Toyota GR86, 86, FR-S and Subaru BRZ Forum & Owners Community - FT86CLUB - View Single Post - DIY - Swap clutch slave cylinder and hydraulic line for improved feel and control

ck-GT86 · 05-14-2015, 01:56 AM

First and foremost, I do not take any credit for the “Swap Clutch Slave Cylinder” mod, every bit of credit goes to the folks in this thread created by @Ultramaroon

Moving on, I haven’t found any tutorials on how to swap out the clutch line, figured this would be a great opportunity to perform both mods. Below are my trials and tribulations since there has yet to be a DIY about this very topic. @Chase Bays didn’t provide any instructions, and the product I received is very different from what they have posted online. I’ll explain more below

Tools I Used:
DOT 4 brake fluid
Aftermarket Clutch Line – (ChaseBays)
Subaru 30620AA111 Slave Cylinder
12mm socket – (removal of factory bracket holding in clutch line)
14mm socket – (removal of 2 bolts holding in slave cylinder)
15mm socket – (CB Clutch Line)
3/8 extension bars
15mm racheting wrench – (CB Clutch line)
8mm Open ended wrench – (bleeding of clutch fluids)
10mm Open ended wrench – (removal of OEM clutch line)
Rags/shop towels
Cup – (bleeding of fluids)
Roomate or an assistant – (you’ll need someone to press on the clutch when bleeding)

Note: If you purchase the clutch line from @Chase Bays, do not expect to receive this:

Name: CB_WRX_CLUTCH__39028.1424454266.1280.1280.jpeg
Views: 3632
Size: 86.0 KB

I received a cable that had two ends looking like this:

Name: clutch_head.jpg
Views: 3270
Size: 6.9 KB

I panicked and e-mailed CB immediately thinking they eff’d up. Their website too shows Picture 1 with the bend mimicking the OEM line. I’m guessing they realized the Twins share the same master cylinder as the WRX some time after they released what appears to be a version 1 of the clutch line, hence the compatibility notes. It took some scouring of their pictures online to piece together that the parts are indeed compatible with one another. See the two pictures below, the Cosworth has the same line with a different reservoir cap, and the other has the exact same cylinder.

Name: Screen Shot 2015-05-07 at 11.48.34 PM.png
Views: 3492
Size: 361.5 KB

Name: Screen Shot 2015-05-07 at 11.48.50 PM.png
Views: 3393
Size: 571.6 KB

What you’ll notice in the package is that the two provided banjo bolts are different sizes, a quick glimpse and you’ll think they’re exactly the same. Continue reading…

Removal

1. Placed shop towels underneath the output line of the master cylinder, keep the cap on the cylinder to keep air from entering
 
2. Placed a cup near the 8mm drain bolt of the factory slave cylinder
 
3. Loosened the 8mm drain bolt and allowed fluid to drain into cup. Reservoir should be empty
 

 
4. Loosened the banjo bolt holding in the clutch line to the slave cylinder
 
5. Like how @Ultramaroon detailed, hold the clutch line upwards immediately after removing the banjo bolt to keep the fluids from going everywhere. I dumped the clutch line into the cup to let it drain.
 
6. Now, work on the banjo that attaches the clutch line to the master cylinder. Use the open ended 10mm wrench and loosen counter-clockwise. I stripped every bit of this nut by the way. The metal used on this is pliable, very easy to strip.  
 
7. The OEM clutch line is held in place with a bracket that also attaches to the master cylinder. Loosen and carefully remove the (2) 12mm nuts that hold the bracket in.
 

 
7.1 I used a retractable magnet tool to catch the nut closest to the passenger side, we all know how much of a pain it is to retrieve a nut or bolt once it drops into the engine bay.  
 

 
7.2 Grasp onto the master cylinder as the nuts come off – it’d be good to have your assistant keep their foot on the backside of the pedal and pull into their bodies to keep the pedal from collapsing into the floor. I did this part by myself and the entire master cylinder shifted downwards as I removed the nuts. Luckily I had a good grip on the bolts and fed the nuts back on to keep it all together. Assistant can take a break once the nuts are on.
 
8. IF the pedal did retract to the floor, crawl under the dash and pull the clutch pedal upwards so it locks. Make sure the master cylinder is straight, then reattach the 12mm nuts.  
 
9. Wiggle out the OEM bracket and line, catch a breather – slave cylinder is next.

Slave Cylinder

1. @Ultramaroon did a good job detailing how to swap the parts, it’s really easy compared to the clutch line and bleeding.
 
