch will not release. I have had to replace a pressure plate (not in the Sky) for this very reason. And there was no slippage under load. Remember that many components can fail in more than one way.

Why do you think that there is a synchro problem ? Is the problem in all gears, or is it limited to only one ?

If "nothing happens" when you push in the clutch pedal, the problem has to be in the hydraulics, the throwout bearing, the pressure plate fingers, or the slave cylinder mounting.

Another possibility is a siezed pilot bushing, as that would keep the transmission input shaft engaged with the flywheel even with the clutch disengaged.

**RickyD** · 07-14-2008, 12:02 PM

I just sent you a PM take a look if I don't answer leave a message please

07-09-2008, 11:52 PM	#1 (permalink)
RickyD Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Mobile AL. Posts: 382 My Photos: (8)	Clutch slave cylinder went bad. Have any of you had this problem yet? After 40,000 miles (only 4000 out of warranty!!) I lost my clutch slave cylinder. When this goes out as most of you know you can not disengage the clutch. Also make sure you read the parts that "ARE NOT COVERED" on the back of the first page of the extended warranty. It really doesn't cover much and NO it does not cover the slave cylinder either. Last edited by RickyD : 07-11-2008 at 10:02 AM.

07-10-2008, 10:57 AM	#3 (permalink)
RickyD Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Mobile AL. Posts: 382 My Photos: (8)	Extended Warranty!! What warranty??? Well not much Gary. No hydraulics,trim,paint,body panels, brakes or rotors, and bunch of other minor stuff. I will take a look tonight and get back with more later. The funny thing is. You cant drive the car with a bad slave cylinder but NO it is not covered by our power train warranty either!!. The extended warranty would cover the A/C. But what about the power steering pump or the water pump? You cant run the car without the water pump but is our warranty going to cover that?? If not, if the water pump does go out maybe we just need to run it until it blows up that way we would have to pay for a water pump but at least get a new engine out of it. Dumb Asses!! I hope Saturn reads this and fixes this warranty scam!

07-10-2008, 01:06 PM	#4 (permalink)
uranium-238 Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Southern Maryland Posts: 280 My Photos: (0)	is this a saturn extended warranty? because i know alot of times you really pay someother company for the extended warranty and they pay saturn to work on whatever is covered. these companies do their best to appear like the manufacturer or the dealer. i've had several such offers for my civic, but since none of them are honda, no deal. __________________ Black 2009 Saturn Sky Redline Manual transmission Black leather Monsoon stereo 6-disk CD/MP3 changer Stubby Antenna "Redline" Wind Restrictor Next Mod: JPM Shifter assemlby

07-10-2008, 03:20 PM	#5 (permalink)
RickyD Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Mobile AL. Posts: 382 My Photos: (8)	Extended Warranty? I purchased my extended warranty right from the Saturn Dealership. I sold GM's back about 15 years ago and Every extended warranty I have seen is not a true GM warranty. They were all a separate company that covered the warranty and works with GM. When I get off work I will get the exact name from the warranty paper work and let you know what company it is.

07-11-2008, 09:57 AM	#7 (permalink)
RickyD Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Mobile AL. Posts: 382 My Photos: (8)	Well of coarse Jrinky!! You are right. Of coarse they wouldn't cover it if you were beating on the car!! I know that but I was just driving down the highway and tried to shift down and it wouldn't go. Also the warranty the Dealership sold me is called Olympicane ( or it could be a "G" in the front also) by Titan Insurance Company.

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07-11-2008, 10:00 AM	#8 (permalink)
RickyD Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Mobile AL. Posts: 382 My Photos: (8)	Car not fixed! Well they changed the slave cylinder and that didn't fix it so now the Trany is coming out and we will see what is wrong. The dealer ordered the 2.4 & 2.0 clutch and pressure plate to see the difference. I will let you all know what we find out. The dealer is treating me very good and even gave me a loaner car instead of me renting a car this whole time so I cant complain to much.

