@EdG posted:

When I search for a replacement I find EMPI, Wilwood, Jamar, and a few others like Racing Automotive Group.

Thanks,

Ed G.

G6147

G6147

G6147

G6147

I think you can go with any of them.  It wouldn't surprise me if several (if not all) come from the same source.

Because you have a "slave saver" you got the 19 years without breaking a slave shaft (or 2, or 3).  So keep the slave saver attached to the side of the trans, and reuse the rod eye (heim) from the old slave onto the new slave (the rods on each end of the slave unscrew and screw-in, and are interchangeable between old/new slaves).

As far as black gunk, I'd say it is normal, especially after 19 years.  My personal unscientific conspiracy is it is accumulated aluminum dust worn from the bores of master and slave cylinders.

From now on, bleed the clutch hydraulics every year to purge the suspended crud out of the system before it settles and starts clogging things

19 years:  You got your money's worth!

Mark,

Thanks. I was truly surprised how much of the aluminum wall was pitted and gone. The muck was on the Heim end ~1/4" deep at the base of the spring, so I wondered if there was a seal or washer that dissolved.

Good to see a familiar name!

Thanks again,

Ed G

My original Neal slave just went after 21 years. I replaced it with a Wilwood. Works great.

Welcome here, Ed!

Not the best photo, but it definitely shows the damage in the slave cylinder. All the damage was on the bottom of the cylinder as it was on the positioned on the car. With brake fluid being hygroscopic I would think the damage would not be focused on the bottom. Perhaps it settles to the bottom during the 6 months of storage during the long winter in NH every year.

Kind of interesting though.

Ed G

You won't hear me recommend too many EMPI parts, but their slave cylinder seems very nicely done.  I believe Greg (VM) is still using them also.  We've had better luck with them vs. the Wildwood.  After replacing a 1/2 dozen wildwood slaves we tried the EMPI and have had little to no issues with it.

Thanks Carey. That's good to know about EMPI slave cylinders.

I read comments about Wilwood failing a lot and some comments said that Wilwood changed the end that the heim is on and it fixed the failure problem. So instead of the piston end connecting to the clutch arm, they had the piston end connected to the heim and the body of the slave cyl pull the clutch arm. Hopefully my description makes some sense. I wouldn't think it would make any difference, but sometimes I am surprised at the results of minor changes like that. The picture below is exactly opposite of how mine was setup.

Mine is opposite the photo as well. There is usually a clearance problem with the VW clutch arm. Plenty of room for the VW cable, but the 5/16" rod from the slave can BIND on the clutch arm, this puts a side load on the slave which wears it out. This happens even if there is a heim joint on the other end.

I clearance the clutch arm by wiggling a 5/16" drill bit around in there. And make sure to use the rounded spacer-washer on the clutch arm side.

You may notice that the piston side of the slave has a thinner area between the bellows and the threads. It is important to have the thinner portion in the clutch arm hole for the aforementioned clearance.