2. Remove the (2) 14mm bolts holding in OEM slave cylinder. You’ll notice that the cylinder will push away from the rear of the transmission as the bolts get loose. This is by design, the cylinder collapsed as the clutch is engaged. Use some force to keep the cylinder from pushing back, you can strip your bolts if you don’t.
 
3. Remove OEM slave cylinder, replace with new. The metal end of the cylinder needs to press against the concaved actuator. It should feel like a spring compressing as you press the cylinder into the dimple.  
 
4. Look carefully at the holes on the transmission housing when you put in the new cylinder. Get a feel for the bolt threading on while you’re compressing the cylinder. You should be able to thread the 14mm bolts by hand for more than 70% of the way in. Thread one side in, repeat with the other. THEN you use your ratcheting socket to tighten them down.  
 
5. Remove the white cap on the new slave cylinder. The new clutch line and banjo will fit into here.

Reattaching Clutch Line

1. Inspect the banjo bolts that came with your new clutch line if both ends are the same. Most other aftermarket clutch lines have a banjo fitting on one end, and the other end threaded male. Thread gently by hand if you can’t tell by eye to see which banjo goes where. It wasn’t noted anywhere that the two banjos provided by ChaseBays were different. Maybe they aren’t, but I had better luck threading what appeared to be a smaller banjo into the master cylinder.  
 
2. The “ChaseBays” logo’d end will attach to the master cylinder. I routed the cable down and under some rubber lines over to the slave cylinder. Less bends are key.
 
3. Place a washer onto the banjo, then the logo’d end, add another washer, and thread this into the master cylinder. Use the 15mm open wrench to tighten
 
4. The Slave Cylinder DIY says to replace the OEM washers. My new clutch line came with metal washers so use these in place. Same washer placement for the slave cylinder as the master: banjo, washer, end of cable, washer, into cylinder. Use 15mm socket to tighten.

Bleeding the Clutch Fluid

Note: You definitely need another body for this process

1. The 8mm drain plug on the new slave cylinder should be sealed, tighten if not.
 
2. Remove master cylinder cap and refill with brake fluid
 
3. Seal the cap
 
4. Loosen the 8mm drain plug on slave cylinder
 
5. Have assistant press clutch to the floor, DO NOT bring clutch pedal back up
 
6. Tighten drain plug, then have assistant manually bring pedal up
 
7. Loosen drain plug, repeat process until bubbles have escaped.

Inspect all lines, wipe any fluid residue off, start car and monitor for any leaks. Take your car out, engage all of the gears, return and inspect. Fluid level should remain the same.

