jmccart

Well, I just got home. What a royal pain in the rear. Stuff like this always happens on vacation. And always on a Thursday before a 3 day weekend.
The plastic tabs broke off of my clutch master cylinder while vacationing in Mammoth Lakes, CA (I live in Castaic, CA). I felt a lil' pop coming up to an intersection, then two pedal pushes later, I was clutch-less.

Fortunately the wife & other 2 kids came up 3 days after my son & I. So we had the Suburban. The only one I could find was 111 miles away in Carson City Nevada. I narrowed this down to the closest option. Friday they were closed. So we had to stay an extra night. Saturday I went there, and of course it is a lil' different. There are 3 diff. clutch slaves for a 2006 Ram (according to the guy). The master is narrower, the rod was longer, and the line was kind of bent diff. But I still bought it & took it home ($240-something). I made it work. The rod was also narrower w/a smaller cup/ball on the end compared to my S.B. piece. I got it out by prying open the lil' prongs, then the fatter S.B. one could pushed in.

jmccart

few more photos

bluechrome

I followed your dads post and wished I coulda helped. I know what it's like to be broke down Far from anything. Glad to hear you made It work. The slave that broke was South bend unit?

jmccart

Thanx Bluechrome. Yes, it was a South Bend hydraulic upgrade set-up. I must say that this master cyl. was much harder to turn once pushed into the square hole, it took some muscle. The one that broke turned into position much easier. There was a lil' circular gasket between the S.B. piece and the firewall as well.

Thanx.

jepling

That has happened to me twice so far and both were south bend units

jmccart

I thought I was a loner on this one. I will make sure that I have a spare before my next travel from home.

Thanx.

Unit44

I'm surprised they make that outta plastic..... Is the factory unit plastic too??

StealthDiesel

Sorry to hear of your challenges while on vacation.. We have all been there.

What exactly broke on the slave cylinder? Any chance of posting pictures of the broken unit?

I'm surprised that the Southbend cluthc upgrade has any plastic parts to it at all.

Thanks, Joe...

mrblond

mine is, both master and slave. I always thought the SB's were metal housings.

chipmonk

is there anyone making a metal replacement? i've been considering a SB 3250 and would like to see if there's something out there to replace the plastic piece.

2500

no way a clutch slave cylinder is made out of plastic...

53 willys

Glad you made it John!!! I wish I could have help more..but nothing I could do was better or fatser then what you did.Yes it's true they "keyway" on the clutch master that holds the assembly to the firewall is plastic..on the stock ones and the SBC...I believe the SBC upgraded hydros are just an old dodge hydro set-up with a SS line???

jmccart

Hey guys. The slave cyl. was fine. The dodge slave I got was all plastic, the SB unit has a metal flange behind the plastic flange that bolts to the bell-housing, if I recall correctly.

Thanx for the help 53 ******. After it broke, I called him for ideas.

jmccart

Hey Stealth, can you see that the 3rd & 5th photo of the master cyl?here are 4 sides of the black plastic that are lighter in color. That is where the the plastic tabs were protruding. When put into the square hole of the firewall, you then twist so the 4 tabs are behind the sides of the firewall square. They snapped off and the whole master cyl. would no longer be held in the firewall.

n2moto

Just so I have it clear. When you pushed in the pedal you couldn't disengage the clutch? Or would the clutch not lock up?

Nothing like a bit of drama on your vacation.