Technical Disconnection of hydraulic pipe to clutch

[fiat500]

There is a chunky "quick" connector in the solid pipe to the slave cylinder on the clutch. It's located near the passenger wheelarch. For some reason the casing has cracked rendering theclutch inoperative and it seems I will need to replace the second part of the pipe onto which this coupling is bonded.
The local Fiat dealership want almost £400 (including VAT) to replace it. I can probably pick one up off Ebay for £25 and even a new one has got to be a lot cheaper than that. The only thing is that I can't move the plastic collar on the fitting to disconnect; has anyone got any hints please?

MAL_4101 by Peter Thompson, on Flickr

 

[fiat500]

Half-way sorted now.

The connector wouldn't separate in the manner described elsewhere on the Forum and that turned out to be connected with the reason why it cracked in the first place. It appears that moisture/road-salt has entered around the joint and seized it together, possible expanding in the process and cracking the connector.
I used a Dremel to widen the crack and and pulled it apart. The corrosion damage may mean that both sections of pipe need to be replaced. The correct, brand-new "Luk" pipe which includes a new slave-cylinder was only £23 on eBay. I bought the other one, which includes the master-cylinder and fluid reservoir, for £25 plus postage.

Almost £350 saved and not a particularly difficult job either.

 

[swifty500]

Well done and thanks for the update. £400 indeed!

 

[John303030]

Half-way sorted now.

The connector wouldn't separate in the manner described elsewhere on the Forum and that turned out to be connected with the reason why it cracked in the first place. It appears that moisture/road-salt has entered around the joint and seized it together, possible expanding in the process and cracking the connector.
I used a Dremel to widen the crack and and pulled it apart. The corrosion damage may mean that both sections of pipe need to be replaced. The correct, brand-new "Luk" pipe which includes a new slave-cylinder was only £23 on eBay. I bought the other one, which includes the master-cylinder and fluid reservoir, for £25 plus postage.

Almost £350 saved and not a particularly difficult job either.

Any chance of the link to the pipe/master cylinder? I have the other pipe to replace with the slave cylinder due to corrosion where it meets the slave cylinder? replacing both with new will be far easier than trying to separate the connection even though it "should" be a simple task of pushing in the plastic release part, but then nothing on the Fiat is that easy where rusting/corrosion is?

 

[fiat500]

Any chance of the link to the pipe/master cylinder?

Postage is a bit steep as it's from Poland, but you're thinking like me and I think it's worth it.


http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-GENUI...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

 

[jrkitching]

You'd likely get away with using a pipe joiner & suitable clips. The hydraulic pressure is nowhere near as great as that in the brake circuit (and it doesn't have the same safety issues, either).

 

[fiat500]

You'd likely get away with using a pipe joiner & suitable clips. The hydraulic pressure is nowhere near as great as that in the brake circuit (and it doesn't have the same safety issues, either).

I will remember that advice when :bang: this happens again. A £3 connector would easily do the job although I'm not sure of the pipe size
for ordering one.

I got the job sorted within an hour and a half and it worked first time...no bleeding. So we now have an entirely brand new clutch hydraulic system fitted for £65 all in.

I will save the old setup as spare parts should the master or slave cylinders fail in the future.

As a precaution I've coated the connector with spray grease as an attempt to keep corrosion at bay.

 

[DaveMcT]

I had the flexible segment burst on a Renault Espace clutch hydraulic line.


The sustem has a metal Bundy pipe along the back of the engine from the master cylinder and impossible to access with engine in the car. There's a 100mm length of metal braided hose just above the gearbox with another metal pipe to the slave cylinder. The flexi section was not properly crimped.


Zero access behind the engine made it impossible to replace the pipe. So I cut the bundy pipe and used some high pressure fuel hose to replace the flexible part. Three (that's 3) Jubillee clips on each end of the new hose made sure it couldn't slide off under pressure. I could not flare the pipe ends as they are not brake pipe sized.


It worked perfectly and sorted a very costly problem that could could have scrapped the car.


DO NOT EVEN THINK ABOUT DOING A REPAIR LIKE THIS ON BRAKE PIPES.

