Hello! After my car had been sitting for several months (yes, it took me that long to get to the front injectors on my QV Cabriolet) I started the car (runs very nicely with the new injectors!) and discovered that my clutch pedal went to the floor with no resistance. The reservoir is full, and there are no leaks on the floor of the garage or on the carpet below the pedals, so an internal seal is shot, I think, either in the master or the slave. It sounds like the slave seals fail fairly regularly, so now it's time to go through the clutch hydraulics. I have seen several threads on potential cross-references to Alfas or Lancias for slave or master cylinders, but it sounds like the piston on the slave has a bigger diameter, so less foot pressure, but also less slave cylinder travel, so not an ideal solution? It is frustrating to pay 10x Alfa prices for a genuine Ferrari part that looks the same and undoubtedly came out of the same factory! But it appears that only Ferrari used the master and slave cylinders with these precise dimensions? So my options are to pay exorbitant prices for genuine Ferrari parts, or else get seals and rebuild the hydraulics myself? Guido sells/sold replacement seals, but maybe they aren't quite the same as the originals, according to some threads? This outfit in Belgium sells the seals and the hose: https://redbaycars.com/webshop.html#!/products/rubber-seals-for-clutch-mondial 35 Euro for the rubber seals and 65 for the hose, so 100 total, plus shipping, to get me back on the road?
When you have no leaks at all, even the slave seal does not leak (you have to lift the rubber protection to verify) then it can be the donut seal inside the master. I change me slave seal every 2 years, even it is not leaking. The others every 5 years. Seals you can find in a brake repair shop = slave seal has number = B3031 master seal with lip = B2027 master donut seal = B1043 This donut seal has an other diameter then original, but it is doing its job, closing the 4 holes when there is pressure on the sistem.
I am a first class novice but I just went through the same scenario on my 1986 3.2. I bought the Alfa part and it was very cheap 1/10 the price). The internal diameter is larger and it did not work properly. In retrospect I was not sure if I had bled the system correctly or not. Anyway when it didn’t work, I assumed it was the part and I got a new part from AW imports in New Jersey. I found them to be very helpful. Ultimately, after much trial and tribulation I got the slave cylinder in there. It took a very long time the first time and then I had to keep redoing it (5 times) and got very quick at it so there are a few steps which I would be happy to talk with you about that could really save you a ton of time. 301-801-0274. Ultimately I got the slave in there and I felt like it was connected properly etc. but the system still was not working. It would work if you depressed the clutch pedal a few times and it would build a pressure. I then assumed, I think correctly, that the master cylinder was the problem and I replaced that one also. Again I got the part from AW imports in New Jersey. The system is now working correctly. I also ended up replacing the clutch hose as that was leaking. That was another part that seemed way more expensive than it should’ve been. One of the key steps for me was bleeding the system properly. I got the power bleeder. If there’s any air in the line it doesn’t work. One of the key things on the master cylinder is that the bottom bolt is impossible to remove unless you have a thin socket wrench. I had to grind down a standard socket wrench attachment to gain access there but I literally worked on that boat all day before figuring out that the socket wrench was just too wide and I needed to grind it down. I posted the parts that I bought from AW imports below and I also posted the listings they have for the seals ( I might rebuild my original parts for fun). Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Below is a comparison between Alfa left and oem right slave. Again, I am not sure if the Alfa part would have worked if I had bled the system properly. The lesson I learned was that the time is the more “expensive” part of these repairs not the parts. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Thank you for this information....I opted to purchase the seals and the hose from a shop in Belgium and I'm planning to rebuild and reinstall (the parts should arrive any day). I'd heard about the bolt being impossible without a thin-wall socket, and I've also read that the cotter pin under the dash (connecting the pedal to the master cylinder piston) is a tricky one to remove and replace.
Good luck with the rebuild. I may ask you how that goes at some point. Regarding the pin under the dash, the hard part is getting the pin through the fork and the clutch arm, probably not the right word, that is under the dash. I think we Put the master cylinder through the firewall with the pin in place then lifted the pin with a thin instrument, slid the fork in between and the with some wiggling of the master cylinder the pin dropped. Cotter pin is easy, that just holds the other pin in place. I think we got it on the first try. That lower bolt was the hard part of this job. Good luck! Image Unavailable, Please Login
Depending on your luck getting the pin through can take a long time. Shortcut : You can line them up with a 8mm drill bit from below, lower it so the pin can drop (or be convinced with a hook tool from the other side).
I have installed the Alfa slave in my Mondial I had leaks in the original one every 3 yrs The Alfa part has been installed since 2013 Works perfectly Pedal force is reduced since the dia is bigger
This thread brought back memories on how the clutch hydraulics drove the previous owner and myself nuts. I replaced the slave twice and the master once. Not cheap as I used Ferrari parts. Pedal kept going down after a few months. Very hard to press. I then decided to replace BOTH master and slave with the Alpha Romeo parts. The diameters of the Alpha are different than the Ferrari ones, but the relationship between master and slave is about the same. Ferrari parts are in the $xxx each and the Alpha parts were in the $50 range. I just tried it. The Alpha master clutch cylinder has threads on it, I drilled them out. You need to reuse the attachment to the pedal from the Ferrari part. BTW, if anybody has an old one to sell, please PM me as mine is getting worn out. The banjo on the slave was not easy to install, kept leaking. Not sure why. Replaced several copper washers, different sizes until there were no leaks. I also replaced the old hose from the brake fluid reservoir to to master cylinder. It is a special braided hose, ordered online. Don't use a fuel line or radiator hose! After replacing that hose, the brake fluid in the reservoir remains clear. The Alpha clutch combo works wonders, like a brand new car. It's been 10 years and going strong. No more pumping the clutch before starting the engine. I suspect the clutch is softer now because both cylinders are slightly larger in the Alpha. Go figure. Cheers, Richard 1984 Ferrari Mondial QV Cab. White/burgundy interior.
Is the Slave replacement done under the dash? I am a novice but, can follow directions well. My clutch went to the floor last weekend when I started it. I shut her down and looked around thinking it was a cable/connection issue. Started back up and it worked. Today, went to take her out and pedal went to the floor. Have been reading up and think this is something I can do but, not sure where to start.
?? its very clear that novice part ! Clutch on mondial is hydrolic....master under the dash, slave on the left side of the engine....
Here you find several writings on that subject = https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/threads/qv-clutch-slave-cylinder.357008 https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/threads/mondial-slave-cylinder-seal.155507 https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/threads/mondial-clutch-master-rubbers-only.187445
To keep this up-dated.... Seals can be find on internet https://ccparts.nl/product NO affiliaton ! Put the numbers in the search part "zoeken" and you find the right seal + price (exl.VAT). slave seal has number = B3031 master seal with lip = B2027 master donut seal = B1043 Slave seal also used on FERRARI 365 GT4 BB 00/1973-12/1976 – for clutch slave cylinder
