clutch nomenclature

[mar2c]

last weekend I had to bleed the clutch on my 78 280. while going through the process, I noticed I have a slight leak at the operating cylinder.

I searched the archives to figure out how difficult/expensive this little problem will be to fix, but could find no mention of this part. I saw plenty mention of a "slave cylinder", but nothing about an "operating cylinder".

I am assuming that these are the same part ??? The anwser may be obvious to some out there, but to me it's not.

thanx in advance for any clarification.

[2ManyZs]

If you are talking about the cylinder that bolts on the outside of the bellhousing that operates the clutch fork, yes they are the same. The proper term for it is slave cylinder, and they are quite cheap and easy to find, so you will have no problem finding a new one.

MSA, VB, and probably even your local Napa, Advance, Pep Boys can get you one with no trouble, probably no more than 25 bucks.

[mar2c]

I was looking through the MSA catalog, and it says that the master & slave cylinders should be replaced in pairs.

why is that ? is this just MSA trying to get me to spend more money ?

has anyone ordered the VB slave cylinder repair kit ? what exactly is in this kit ? wouldn't it just be easier to replace the whole part ?

[2ManyZs]

It's usually a good idea to replace both at the same time for one reason. If one of them has detiorated to the point it needs to be replaced, then the other is not going to be in any better shape. Think of it this way, you would normally replace all the spark plugs at the same time, not the just one or two that are showing wear right? Or replacing the brakes pads on one side of the car and not the other. Replacing all components in a system ensures you don't have a weak link that is going to cause trouble later...

The kit from VB probably only has new seals for the piston and a dust boot. No reason you can just use the kit, but most people prefer new over rebuilt for longevity, or replacing with new and rebuilding the old for a spare is never a bad idea.