Item Subject: Clutch slave cylinder leak - 87 Syncro
     Hi All,
     
     
       Sorry for this late response -- just now catching up on all the 
     mail.  From my experience on wheel and master cylinders rebuilds (I've 
     done about 7 complete jobs), I would only rebuild the cylinder if 
     there were no signs of pitting.  I have tried many times to save a few 
     bucks and tried honing the cylinder to remove the pits.  I have never 
     successfully rebuilt a cylinder unless they were without pits to begin 
     with.  
       Almost all of them have pits because brake fluid attracts water from 
     the air.  Since water is heavier than break fluid it tends to sit on 
     the bottom of the cylinder and corrode the machined surface.
       Coincidentally, I am doing a rear brake job on my '85 Westy this 
     weekend.  The cylinders are leaking and the break shoes, although they 
     have lots of lining left, are cracked (I have never seen this before). 
     And, you guessed it, I bought new wheel cylinders.  I did not even 
     take them apart--it's wet in Oregon.
      Hope I caught you in time.
     
     Vince.
     

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Subject: Clutch slave cylinder leak - 87 Syncro
Author:  Non-HP-vanagon (vanagon@lenti.med.umn.edu) at HP-Corvallis,shargw1
Date:    12/25/96 10:40 PM

Vanatics,
Today I discovered a hydraulic fluid leak from the clutch slave 
cylinder on my 1987 Syncro.  Normally the van is in warm weather 
(in Southern California), but I'm currently in Spokane Washington 
where the temperature is below freezing.  I suspect that the cold 
weather has caused a seal (or seals) to contract and allow the 
leak.  Since I'm away from home, I'm not prepared to crawl around 
in the snow under the van to repair it myself.  I plan to take it 
to a shop (likely the dealer) and see what they'll carge for repair.
     
Questions:
1. Does my premilinary diagnosis sound like the likely cause, or 
is there something else more likely?
     
2. If it is a leaky seal, what needs to be done to repair it? 
Rebuild by replacing wear components?  Replace?
     
3. What is this repair likely to cost?
     
Thanks,
Jim Davis