[nickharman]

Coming off a 2 hr motorway run the gearbox crunched on the changedown for the first set of lights I came to and then would not budge from neutral.

Pitch black and raining, I stuck my finger into the fluid reservoir and found it was down to almost empty. Walked to a garage got some fluid and topped up and gearbox sweet as butter for the 30 mins after to get home in London traffic

My questions-

Had the fluid simply gone down by normal attrition? I confess I have not checked it for months. If there had been a major leak, would it not have emptied again within the next 30 mins? If there is a leak I am assuming it must be on the clutch side as the brakes remain normal?

If the fluid had got that low as to prevent the clutch pushing the cylinder, would not air have got in making my top up useless? And yet it seemed to restore normality

I guess the thing to do is bleed the clutch now?

N

1989 9000 CDT manual

 

[inspectorman]

You have a leak. Sealed hydraulic systems do not have "normal attrition". Might be the master cylinder, slave cylinder, or flexihose. Slave is the most costly because of access. If it's very slow, it might not be an issue at all - but I'd always be carrying fluid from now on - which won't help when the seal / hose in question finally gives up completely.

 

[briancatt]

What inspectorman said PLUS.

You have been warned! Obviously use pressurises the system severely so don't ride the clutch until its fixed.

Bleeding is a pain and needs an Eezibleed. £20 'ish. I made my own with a funnel , a footpump and a wife because I was stuck - but it was a pain

And don't drive if you are likely to get stuck in traffic. If it fails again.....

I have managed to get from the M20 to home near Kingston w/o a clutch, but after midnight, very careful but firm low rev gearchanges matching revs and having to restart in 1st at each dead stop, creeping up to lights and roundabouts in first, and prepared to just stall if necessary, etc. Worth practising if you own a SAAB 9000

BTW cranking in 1st is a possible way out of a flood - if your starter motor is still above water

Born and bred on no synchromesh on first - or at all on bikes.

Rather not have done this BTW, but the problem occured during a drive home from Maastricht. involving an undergrpound car park in Brussels and boarding a ferry... it gave up the same way as yours at the roundabout at the M25 end of my run up the M20 (missed the M26 exit ;-)

Brian

You have a leak. Sealed hydraulic systems do not have "normal attrition". Might be the master cylinder, slave cylinder, or flexihose. Slave is the most costly because of access. If it's very slow, it might not be an issue at all - but I'd always be carrying fluid from now on - which won't help when the seal / hose in question finally gives up completely.[/b]