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[polilara]

Hello all

Daughter phoned, out Astra have some kind of sticking problem in clutch pedal. I can tell only what she told, (you know what this means). However, she can start the engine and put gear on but it is difficult to get pedal up back. When it is back up the car moves and when switching to 2nd gear it works but hard to press pedal and difficult to get it back up. What's this all about...

[Fraggles Rock]

Failed slave or master cylinder most likely.

But, it could be a brake fluid leak that has dropped the fluid level to the lower edge of the clutch feed. Most hydraulic clutch cars have this as a safety feature so that if the level drops suddenly, you lose the clutch just before the brakes.

Probably the first, but because it could be the second, she should stop driving the car immediately until it is fixed.

[dave the builder]

Let's not rule out "floor mat > correct location failure" etc 

[Viral_Jim]

I had this intermittently on the Zaf, same engine and gearbox as I understand it, it was a failed master cylinder in my case. In my case the failure progressed to it being hard to select a gear and ultimately the clutch not properly disengaging at all.

The part was about £25 on ebay for one in a genuine GM holographed baggy.

Changing it on the zaf involved wipers and scuttle panel off, remove a locking tab and take off the tube off where it connects down to the slave. There is also a second smaller tube that just clips into the reservoir. Then on the inside, take off a lower trim panel, remove the clip and pin that secures the slave cylinder to the pedal and undo a couple of 10mm nuts. Swap old for new and assembly is the reverse of removal as they say. Some people on forums had issues bleeding the system afterwards, but I found that part ok to do.

Truth be told I found working inside the car a bit of an ar$e to do as its up under the dash and I only had a basic toolkit. Also, I'm too fat for lying upside in the footwell of a car.

I would imagine its going to be 1hr labour max at a garage so <£100 to get someone to sort it for you. 

EDIT: Just seen you're in Finland, so I have no idea how much it would cost at a garage 
 

[polilara]

Thanks for all comments, sitting now in bus 100km to take the car home if clutch engages and thus do not slip. Difficult to understand what happeen. Perhaps clutc sylinder/pressure bearing gone. I report if I can drive.

[polilara]

Car is at home now. Interesting clutch pedal: when pressing slowly it can be sticky and heavy (not every time) when pressed down and when on the floor can stay there even foot taken away for a while and then comes back up suddendly. You can even put any gear on when engine runnig and car does not move. So master or slave sticking. Better to take gear box away and change this stupid part, combined slave and pressure bearing. When pedal up you can drive normally. No slip. It was interesting to drive 100km without touching it just for sure. But here I am. Any ideas?

[dave the builder]

Does sound like the master cylinder
if the concentric slave in the bell housing was failing then I'd imagine it would leak
so if the brake /clutch reservoir is still full and no leaks then I'd just replace the master cylinder
which is a lot less work 

[polilara]

That's true dave the builder. But there is a bleeding nipple just above the slave tube going thrue the "bell". If pedal in sticking mode and I open the nipple and if clutch is then engaged then master is sticking. If not slave sticking. I could check when one front corner up and rotating the wheel when gear on... 

[TheBoy]

I saw similar on a Mini when the pedal's pivot had rusted and become sticky.

[Doctor Gollum]

Car is at home now. Interesting clutch pedal: when pressing slowly it can be sticky and heavy (not every time) when pressed down and when on the floor can stay there even foot taken away for a while and then comes back up suddendly. You can even put any gear on when engine runnig and car does not move. So master or slave sticking. Better to take gear box away and change this stupid part, combined slave and pressure bearing. When pedal up you can drive normally. No slip. It was interesting to drive 100km without touching it just for sure. But here I am. Any ideas?

Did you check the brake fluid level?

[polilara]

Fluid level ok. Maybe I need some terminology help to make this clear. The problem is that clutch stays "open" so car doesn't move althouh gear on and engine running. Perhaps right word is that it is disengaged all the time when sticking. It should be engaged to be able to drive. So not a fluid level problem. Pedal  pivot ok as well.

[Fraggles Rock]

If there's any noise/change as the clutch moves, then the release bearing is sticking. No noise would suggest a hydraulic issue. Expect to change both the master and the slave. If you're lucky the slave will be externally mounted, but changing the clutch at the same time is prudent if the gearbox needs to be removed.

[polilara]

https://www.vauxhallownersnetwork.co.uk/threads/astra-j-clutch-pedal-heavy-slow-releasing-back-up-help-advice.566465/#post-4226881

It is excactly this. Slave problem, combined with bearing if I understood this in a right way.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/293628387837

[Doctor Gollum]

In which case you'll be replacing the clutch as well

[polilara]

Yes, not a very sophisticated construction, less than 100 000 km behind and 12 years old car. Should last longer. Happy to have AR-25 after Y26SE in Omega...

[Doctor Gollum]

Sticking release bearing won't help reduce wear, that's for sure.