05-14-2015, 01:56 AM	#169
ck-GT86 Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2013 Drives: '13 Raven FR-S, MT Location: NorCal Posts: 884 Thanks: 788 Thanked 516 Times in 286 Posts Mentioned: 54 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	Replace Clutch Line with “Clutch Slave Cylinder” mod First and foremost, I do not take any credit for the “Swap Clutch Slave Cylinder” mod, every bit of credit goes to the folks in this thread created by @Ultramaroon Moving on, I haven’t found any tutorials on how to swap out the clutch line, figured this would be a great opportunity to perform both mods. Below are my trials and tribulations since there has yet to be a DIY about this very topic. @Chase Bays didn’t provide any instructions, and the product I received is very different from what they have posted online. I’ll explain more below Tools I Used: DOT 4 brake fluid Aftermarket Clutch Line – (ChaseBays) Subaru 30620AA111 Slave Cylinder 12mm socket – (removal of factory bracket holding in clutch line) 14mm socket – (removal of 2 bolts holding in slave cylinder) 15mm socket – (CB Clutch Line) 3/8 extension bars 15mm racheting wrench – (CB Clutch line) 8mm Open ended wrench – (bleeding of clutch fluids) 10mm Open ended wrench – (removal of OEM clutch line) Rags/shop towels Cup – (bleeding of fluids) Roomate or an assistant – (you’ll need someone to press on the clutch when bleeding) Note: If you purchase the clutch line from @Chase Bays, do not expect to receive this: I received a cable that had two ends looking like this: I panicked and e-mailed CB immediately thinking they eff’d up. Their website too shows Picture 1 with the bend mimicking the OEM line. I’m guessing they realized the Twins share the same master cylinder as the WRX some time after they released what appears to be a version 1 of the clutch line, hence the compatibility notes. It took some scouring of their pictures online to piece together that the parts are indeed compatible with one another. See the two pictures below, the Cosworth has the same line with a different reservoir cap, and the other has the exact same cylinder. What you’ll notice in the package is that the two provided banjo bolts are different sizes, a quick glimpse and you’ll think they’re exactly the same. Continue reading… Removal 1. Placed shop towels underneath the output line of the master cylinder, keep the cap on the cylinder to keep air from entering   2. Placed a cup near the 8mm drain bolt of the factory slave cylinder   3. Loosened the 8mm drain bolt and allowed fluid to drain into cup. Reservoir should be empty     4. Loosened the banjo bolt holding in the clutch line to the slave cylinder   5. Like how @Ultramaroon detailed, hold the clutch line upwards immediately after removing the banjo bolt to keep the fluids from going everywhere. I dumped the clutch line into the cup to let it drain.   6. Now, work on the banjo that attaches the clutch line to the master cylinder. Use the open ended 10mm wrench and loosen counter-clockwise. I stripped every bit of this nut by the way. The metal used on this is pliable, very easy to strip.     7. The OEM clutch line is held in place with a bracket that also attaches to the master cylinder. Loosen and carefully remove the (2) 12mm nuts that hold the bracket in.     7.1 I used a retractable magnet tool to catch the nut closest to the passenger side, we all know how much of a pain it is to retrieve a nut or bolt once it drops into the engine bay.       7.2 Grasp onto the master cylinder as the nuts come off – it’d be good to have your assistant keep their foot on the backside of the pedal and pull into their bodies to keep the pedal from collapsing into the floor. I did this part by myself and the entire master cylinder shifted downwards as I removed the nuts. Luckily I had a good grip on the bolts and fed the nuts back on to keep it all together. Assistant can take a break once the nuts are on.   8. IF the pedal did retract to the floor, crawl under the dash and pull the clutch pedal upwards so it locks. Make sure the master cylinder is straight, then reattach the 12mm nuts.     9. Wiggle out the OEM bracket and line, catch a breather – slave cylinder is next. Slave Cylinder 1. @Ultramaroon did a good job detailing how to swap the parts, it’s really easy compared to the clutch line and bleeding.   2. Remove the (2) 14mm bolts holding in OEM slave cylinder. You’ll notice that the cylinder will push away from the rear of the transmission as the bolts get loose. This is by design, the cylinder collapsed as the clutch is engaged. Use some force to keep the cylinder from pushing back, you can strip your bolts if you don’t.   3. Remove OEM slave cylinder, replace with new. The metal end of the cylinder needs to press against the concaved actuator. It should feel like a spring compressing as you press the cylinder into the dimple.     4. Look carefully at the holes on the transmission housing when you put in the new cylinder. Get a feel for the bolt threading on while you’re compressing the cylinder. You should be able to thread the 14mm bolts by hand for more than 70% of the way in. Thread one side in, repeat with the other. THEN you use your ratcheting socket to tighten them down.     5. Remove the white cap on the new slave cylinder. The new clutch line and banjo will fit into here. Reattaching Clutch Line 1. Inspect the banjo bolts that came with your new clutch line if both ends are the same. Most other aftermarket clutch lines have a banjo fitting on one end, and the other end threaded male. Thread gently by hand if you can’t tell by eye to see which banjo goes where. It wasn’t noted anywhere that the two banjos provided by ChaseBays were different. Maybe they aren’t, but I had better luck threading what appeared to be a smaller banjo into the master cylinder.     2. The “ChaseBays” logo’d end will attach to the master cylinder. I routed the cable down and under some rubber lines over to the slave cylinder. Less bends are key.   3. Place a washer onto the banjo, then the logo’d end, add another washer, and thread this into the master cylinder. Use the 15mm open wrench to tighten   4. The Slave Cylinder DIY says to replace the OEM washers. My new clutch line came with metal washers so use these in place. Same washer placement for the slave cylinder as the master: banjo, washer, end of cable, washer, into cylinder. Use 15mm socket to tighten. Bleeding the Clutch Fluid Note: You definitely need another body for this process 1. The 8mm drain plug on the new slave cylinder should be sealed, tighten if not.   2. Remove master cylinder cap and refill with brake fluid   3. Seal the cap   4. Loosen the 8mm drain plug on slave cylinder   5. Have assistant press clutch to the floor, DO NOT bring clutch pedal back up   6. Tighten drain plug, then have assistant manually bring pedal up   7. Loosen drain plug, repeat process until bubbles have escaped. Inspect all lines, wipe any fluid residue off, start car and monitor for any leaks. Take your car out, engage all of the gears, return and inspect. Fluid level should remain the same. __________________ \|\| My Build Thread \|\| Last edited by ck-GT86; 05-14-2015 at 02:53 AM.