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I just got done with replacing a stock clutch master which has a 0.75 inch bore with a Wilwood clutch master 0.625 bore. I also replaced the clutch slave as well that I got from Mangusta International. The job took a good 5 hours with two people. Its probably would be very difficult to do with only one person as to remove the bolts to the clutch master requires someone holding the bolt from the trunk of the firewall and another to unscrew the nut or bolt from under the dash. Main reason for switching was to reduce the pedal pressure. After filling the system with silicone brake fluid I felt the clutch action to be smoother and clutch effort reduced by about 15%. The two master cylinders were almost identical in size and configuration. The original is Girling and the new one is one I got from Summit racing (Wilwood). Some notes on the job. You need to be able to hang upside down for at least an hour. You will need an crowfoot open end wrench of 5/8 size. You need to be careful not to wiggle the feed line from the main reservoir to the clutch master as the old rubber seal at the base of the reservoir may be damaged and start leaking. I had to replace mine after finding the seal on the base of the reservoir was old and did not make a good seal with the brass line. I could not find another seal so I cut a small section of 1/4 inch fuel line and it fit well. Finally you need to be skinny because it is tight quarters under the dash. I hope that help some people. Ben

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Here is a photo of the clutch master assembly installed. You can only see the push rod which screws into a swivel bracket to the pedal. After removal of the clutch master you have to removed the pivot pin and unthread the swivel to free the assembly which is removed from the inside. Its backwards from most cars I am accustom to. There is a inlet brass tube which goes from the clutch reservoir into the dash and a high pressure outlet tube which fits under the dash. Both of these are tight fits and difficult to access. They must have installed the clutch master and then installed the dash at the factory.

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FWIW, if you don't drive very much, or very hard, silicone fluid will work. But for anything approaching performance, silicone is NFG. The stuff is a compressible fluid (rare in nature) and is impossible to bleed free of air. Both properties generate a mushy pedal when everything is perfect. When it's not, cars or bikes are dangerous to operate. Going from low to high altitudes has caused complete loss of clutch or brake function due to the entrained microbubbles of air expanding. In other areas than Hawaii, silicone causes problems because it still attracts moisture but does not dissolve it; instead, the moisture settles in the lowest spot, and in the Midwest, low-point moisture has FROZEN, blocking all brake or clutch action. Most racing groups prohibit cars running silicone fluid on track, under any conditions.
I've been out of the chemical engineering game for a century, but my understanding is, silicone fluids used in hydraulic systems are made up almost entirely of twisty long-chain molecules with no carrier fluids, and under high pressures, the chains straighten and align, allowing the fluid volume to compress a few percent. This is enough to contribute to a mushy pedal, along with more shrinkage from compressing the entrained micro-air bubbles that CANNOT be bled out. Weird, but then all silicone chemistry is weird anyway, compared to carbon-based chemistry...
As an addendum to my post above, the stuff probably will work in a hydraulic clutch since we only see about 150 psi in a typical Pantera master/slave system- too low to cause the fluid to compress very much. But given the amount of trouble inherent in Pantera clutches anyway, I wouldn't use the stuff there myself.
quote:
Posted December 14, 2010 11:14 AM Hide Post
COMPRESSIBLE FLUID ?????? Never heard of that before ! I will have to tell my kids... they won't believe you.
Boss, can you give some details for a Belgian idiot ?
:>Wink
Pat
Posts: 44 | Location: Brussels | Registered: August 21, 2005 IP

Ignored post by Candy2862 posted December 14, 2010 11:14 AM Show Post

Bosswrench
Posted December 15, 2010 11:55 AM Hide Post
I've been out of the chemical engineering game for a century, but my understanding is, silicone fluids used in hydraulic systems are made up almost entirely of twisty long-chain molecules with no carrier fluids, and under high pressures, the chains straighten and align, allowing the fluid volume to compress a few percent. This is enough to contribute to a mushy pedal, along with more shrinkage from compressing the entrained micro-air bubbles that CANNOT be bled out. Weird, but then all silicone chemistry is weird anyway, compared to carbon-based chemistry...
As an addendum to my post above, the stuff probably will work in a hydraulic clutch since we only see about 150 psi in a typical Pantera master/slave system- too low to cause the fluid to compress very much. But given the amount of trouble inherent in Pantera clutches anyway, I wouldn't use the stuff there myself.
Posts: 1342 | Location: Minden NV | Registered: December 22, 2002 IP

Ignored post by Bosswrench posted December 15, 2010 11:55 AM Show Post

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