Expert: Sean Halliday - 11/6/2009

Question
my son has a used mazda 626, recently he took a trip and before he came back, his clutch had lost pressure. after he talked to friend he realized it needed fluid. although he put fluid in the reservoir and was able to make it home. the clutch has lost pressure again. the reservoir is still full- my question is does this mean he has to have the clutch replaced or is there a way to bleed any air out of the lines or is the clutch system burnt up? any advice you have will be helpful, and I thank you.

Answer
The clutch itself is ok,its the slave/master cylinder you need to replace.One or both are losing the fluid and it is best to always replace both at the same time.Usually it is the slave cylinder on the transmission which will have a leak,change both anyway and inspect the flex line for cracks and if so replace that also.