Clutch Master Failure?

[chitownrbike]

My 02 (non-abs) clutch hydraulics are simply gone. There does not appear to be any fluid leaking and the area around the slave is clean and dry. I simply can not get any pressure and I suspect the master has failed. BMW has a rebuild kit that I can order, but I was just wondering if anyone else has experienced this particular issue as I do not know how to confirm if this is the problem...

[R601968]

When my clutch slave cylinder went there was no sign of leakage. I would try to blead the master using the bleeder valve. The bleeder valve is zip tied to the frame under the seat on the left side just above the passenger foot peg. If you can bleed and get the clutch to work, it is not the master, it is the slave if the pressure is soon lost. Hope this helps and good luck. Pain to replace the slave.
John

[maduko]

Remove the reservoir cover and check for fluid first. If it's empty you probably have a dead slave.

If there is fluid slowly pull in the lever and see if there is a "spurt" in the bottom. You might cover it with a rag to keep fluid from getting on you or the bike. If you see fluid moving around then your master isn't completely dead. Try bleeding it as suggested.

Also, one way to diagnose the master vs. the slave- if you loose pressure when slowly pulling the lever, but it will maintain pressure with a quick pull, it's an indication of a bad master.

[Sunbeemer]

The bleeder valve is zip tied to the frame under the seat on the left side just above the passenger foot peg

He meant the right side.

And, there is a seal between the slave cylinder and the transmission housing that would probably prevent any hydraulic fluid from leaking out there, so the only place it has to go from the slave cylinder is along the diaghram pushrod and onto the clutch plate. This is not good, so check to see if you have fluid in the window of the clutch reservoir, and try to bleed any air out of the lines if you do. Maybe you made a sudden evasive manuever while pulling in the clutch and got some air in it?

Hope it's simple to fix.

[chitownrbike]

I tore the master apart and I do believe it had problems as it was barely pushing anything. I ordered the parts today so hopefully in a week or so I can put it back together and see if that was the whole problem or merely the easy portion. Doing a clutch goes beyond PITA status, and even replacing the slave looks major fugly. Might be time for a new ride, should know soon.