Quote:
Originally Posted by dmason08
So, after talking with Maz, I found the Master Cyclinder for the Clutch and I will access the Slave by pulling off the bottom of the trunk and taking a look. I inspect it to see if it is leaking, it could be that things just got a little low.
|
Great. I figured it would be accessable from the bottom. The top is even easier I would imagine (I've never worked on an Esprit, but I downloaded the manuals).
Quote:
Originally Posted by dmason08
However, it is more likely by the way you all sound that it is probably leaking and I need to rebuild/replace the unit. I may think about doing it myself, but I will also contact the local guy here in San Jose that works on Lotus cars and get a quote from him. This way I can guage how much money I'd be saving if I give it a good ole shot. If the slave is bad and the system needs to be blead, I guess I can't do much harm by giving it a go! 
Darin |
As maz says, it's not hard to rebuild.
I've bought the "rebuild kit" (an new seal) from my Elan for a couple of bucks, but it's been a while.
But as an example of cost savings, I rebuilt my Miata's slave cylinder with a $7 factory rebuild kit (new rubber seal and boot). Most people replace the master cylinder ($50 - 75 for a cheap after market version). The "rebuild" lasts as long as a new one.
Most shops won't rebuild a slave - they will just install a new one. It saves them some time, and if there is a defect in the cylinder (very rarely), they won't have to do the job again.
Anyone working on a Lotus is going to charge you a premium for labor (at least another $100? ), so you have a lot to gain by doing it your self. Besides, rebuilding the slave is one of the easiest things you can do on a car. The hard part is bleeding it, and that's not difficult, just a bit time consuming. And it should be done yearly, so doing it your self can save a lot over the years...