Clutch Master Cylinder

[GoldenEagleFan]

I replaced a failed slave cylinder the other night without too much difficulty, other than not realizing at first the drain from the brake reservoir is near the top and I filled the system with air. Took awile to clear the system, but now works great again.


I also ordered a replacment master and have to admit after seaching here and fiddling under the car and removing the bolts on the master.....How the %&#* do you get the fluid lines off this thing. The main feed from the resevoir I am going to remove from the reservoir and just pull through the firewall. Good idea or bad idea?

What is the trick to getting the metal fitting disconnected from the master unit when you can't see the damn thing and have to be a contortionist to even get you hand on the fitting???? Any help is appreciated...

[gale]

The only sane way to deal with it is to pull the line inside thru the firewall, still attached to the master and wrench it from there. It helps to use a flarenut wrench, the fittings are soft and round over easily. I've done several and the easiest way to put them in is to abandon the BMW hard line and use a VW (early beetle) metal brake line, about 8" long. Same fittings and bends easily by hand without kinking. bend it in an "L" shape and feed the shorter end thru the hole from under the car, thread it into the master, aim the other end in the general direction it needs to point, and tighten it before bolting the master back in place. Grip the stem of the master lightly with vise-grips to tighten the line. The line will flex enough to push the master in position. Then bend the slave end as required to connect to the rubber hose.



If the rubber intermediate line needs replacing, a VW rubber brake line with female fittings both ends, is much cheaper than the BMW clutch rubber line and works fine.

[attack eagle]

X5,000

You can do it by prying the master out enough to get an 11 mm on it from the inside, but it is a huge PITA to get it back in.

[GoldenEagleFan]

Thanks for the input. I'm going to pick up some new lines as mentioned and get this puppy done! Thanks again....

[Coldaccord]

it wasn't really that bad. Once I got my plan of attack down it was quite easy.

On the firewall, I disconnected the hard line from the rubber line (so it goes slave to hard line, to rubber line, to hard line, to master. i disconnected between rubber line to hard line that goes to master).

undid the 2 bolts inside, removed the feed line, and pulled it through. Had to go under the car and back inside a few times to coerce it without wrecking the hard line, but it wasn't difficult.

put it in a vice, pop the line off, toss it back on the new guy and put it together.

I'd recommend bench bleeding the master though. I didn't, and it was a pita to get the air out