"ThomasD. Hanlon" wrote:

> Brian,
>
> Are you referring to the clutch master cylinder, to the clutch slave cylinder
> and to the brake master cylinder, which are all fed fluid by the brake fluid
> reservoir?  Verify which of the three is/are leaking.
>
> Cold affects worn cylinder gaskets and I have found that the clutch are prone to
> failure in freezing temps, although my slave cylinder failed in the heat of the
> Desert, too..
>
> You can rebuild the cylinders with kits that cost about 1/3 of the replacement
> price. I do, because I have time and inclination, and the necessary hones and
> other tools. From my research, I have found that Busdepot.com may be a good
> source for replacement cylinders,, as well as Pelham Automotive in MA.  Ask for
> Mr. Amoye at Pelham. Camelback VW in PHX, too.
> .
> I have replaced, recently,  the clutch master cylinder without removing the
> dash, and without removing the brake pedal assembly, with the help of members of
> the List. There IS extensive commentary in the Archives. The CMC replacement  is
> a tight squeeze, messy if you don't prepare for a flow of fluid, and the CSC is
> is reasonably simple, IF you follow the caveats of upper and lower bolt
> installation sequence.
>
> Do you have Bentley, Haynes, Russek or Chilton manuals?.
>
> Let me know if you need further insights based on my recent experience..
>
> Tom Hanlon
> Palm Springs, CA
> 84 Westfalia
>
> "Keese, Brian W" wrote:
>
> > Hello Listmembers,
> >
> > First, thanks to everyone who contributes wisdom and knowledge to this
> > group.  I am yet another (mostly) silent benfactor.  I have had no luck
> > searching the archives on the following issue.  Please help.
> >
> > I own an 84 Westy (all stock, 4 speed).  I have been driving it without
> > trouble for 18 months.  This morning, out of the blue, the clutch went out:
> > Pedal all the way to the floor with no resistance.  I checked the fluid
> > reservoir, empty.  I checked for leaks and found droplets of fluid dripping
> > from both the master and slave cylinders.  This strikes me as odd, for one
> > because it seemed to come from out of the blue, for two because there are
> > leaks at both cylinders.
> >
> > Anyway, the solution seems to be to replace the cylinders.  Am I right?  I
> > am familiar with failures of the brake master cylinder where the brakes
> > still work but the pedal slowly moves to the floor:  Pump the brake and it
> > holds for another 5-10 seconds or longer.  But as far as my new situation
> > goes, I don't have any experience with this kind of catastrophic failure of
> > a hydraulic clutch system.  Anyone know what causes this?
> >
> > My next question is this:  If I do need to replace the master cylinder, can
> > it be done without removing the whole pedal assembly?  I understand I would
> > need to remove the dash, etc to do this and I really don't want to.  Any
> > input will be greatly appreciated.
> >
> > I no longer subscribe to the list, (can't handle all the activity) so please
> > repsond by p-mail.  Thanks a bunch,
> >
> > Brian Keese
> > 84 Westy "The Arc"
> > Bloomington, IN