 

[DaveMcT]

The Fiat "Quick Release" connector for the clutch line suffers a classic example of disimilar meta corrosion. The connection is press in bayonet fitting very similar to a JG Guest or Hep2o domestic water pipe fitting. You press the end collar (with a special tool to release the clips that retain the fitting.


All well and good. But Fiat have used an aluminium case with stainless steel spring fingers inside to retain the fitting. The aluminium corrodes against the stainless and the considerable expansion of aluminium oxide = a ruined fitting that will never separate. Even if it does come apart, the components are scrapped by corrosion damage.


I cut mine apart to have a look.

The outside looked fine. The inside was welded together with aluminium oxide.


Solution is replace master and slave together as you'll get a new fitting. Use copper grease on the fitting to coat the stainless spring fingers and it might come apart next time, but don't hold your breath.


If your slave cylinder fitting is rusty, you'll have to wait for additional parts to replace the master as well

 

[John202020]

Guess that confirms it I need to do the slave so will have to get a master too anyone know where to get it cheaply?

 

[fiat500]

Guess that confirms it I need to do the slave so will have to get a master too anyone know where to get it cheaply?

I bought from eBay..a Polish seller. If this happens again I thing with the amount of flex in the pipes I would simply look for a hydraulic fitting that could replace the connection and cut the pipes.

 

[staffordmike]

How much effort should it take connect the “quick connector” I can’t seem to push it in by hand. Are there any hints or tips?

 

[John202020]

How much effort should it take connect the “quick connector” I can’t seem to push it in by hand. Are there any hints or tips?

You've probably no chance, I didn't even try I just replaced slave and master so everything was new.
You can you tube how to release the connector bit after years of salt grit etc it could be almost impossible to separate?

 

[staffordmike]

I should have said that they are new parts! I fitted a new master cylinder and new slave cylinder but can’t connect the so called quick connector. I don’t know whether the hydraulic fluid in the lines is stopping me pushing it shut or if it’s something else. I knew I should have left the old lines in place and just changed the cylinders (that’s a joke by the way!)

 

[John202020]

Ah, yes requires "some force" to push all those metal fingers back can't quite remember think I jammed the big part against the car(Not plastic clip? And might have used a spanner over the pipe to give more pushing power on the rear of the mating part.
I did find it was hard then just snapped together, only to find I had routed the pipe over rather than under near the bulkhead but was able to wiggle the whole thing to the point of being correct.

 

[staffordmike]

That’s good to know, I thought I was doing something wrong. I’ll have another try later, when I have regained some strength after yesterday’s exertions.
I found that I had accidentally routed the pipe over rather than under an air conditioner line but disconnected it from the M/C and positioned it correctly. Why can’t all the connections have easy to use circlips instead of spring loaded teeth? ?

 

[staffordmike]

I finally succeeded! I loosened the bleed nipple a bit which made it a lot easier to push the two parts together.

 

[typecastboy]

I’m yet to attempt this on a car but I’m saving all these hints for when I do.

 

[staffordmike]

It’s a fiddly job but quite straightforward and should be a lot easier for you with our advice! I left the original clutch hose in place while I routed the new one to ensure that I fitted it correctly and still managed to get it on the wrong side of the A/C pipe. Oh, I didn’t mention that I used my entire collection of 3/8” extension bars to reach the 13mm nuts securing the master cylinder!

 

[Tony666]

Hi, I've got the same problem (corroded and split connectors joining the hydraulic pipe that joins the master and slave cylinder).


I've bought the slave cylinder (complete with pipe) as above from ECP for £25, but the master cylinder with pipe I can't find for less than around £150! Bearing in mind the master and slave cylinders seem absolutely fine, it's just the coupling that's damaged I'm thinking of just cutting the pipes (I think they afre 8mm?) and replacing reconnecting with a standard hydraulic push fit connector. Could anyone confirm or advise if this will work, or does the original connector serve any other purpose? Additionally, if it is a simple coupling does anyone know what sort of pressure the system operates at, so that I can get the correct part? Any help would be much appreciated, seems a shame to have to spend nearly £200 if all I need is a coupler costing a few £££.