07-11-2008, 10:18 AM	#10 (permalink)
RickyD Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Mobile AL. Posts: 382 My Photos: (8)	Ssp? He didn't even offer me a SSP!! I am calling them right now

07-12-2008, 10:33 AM	#12 (permalink)
RickyD Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Mobile AL. Posts: 382 My Photos: (8)	Water pump So was I

07-12-2008, 04:53 PM	#13 (permalink)
RickyD Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Mobile AL. Posts: 382 My Photos: (8)	No help They changed the clutch slave cylinder and that didn't help so now the trany is coming out. Any body else have any manual trany problems? Also I talked to the finance guy about a SSP "Saturn service plan" and they don't offer one because he said they are almost twice the price. Really!! I paid 1200 buck for mine for a 6/90,000 mile warranty. Which the way I am racking up miles wont take me long even though I have slowed down a little

07-13-2008, 08:41 AM	#15 (permalink)
RickyD Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Mobile AL. Posts: 382 My Photos: (8)	Hi Gary Well you see the problem isn't any slippage. It is that I cant get the clutch disengaged! It wasn't the slave cylinder so now we have to look at the throw out bearing. On the Sky's I guess it actually has hydraulic bellows on the front so maybe those went flat. We are not sure but I will be at the dealer first thing in the morning because I want to be there when they get the trany out. I guess I am kind of anal. I just have to see it right as it hits the floor. hahahaha

07-13-2008, 09:20 AM	#16 (permalink)
JRinKY Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Lexington, KY Posts: 1,455 My Photos: (0)	With a hydraulic clutch linkage there are basically five things that can cause the clutch to fail to disengage: 1) The master cylinder can have a bad seal. This is a tricky one because there is no external evidence. The fluid simply leaks back into the resevoir. Usually the clutch can be made to disengage, at least momentarily, by "pumping up" the system with rapid depressions of the pedal. 2) The hydraulic lines can be damaged, or there can be air in them, so that motion of the master cylinder does not generate motion in the slave cylinder. 3) The slave cylinder can have a bad seal. This nearly always results in loss of fluid and a puddle on the floor or in the bellhousing. 4) The throwout bearing. This normally will cause a loud grinding while the clutch is disengaged with the engine running. 5) The throwout fingers on the clutch diaphragm can wear in such a way that the throwout bearing cannot move them far enough. This normally happens after a prolonged period of driving with a bad throwout bearing. __________________ John Lexington, KY VIN 00252 2.4 Manual Midnight Blue

07-13-2008, 10:31 AM	#17 (permalink)
RickyD Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Mobile AL. Posts: 382 My Photos: (8)	Hi again J Yes I know it's tricky. What is weird is everything was fine. Car was shifting good went through all the gears to highway speed and everything was fine then when I went to down shift it just wouldn't go. That's how come I really don't think it is the clutch (because it has never slipped) or the pressure plate (because usually you would have felt something strange once in a while before. I don't think it would just go like that) the slave cyl was changed. So who knows maybe one of the synchronizers came apart?? I know I cant wait to get the trany out to find out!

07-13-2008, 01:58 PM	#18 (permalink)
JRinKY Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Lexington, KY Posts: 1,455 My Photos: (0)	A problem with the clutch disengaging, even if it is caused by the pressure plate, would not be related to any slippage under power, so lack of one is not going to rule out the other. Is this the first time you have mentioned that the transmission would not shift ? I did not see anything about that earlier in the thread. There is a guy on the Sol forum who has had trouble downshifting from 5th to 4th. Could be a related problem. A blown synchro would not prevent the clutch from disengaging, but it would certainly cause problems shifting. A shifting problem, absent any other symptoms, is very likely in the shift linkage. What exactly are the symptoms of the problem ? __________________ John Lexington, KY VIN 00252 2.4 Manual Midnight Blue

07-13-2008, 02:11 PM	#19 (permalink)
RickyD Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Mobile AL. Posts: 382 My Photos: (8)	well lets see The pressure plate keeps the pressure on the clutch disc. The slave cyl pushes the throw out bearing against the pressure plate diaphragm/fingers that allows the clutch to loosen or reduce the friction against the fly wheel or disengages the clutch. If the pressure plate was bad the clutch would be slipping but it is not. The clutch is fully engaged. When I push the pedal nothing happens. The clutch will not disengage and unless you feather the gas the trany doesn't want to come out of gear. It's tight. Kind of weird. Last edited by RickyD : 07-13-2008 at 07:31 PM.

07-14-2008, 12:02 PM	#21 (permalink)
RickyD Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Mobile AL. Posts: 382 My Photos: (8)	Hi J I just sent you a PM take a look if I don't answer leave a message please