Buggers me what caused it, but today the clutch in my 2000 magna started slipping terribly. It would slip at very small throttle openings and even cruise controll would make it slip. It started doing this first thing in the morning but was perfectly ok yesterday.

After parking the car for about 2 hours the clutch improved markedly but would still slip at full throttle. After driving for another hour and parking the car for another few hours the clutch is back to 100% gripping with no slip at full throttle.

Can anyone explain this? When it was slipping the clutch pedal felt firmer on initial push, like the clutch was half dissengaged with the pedal all the way out. the clutch is an exedy unit roughy 70 tho old.

Any ideas?

How much fluid is in the reservoir, and what does it look like?

Time for a new clutch me thinks.

if the clutch and master cylinder are free of air or leaks

then the clutch is the next part to fix
so gearbox out

If you are handy with tools, and, are able to have the car off the road for a few days, you should be able to change the clutch yourself.

Trust me, its really not that hard.

There was fluid but it did look pretty crappy.

I did consider that it could be the hydraulic system but thought that if there was any problems that it would make the clutch not release, not make it release extra.

I will bleed the system to rule it out.


The original clutch went soon after i got the car at 112k but this time the problem if different. when the first clutch went it gradually got worse. this time round it was almost instantly bad them almost instantly good.

Thanks for the input so far.

same thing happened to me a while back, only happened once and never again, basically the fluid has pressurised in the clutch line and didn't bleed back therefore making the clutch be halfway engaged.

if it happens again then flush it but if not, meh...

Check the pushrod adjustment as per manual. If the push rod has been adjusted (ie it is too long) pressure will not be released when the clutch pedal is fully up. If this isn't the problem, dismantle the master cylinder and clean out - the pressure relief port must be blocked.

the clutch is self adjusting, the length of the rod will have no effect on the problem at hand.

however as you posted above, the pressure relief valve is my guess as per my previous post.

The push rod length is critical, to allow the pressure relief port in the master cylinder to be uncovered when the clutch is released. The self adjustment you speak of is at the other end of the hydraulics.
This is from PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE.

practical experience you say??

damn i guess my 10 years in the mechanical industry is of no use then....

there is no way that what you have described could have happened.

well, PRATICAL EXPERIENCE tells me there is no adjustment at the clutch end. If the clutch is wearing, adjust the pedal free travel.

If you look up under the dash you will see a bolt resting on a contact pad on the clutcj pedal, wind this out a bit and see how you go.

Coulrnt hurt to change the fluid either. It should, along with the brake fluid, be changed every 12 months.

OK, whatever . . . .
Just trying to be helpful . . . . .
You win, I loose . . . .
Whatever . . . .

damn i guess my 40 years in the mechanical industry is of no use then....

Bled the cltuch changing all the fluid and adjusted pedal so ther was some free play up the top. Everything seems fine, fingers crossed.

As long as the pedal push rod is not pressing on the master cylinder piston when the pedal is fully up, and your bleeding has removed any crud that may have been blocking ports, it should run like a new one! Congratulations and all the best!