Clutch barely disengaging + Slack pedal

[BonzoGuinness]

As per title really! Was out for a "spirited" drive this evening, bimbling back through town, found first and second very difficult to engage. I've now got huge clutch pedal travel - moves about 3/4 of the way down before any resistance/action. Obviously if this gets any worse, my drive to uni tomorrow afternoon will be... interesting .

I'd thought about air in hydraulic system, however brakes are firm as ever even under very hard braking and were bled recently. Clutch has never been bled - can I get away with bleeding clutch on its own, rather than faffing about with the brakes again? And just where is the damn clutch bleeder? (Part of the reason I've never bled it - I can't find it! )

If bleeding doesn't work, the workshop manual suggests problems with master/slave cylinder components - is this gonna get expensive, or difficult?

[A2Z]

Clutch and Brakes are not related. Clutch has a separate small reservoir right at the back of the engine bay (drivers side). It does use standard brake fluid.

http://www.miata.net/garage/clutch_bleed.html

http://www.miata.net/garage/mastercyl.html

[BonzoGuinness]

D'oh! Cheers. Assumed for some reason they shared the same circuit

[Munter]

Slave cylinder. If you don't change it you'll find you cant get it in gear at a critical moment...

[Evangelion]

I had this problem a couple of months ago - out for a drive, had to turn round and come home as the clutch disengagement gradually disappeared and by the time I got home had gone. Little bit of disengagement if you pumped the pedal and that was it. I also assumed the brake and clutch reservoirs were the same - wrongly!

Fluid level was OK so changed the master cylinder. No difference. Changed the slave cylinder. Been perfect ever since.

ETA Don't forget to check for leaks before you change anything.

Edited by Evangelion on Wednesday 23 September 22:20

[I Am Milk]

As Munter said, it's your slave cylinder. £15 from mx5parts and 30 minutes of your time to change it, and 10 more with a mate to bleed it.

[BonzoGuinness]

Cheers guys, I actually ordered a new slave cylinder last night on Munter's advice as it was cheap enough online. It wont arrive for a couple of days, but I set about bleeding and topping up the clutch system this morning - helped for a few miles, but quickly back to slack + difficult. I'll nurse the car home avoiding traffic lights ( at uni just now) and lay it up until the part arrives.

[BonzoGuinness]

Just to update, replacement slave cylinder arrived today (superb delivery service as usual from MX5Parts). Had a bit of bother getting the hydraulic line nut off, but got there in the end. Nice firm pedal now. Cheers folks.