Ok, so the Talon was in storage for the winter. I took it out and drove it to the gym. Everything was fine. Clutch felt great as it only has 2500 miles on it. Didn't beat on the car at all, drove 55mph the whole way on the highway. Get home, put the car in the garage for a while as I spent the next month and a half lowering an '02 frontier 17 inches on hydraulics. Happy that I finally finished the pavement dragging truck, I get in the talon to take it for a cruise, and learn that the clutch pedal is completely stuck in the upwards position.

I apply a great deal of pressure on the pedal with all my might, and it slowly "squeaked" it's way down as if it had no fluid in the system. I continually pumped the pedal over and over hoping that this would work some fluid through the lines. it became easier and easier, but i noticed that i was gaining more and more "play" in the clutch pedal. the clutch could only be engaged within the very last inch or two near the firewall, otherwise it was a dead pedal with no weight at all. now if i started the car or shifted gears, i would have to jam the pedal all the way to the firewall.

I checked and changed the clutch fluid. no leaks. fluid level was fine. i drove the car for a few days to see if it would work some fluid around and gain back the pressure. nothing.

i let the car sit for a while while i brought the truck to some car shows. came back a couple weeks later and the clutch pedal was completely stuck again. once again, i use all my might to press the pedal down, only this time the pedal got stuck in the down position near the firewall. i reached down and manually lifted the pedal with my hand. after lifting it, i decided to take a look at the master cylnder. this is what i found:





(if pics don't show up, right click and paste address from properties to your url bar)

correct me if i'm wrong, but i believe the shaft of the master cylinder is supposed to be perfectly straight, right? mine is really bent. probably from pressing on the pedal so hard.

my question is this... I know i definately need a new master cylinder now, but do you guys think this is my only problem?

even with little pressure from the pedal, when i drove the car those few days the clutch shifted and grabbed fine. no slippage, no grinding. i just had no fluid pressure.

That is fucked IMO....good luck.

so i assume you got a new master cylinder then, how much? you get it all worked out yet?

I can't see your pics, and I didn't bother to paste them in the URL, but I highly suggest you check your slave cylinder as well down below. That is fluid driven as well and if that is jammed in any way it may exlain why you bent the piss out of your master cylinder.

BTW - a slave cylinder is about a 100 bucks.

hey guys, just wanted to bring you up to date.

i ended up taking a peek at the slave cylinder and noticed that the clutch assembly was stuck in the depressed position. i couldn't even budge the slave with my hands, so i undid the line and unbolted the slave. that bastard shot out from under my car because it was under so much pressure. its rod was rusted in the "out" position. (never, never buy a predator hood if you live in a rainy area. :nono)

eitherway, $214 later, i have a new slave and master cylinder and she drives like a dream again. thanks for all your input.