What causes Porsche 944 slave cylinder failure and how can you prevent it

You know how important is the transmission for the vehicles. It’s the transmission which transfers the power and torque from the engine to the wheels. The transmission has various gears which are engaged to make the specific amount of power transfer according to the needs. Ther is also a component which helps in making the transmission to shift gears in proper manner the component is called as clutch. The component which helps the clutch in its movement is known as clutch cylinders. There are two cylinders for clutch - master cylinder and the slave cylinder. Occasionally some problems are found to happen in these cylinders in some cars which should be ignored. So here you will know about the causes and the prevention of the failure of the Porsche slave cylinders.

The slave cylinder functions in Porsche 944

The slave cylinder is a part of the clutch controlling mechanism. There are two cylinders known as the slave cylinder and the master cylinders and both of them work together to disengage the clutch. This happens when the clutch pedal is pressed when the clutch pedal is pressed, the transmission allows to shift the gears safely. Because while the clutch is engaged, the clutch disc connects the transmission gear to the engine so that the power can be transferred from engine to the transmission.

To shift from one gear to another gear, it’s better to disengage the clutch and then shift to other gear again, the clutch is engaged so that both the clutch disc and the gears would not get any harm. When the clutch pedal is pressed, the piston in the master cylinder creates the pressure. The hydraulic fluid is pressurized and the pressure is transferred to the slave cylinder connected to the master cylinder by the fluid. This pressure makes the rod in the slave cylinder extend so that it can push the lever to disengage the clutch. So, in this way the clutch slave cylinder makes the disengaging of the clutch for specific time to shift gears and make the transmission work safely.

Sometimes the slave cylinder becomes faulty and hence leads to some drivability issues. You can get to know about the slave cylinder failure by the signs like leakage of the hydraulic fluid on the floor or on the engine bay. You can find the traces of the fluid if its leaking. Another sign is the spongy clutch pedal as the pedal would easily sink to the floor when you just press it. You can also check the level and the color of the fluid in its reservoir. If it is cloudy or dark, then you have to replace it

What causes the clutch slave cylinder to fail?

Wrong type fluid

If the hydraulic fluid used in your clutch system is not suitable for your car, then it can prematurely make your clutch to fail. So, you should avoid the use of wrong fluids. If there is contaminated or exhausted fluid in the cylinders, then also the internally damage of the cylinder can happen.

Low fluid

If the fluid amount in the reservoir is very low, then the cylinders would have to work more harder to work. This makes the slave cylinder to become faulty and start to malfunction.aaz

Lack of use

Due to the lack of use of the clutch, the seals at the slave cylinder become too dry and more likely to get damaged and the functioning of the cylinder would not be as smooth as it should be.

Dirt or air in the lines

Dirt and air in the fluid lines would make the flow of fluid stop and hence the cylinder would not get the pressure and hence it would not work.

Preventing the failing of the slave cylinder

To prevent the failing of the slave cylinder, the regular maintenance of the transmission and the engine is highly required.

l Get the hydraulic fluid checked regularly. Check its level and the color. Get the fluid topped up if there is low level and change the fluid if it is cloudy or dark in color.

l Use the car often. If you do not use the clutch, then the gaskets of the slave cylinder would simply get dried and damaged.

l Get the pressure plate of the clutch cleaned so that the cylinders would be able to function properly.

l Check for leaks regularly, because a leakage would make the loss of fluid.

Conclusion

To prevent the catastrophic loss of the drivability of the vehicle, you have to clean and even replace the slave cylinder at Porsche service centers if required. But better try to prevent the issue before it happens.

Das European Autohaus is the Houston's leading European Auto Specialists. For years, it has been servicing vehicles from the Spring, Houston, Woodland, Cypress and Tomball, Texas areas. They always strive to provide their customer with quality repair