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Another Slave Cylinder thread - Changing it up

4957 Views 16 Replies 7 Participants Last post by  Goodluckgluck
Car is a 2018 Cruze Hatch diesel, 6 mt obviously based on this thread... Currently has ~78k miles.

Started about a week ago where clutch was engaging early, yesterday decayed to pedal sticking to floor, unable to shift into gear.

I put the car on the lift and noticed a drop of brake fluid on the bottom of the bellhousing, so slave cylinder was leaking by. I'm hesitant to put the same all plastic piece of trash back in. I am thinking about getting the LUK LSC633 from the Sonic. Both cars use the M32 manuals. I can get the LSC633 from Napa locally Monday: NCF73633

I will have to make my own hardline, I have plenty of Nicopp brake line and a flaring tool here. I'm going to see if this Earls adapter will fit the Master Cylinder:
Earls 652504ERL

The local performance shop has on in stock. If it fits, I'll get a section of braided stainless -4 AN line to run to the hardline coming out of the trans.

Other notes:
It took me about 2 hours to get the trans out of the car with a lift and engine hoist to support the motor. Really not too bad of a job. Now whoever came up with the asinine way in which the master cylinder is mounted should be executed. I think I'm going to give up on the thought of replacing that for now. Remove the airbag, HVAC duct, brake booster, accelerator pedal, steering column, brake/clutch pedal carrier assembly, No thanks. I hate working under the dash.
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Where on the bellhousing was the drip? See my thread below; there is a drip on my transaxle that I am worried is the same thing. Cannot find where it is coming from.
Here are a couple pics. Right at the bottom.

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Here are a couple pics. Right at the bottom.
Thanks, that is very helpful. I think mine must be coming from somewhere else as I don't see any near the weep hole (?) that yours seems to be coming out of. Mine is a much smaller amount, just appears as a drip but enough to be collecting in the underbelly liner. Good luck on the rest of your project ... will be interested to hear if your modifications work out, since I think all of us with manuals may end up facing this sooner or later.

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Yeah that doesn't look to be the same issue there. That could be the seal there leaking or a leak from some porous casting maybe?

As far as the slave cylinder goes, I'll have to measure them for appropriate travel, etc. The previous gen Cruze is an LSC590 from LUK.

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I ordered an LSC590 and an LSC633 from my local parts stores and just picked them up. The LSC590 appears to have been updated and now looks to be identical to the one I removed. Initial measurements have the same extended height, compressed height, ID and OD. It is also all plastic. I'll do some more checking later. The LSC633 also appears to have been updated and is now all plastic. Both have the quick connect fitting on the body and the molded plastic line. It appears my thoughts of doing the metal line conversion, at least all the way from the slave, is not a reality, I do not think there will be room for an adapter inside the bellhousing.
I wonder what percentage of manual transmission Cruze will eventually be affected by the defective slave cylinders. Do you think it will approach 100% of those still on the road?
I wonder what percentage of manual transmission Cruze will eventually be affected by the defective slave cylinders. Do you think it will approach 100% of those still on the road?
I'd image pretty high. Near 100% wouldn't surprise me. I'd imaging i'll be doing this again. The good thing is that this car is pretty easy to work on. WAYYYY easier than the civic it replaced. A car that is easy to work on but requires lots of work is only marginally better than one that is awful to work on but seldom requires work...

Based on my findings, the LSC590 is a direct replacement for the '18 Cruze diesel manual. All of the measurements were identical. The LSC633 has a larger extended and compressed height and a different configuration around the transmission input shaft. The LSC590 is listed for the '11-'15 cruze manual. Since LUK is the OEM, all the slaves have been updated to the new plastic design. That being said there are several manufacturers for the '11-'15 cruze slave cylinders (Valeo, Sachs, Centric, etc.) that will perhaps continue to make them out of aluminum as pictured.

While my old truck has been getting me around town just fine, It is not something I want to use for daycare pickups or the 100 mile commute to work. I have put my car back together with the LSC590 all plastic slave cylinder and new lines from GM as recommended by the TSB. https://www.cruzetalk.com/threads/clutch-is-stuck-to-the-floor.248596/post-3280978
I will finish bleeding the clutch today and refill the transmission today, Nothing extraordinary to report.

Basic Process:
Disconnect battery
Remove Wheel liners, bumper cover, (headlights maybe, I did both, but perhaps only drivers side for more room),
remove PCM and bracket, remove overflow tank. There was also 1 power cable that I removed from the positive power bus on the fuse panel.
Remove several brackets holding wiring to trans, shift cables and bracket.
Disconnect clutch lines.
Remove CV shafts (disconnect ball joints, tie rod ends, sway bar links),
Unbolt power steering rack from subframe, loosen drivers side of sway bar.
Remove transmission bracket form bottom side of engine.
Support radiator/intercooler package with strap(s).
Remove subframe (dont forget the two pyrometer controllers on the passenger side). **this can be done later if desired, but clears space for whatever you are using to support engine. You'll have to move the swaybar around a bit to clear the power steering rack. I did not remove the rack.
Support engine, remove drivers side transmission mount,
Remove bellhousing bolts, remove transmission, it is suggested that you lower the engine a bit to allow for transmission removal,

Install in reverse. Steps not necessarily in order. If you want more detail, go to AlldataDIY.com or Mitchel's DIY and buy a subscription. $15 for Factory Service Manual level instructions, for a year. I didn't really need the instructions, but handy reference for torque specs, or if you get stuck.


https://www.cruzetalk.com/threads/clutch-is-stuck-to-the-floor.248596/post-3280978
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that sounds like a lot of work lol
Yeah, to change a slave cylinder involved dropping the transmission?!

