2.0 TDI 2014 Clutch pedal wont return - 140 model

[jeepster1961]

hi all

went out in the car today, when i went to come home, started the engine and the clutch pedal wouldnt return.

had to get recovered, anyhow

checked the brake fluid and its not too low - so it hasnt all drained out

i cant see any leaks around the master cylinder or along the line that goes into the gearbox ( looks like my car has the slave cylinder inside the gearbox)

Questions ,
1 if the master cylinder had failed would it be leaking fluid? I can see it being depressed by the clutch pedal but its not returning the pedal to its normal position

2 is there any way to find out how much pressure is inside the system, i assume that if there is little or no pressure then the fluid has to be going somewhere so i assume its inside the bell housing

is there a drain plug on the bell housing so that i can check if the fluid is inside the housing

if i replace the slave then i will also replace the clutch but would rather do that as a last resort

car didnt have any clutch issues before this

[Crasher]

The 02M release is inside the bell housing and I have replaced many. I always give people the option of replacing the master cylinder but I don’t recall this ever working. I have only seen a concentric leak once on a 7M Sharan and that was because the mechanic fitting the new one made a mistake.

[jeepster1961]

hi, any ideas how i can confirm that its the slave thats leaking, i cant see anything leaking from where the gearbox bolts to the engine

[jeepster1961]

would it be worth pressurising the system using something like this sealey VS820 and then check for leaks [COLOR=var(--ytd-video-primary-info-renderer-title-color, var(--yt-spec-text-primary))]
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[philipharmes]

Top the brake fluid up to a level you can monitor.

If it doesn't drop ( allowing a mm or 2 for brake pad wear ), you have no leak.

[jeepster1961]

hi all, bled the clutch using a kit from halfords, the clutch is back, i dont have a garage to work in so as soon as the weather improves i will look to replace the slave cylinder, the clutch and fly wheel were changed about 3 years ago by the prev owner

not going to drive it until ive found the source of the leak, ive left it with a bar pressing down on the pedal for a few hours and the level hasnt dropped

[TdiBlacky140]

There's a little metal dust cover between the engine / gearbox, you could take that off and maybe see if there's fluid in the bell housing.

Can you test the master cylinder by clamping the hydraulic hose just before the slave and seeing if the pedal depresses and returns then?
On the 6 speed I think there's a plastic pipe piece "can't remember it's proper name" that connects between the hydraulic line and the concentric slave piece sticking out of the bell housing, there's an o-ring on that but if it it were leaking I guess you'd see it externally.

[jeepster1961]

hi, thanks for the input, once it dries up i was thinking about removing the starter and getting something to look inside the bell housing but removing the cover you mention will be easier

ive put tissue on the floor inside the car around the master cylinder and nothings leaked onto the tissue and inside the bulkhead i have put tissue around the master cylinder and thats bone dry so unless its failed internally i am pretty sure that its not leaking from there.

its definitely leaked from the clutch system, and theres no fluid around where the pipe enters the bell housing so i assume it has to be the release bearing but i will clamp the hose and see what happens. its only a very slight leak, ive owned it for 2 years so i guesss it could have been like this for ages if the previous owner had filled it up before selling it on. i went out yesterday and it hasnt gone down much if any in the prev 24hrs and the clutch works fine

luckily i work from home so i dont need a car for work at the moment, i wont risk driving it incase the leaking fluid contaminates the clutch friction plate.

when we take it out in the spring i will check how much material is left on the plate and if its ok i will leave it as it is

thanks for the input and i will give those suggestions a try

is there a section on here for tools as i am thinking about getting a battery impact driver and not sure which one to get