3 minutes ago, KiReg said:

Unable to bleed new slave cylinder. Even tryed back bleeding through the nsf caliper.

Am I misunderstanding this ?

Do the Clutch and Brake system share a common system on the Fiesta ?

They tried to bleed the clutch via the nsf caliper. I didn't know that was possible but I guess it must be if Evan Halshaw are saying thats what they did.

23 minutes ago, unofix said:

Do the Clutch and Brake system share a common system on the Fiesta ?

Yeah, only the one reservoir under the bonnet.

So the guy is saying the slave failed, so presumably the leaking fluid contaminated the clutch linings leading to evidence of clutch slip, and the slave failure blew the master cylinder as well.

Still seemed a bit odd that there was no evidence of fluid level dropping, though, (could have been caught in the undertray I suppose) and no clutch slip symptoms were experienced, though leaked fluid would certainly smell if it got somewhere hot.

Also (if I heard him right) he's saying that the blown slave cylinder was caused by slipping the clutch? Heard of plenty of cases where slipping/riding the clutch excessively has caused wear to the clutch plates, but not heard that one before. Again, I suppose holding the clutch pedal fully/partially down to an excessive degree could have put abnormal strain on the slave cylinder seals? Maybe a previous owner was holding the clutch pedal down for lengthy periods to avoid triggering the stop/start?

 Evans would have changed the clutch as a matter of course. Knowing the slave cylinder's reputation, most of us would have drawn the same conclusion. If the slave had failed in its usual failure mode, it is possible that the master has been pushed beyond its usual throw when the pedal went all the way to the floor and that has caused the diaphragm seal to distort meaning that no pressure can build up in the system which explains the absence of fluid loss.  Sounds completely reasonable.

I' m sorry but you will just have to chalk it up to experience. Cars break and they cost an awful lot to repair if you cannot do it yourself. They are not cheap when you can!

7 minutes ago, anon said:

Cars break and they cost an awful lot to repair if you cannot do it yourself. They are not cheap when you can!

We keep reminiscing/moaning about old cars but I guess one advantage they had in this case is that clutch slave cylinders used to be mounted externally and repair/replacement was a simple DIY job.😀

As was putting a new seal in the master!

Lucky to get a hydro system on older cars tbf....I seemed to be constantly laying on the floor with my arm up the bulkhead replacing clutch cables in my 306 days!  

We had Leyland's finest at the time with hydraulic clutches.  That and Joe Lucas  made us a generation of great mechanics, improvisers  and diagnosticians!

2 hours ago, TomsFocus said:

Lucky to get a hydro system on older cars tbf....I seemed to be constantly laying on the floor with my arm up the bulkhead replacing clutch cables in my 306 days!  

Depends what you mean by "older"  I suppose!😀 For me, things seemed to start with hydraulic, moved to cable, now back to hydraulic. All fun in their own way.

2 hours ago, anon said:

We had Leyland's finest at the time with hydraulic clutches.  That and Joe Lucas  made us a generation of great mechanics, improvisers  and diagnosticians!

Ah, Joseph Lucas - aka "the Prince of Darkness" long before Ozzy Osbourne came along!😀

California XK-E club tee shirt :" Why do limeys drink warm beer? Because Lucas make their fridges."