My Hyundai Accent had the slave cylinder mounted on the outside of the transmission case. You literally could remove NOTHING to change the slave cylinder. Maybe take the battery and tray out to make access easier, but it was a $10 part on the outside of the transmission case.

Why on Earth make that an internal part?
Stupidity, is the short answer.

I suspect the long answer is some MBA figured he could save 35 cents per car by making the throwout bearing and the clutch slave cylinder one item. Of course, that required the hydraulic space to be an annulus, so requires an OD and ID hydraulic seal. The one I replaced had grease everywhere, which I suspect was part of the issue that compromised the seals. The weird part is no hydraulic leak, but it would aspirate air somehow. The replacement from GM is a complete redesign (with no grease), so hopefully they addressed the issue. I’m sure the genius MBA got promoted to Vice President of something or another.
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The replacement from GM is a complete redesign (with no grease), so hopefully they addressed the issue.
I'd like to know if there is a redesigned part. I've not seen any evidence (such as a part number change) to indicate something was changed.
It is a worse motivation..
Dazzling the client test riding it, hint: women r the vetting partner (hubby wants a stick) pressing the clutch w 'LeBouttin' shoes, so a softer clutch is a must..

Then 'planned obsolescence' (designed to fail) kicks in (they are all in it together) and making it a '3 grand' job on an old car keeps everybody in the industry happy (U'r the lonesome looser on the evil deal😩).

PS: So, sadly, no stupidity here, just pure evil thinking.. Like Elon(musk) says about his 'daughter screwing father': -"He actually planned evil"... So another case of evil planing CEO 😭 Yeah, cry me a river!
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I'd like to know if there is a redesigned part. I've not seen any evidence (such as a part number change) to indicate something was changed.
Don’t know about the slave cylinder number, but the replacement cylinder (GM 55597066 is what I got for my 2017 diesel) is entirely different from what was originally installed. And the old version used a simple o-ring for the line connections; the new had a sort of lip seal that would not fit the original bleeder assembly, even though it has the same bore. So I used the old short line instead of the line sent with slave cylinder (with o-rings). There also is TSB PIP5558C, that describes another failure in the line from the master cylinder to the bleed fitting on the transmission. It has an accumulator in it that generates particles that get stuck in the bleed fitting, and the symptom is clutch pedal dropping to the floor without actuating the clutch. Got one on order, just in case.

I like my Cruze, but these sort of incidents support the idea that the government should have never bailed GM out.
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There also is TSB PIP5558C, that describes another failure in the line from the master cylinder to the bleed fitting on the transmission. It has an accumulator in it that generates particles that get stuck in the bleed fitting
I am fully aware of that TSB. The slave cylinder on my car failed TWICE and was replaced TWICE under warranty, and is still warrantied until Feb of 2024 from the second replacement.

From the failures in the EU and UK, they have a straight-up safety recall on the slave cylinders installed in Opel and Vauxhall vehicles. Doesn't matter who owns the vehicle, doesn't matter the age or mileage, they replace the slave cylinder and also replace a bunch of brake parts because the debris in the hydraulic fluid apparently contaminates those brake parts.

From that recall in the EU/UK, the debris in the hydraulic fluid is attributed to the seals on the slave cylinder failing and that debris shedding into the hydraulic fluid.
Don’t know about the slave cylinder number, but the replacement cylinder (GM 55597066 is what I got for my 2017 diesel) is entirely different from what was originally installed. And the old version used a simple o-ring for the line connections; the new had a sort of lip seal that would not fit the original bleeder assembly, even though it has the same bore. So I used the old short line instead of the line sent with slave cylinder (with o-rings). There also is TSB PIP5558C, that describes another failure in the line from the master cylinder to the bleed fitting on the transmission. It has an accumulator in it that generates particles that get stuck in the bleed fitting, and the symptom is clutch pedal dropping to the floor without actuating the clutch. Got one on order, just in case.

I like my Cruze, but these sort of incidents support the idea that the government should have never bailed GM out.

FYI the new design slave cylinder is not compatible with the part #s for the bleeder elbow and accumulator/line in PIP5558C.

I found that out the hard way after the elbow popped off when I was bleeding the clutch. I had to modify the new elbow so the retainer clip would actually latch onto the new slave.
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