Hi all,

My clutch has started slipping, no problem but I also noticed there's no longer any free play in the clutch.

Ideas please... It's a 2000 model 3.5L with 270,000.

If there is no free play, then the clutch may no be fully engaging when your foot is off the pedal.

The free play can be adjusted but its a bit of an ass and may be better to get a mechanic to do it for you. However, it could also indicate basically that the clutch is worn, which might help if you adjust it for a bit but may also need a new one.

If you do adjust it the risk is you may stop it from slipping, but foot to the floor it won't be fully disengaged anymore and make it harder to change gears.. but you can only try. That's basically what happened to me, tided me over for about 2 months until I got my new one but got harder to change gears, etc.

What lathiat is trying to say is you can shorten the pushrod located at the top of the clutch pedal to get freeplay back, but it may not help.
Pat yourself on the back for making the clutch last 270,000 Km! But now its time for it to go, it is an ex-clutch, it is down to the rivets, its time for a new one. OK? No way around this unfortunately.

Chances are that this is not the original clutch however is most likely worn

Do not drive it with it slipping as will destroy your flywheel

If you are after a good replacement, check my Mits-Fix section for Exedy prices

I should have clarified in my first post. It only slipped when I opened the throttle (to the floor kind of hard), then locked up again with normal driving, and this only started happening in start-stop traffic.

The interesting thing is though, when I got in the car and left work the free-play was back, and clutch slip free. And it stayed this way all the way through more start-stop traffic.

Could we be looking at a clutch master/slave issue now?

Do not drive it with it slipping as will destroy your flywheel

and a new flywheel is very hard to find.......

I had this problem in my TE no freeplay in the pedal causing the clutch to slip.I just adjusted the pushrod on the pedal to have a small amount of freeplay and the slipping problem went away.Its easy to do loosen a 13mm nut on the rod at the top of the pedal and wind the rod to loosen it of just a little and retighten the nut.

Overhaul the clutch master cylinder, and all your (clutch) problems will be solved!

Can I get one more vote for Master Cylinder guys?

That's a possible.. I actually think I am having that problem too. Will let you know if it makes it better - should get it back overhauled/new one today.

(EDIT: If you did it yourself, and did an overhaul rather than a new one - possibly easier/cheaper than getting the clutch out)

Don't just buy a new one, take it off yourself and have a look. Quite simple in design, might just need a clean out if it is full of accumulated wear bits off the cups. No one seems to change the fluid regularly. If the rubber cup on the piston is grooved, try to get an overhaul kit, if the metal bore is scored get a new master cylinder. If you reuse the old one, check that any ports (holes) in the end of the cylinder under the plastic reservoir are clear, which is probably what your problem is anyway. Reassemble and bleed. Adjust the pushrod to give you the right freeplay. I've had this problem and all it cost me was some brake fluid.

The reason you had issues in the stop start traffic is because you have overheated the clutch, the heat in turn travels into the fluid etc etc. Is a very similar thing to when you over heat your brakes, you get a hard brake pedal.

The fact it came good after some time cooling down is more evedence to this. Magna pull clutches are generally fairly reliable however they do tend to heat up in stop start traffic and especially on a hot day. Mits put in the top breathers to try and get some air flow over the clutch but even this is limited

Does the fact that I flushed the fluid on the weekend and this situation occurred again today make any difference?

Why do that? It's not going to fix the problem! Read the above posts again! lol

I understand hydraulic fluid is prone to absorbing moisture and less able to maintain it's properties with age, including it's high boiling point.

Even if my understanding is wrong, it was due for a change and it cost $7.

You will find the fluid goes murky quite quickly from the rubber debris accumulated in the system over the years. When you overhaul the master cylinder you will need to replace all the fluid anyway. What you have done isn't wrong, just out of sequence! Find the problem first . . . .

Just be aware that every time you lose the free play in the clutch, the throwout bearing is spinning constantly and will get noisy if the problem is left too long. Then it will be an expensive repair. Tried adjusting the pushrod yet?

Why adjust the push rod when it's perfect 98% of the time? I can't help but feel the adjustment is not the problem.

Because when everything heats up the piston in the master cylinder probably doesn't quite uncover the release port, that's why. After 270,000 km it is probably blocked by accumulated rubber bits. Shorten it by half a turn and see what happens.
If that doesn't work, over haul the clutch master cylinder.
If that doesn't work overhaul the slave cylinder.
If that doesn't work replace the clutch.