Thread: 300 TDI 130 clutch replacement

Is it a good long term solution to sleeve my original slave and master cylinders with S/S rather than replace?
Don.

If money isn't too much of an issue then I would definitely do it.

Slave cylinders aren't too bad but master cylinders are a ***** for leaking. I replaced mine 4 times over 60,000km in my old Defender

Originally Posted by Don 130

Is it a good long term solution to sleeve my original slave and master cylinders with S/S rather than replace?
Don.

Definitely resleeve the master and I suppose you may as well do the slave. It'll save you a lot of time and effort down the line.

Strange, I have replaced 3 slaves in the TDi's life and yet am still on the original Master! ( I shall find a pool of fluid on the floor in the morning now! ) S/S sleeving in reality does not last much longer than a good quality replacement, The S/S still pits from the B/Fluid.
Its main benefit is resurrecting obsolete cylinders or 1's made out of unobtainium metals on vintage cars.
Cheers Scott

Originally Posted by schuy1

Strange, I have replaced 3 slaves in the TDi's life and yet am still on the original Master! ( I shall find a pool of fluid on the floor in the morning now! ) S/S sleeving in reality does not last much longer than a good quality replacement, The S/S still pits from the B/Fluid.
Its main benefit is resurrecting obsolete cylinders or 1's made out of unobtainium metals on vintage cars.
Cheers Scott

As for the pitting from the brake fluid, some use DOT3 fluid as it is less abrasive (there are threads on it throughout this page), hence increasing the life of the master cylinder. I noticed when I was replacing my master cylinder recently that on the cap it says to use DOT3 fluid, whilst in the manual it says use DOT4.

After a bit of research I found the only real advantage of DOT4 fluid is that it has a better heat rating. As far as I'm aware, heat isn't a real issue for the hydraulic clutch system.

I have DOT3 fluid in my '96 110 and it's going strong with a SS master cylinder and standard slave.

I have gone back to DOT3 fuild as well and have better life from the cylinders. It's a little harder to find, but no big deal

Originally Posted by Devans

As for the pitting from the brake fluid, some use DOT3 fluid as it is less abrasive (there are threads on it throughout this page), hence increasing the life of the master cylinder. I noticed when I was replacing my master cylinder recently that on the cap it says to use DOT3 fluid, whilst in the manual it says use DOT4.

After a bit of research I found the only real advantage of DOT4 fluid is that it has a better heat rating. As far as I'm aware, heat isn't a real issue for the hydraulic clutch system.

I have DOT3 fluid in my '96 110 and it's going strong with a SS master cylinder and standard slave.

Interesting. I have never thought of that before in that context. My main experiance is in brake cyl , both master and slave, I always just run the same fluid in both for convenience sakes. And you are correct, heat is not a problem in clutch hyd systems. DOT4 is a higher rated, higher temp fluid designed for the rigors of disc brakes. Using DOT3 in discs is not recommended.
Cheers Scott

I thought of re-sleeving because of the bewildering number of aftermarket brands out there, no doubt of varying, unpredictable quality. I also thought re-sleeving would be a long lasting solution. It seems like it might be an option if used in conjunction with the Dot.3 fluid.
Don.