Anyone got any tips for a non mechanic to replace the clutch slave cylinder on my 08?

It's not a job for the faint hearted, as the gearbox needs to be removed to access the concentric slave. So you might as well replace the rest of the clutch and check the flywheel is still serviceable while the box is out the way. 2009 Rimini Red SE TD4. Soon to be sold.
Hyundai Ioniq 5 Ultimate on order.
Gone. 2006 Tonga Green i6 HSE.

If your talking the concentric slave cylinder then its a involved job. have you tried bleeding it first, I think from memory the bleed nipple is on the bellhousing , where the flexi pipe joins the gearbox. post back with your actual symptoms and if you are lucky, someone with more experience than me will advise

Hi no problem
So clutch pedal is stuck to the floor, i took off the scuttle panel and the master has no leaks, the inside of the cabin has no fluid, i took the undercover off the engine bay i can see some some of fluid dripping from the seam between gearbox and engine

That does sound like concentric slave has let go then assuming its not from the pipework above the gearbox, cant remember exact route but i'm sure pipes come out of bulkhead and then become flexible from a fitting on the bulkhead. Mine leaked from the flexible connection where it enters the gearbox. I'd have a really good look all round the top of the bell housing to check nothing has run down and looks like it leaking from within. If not, then its gearbox off job, at which point if you haven't done clutch / dmf recently then it would be sensible to really check it and renew if any wear.

there is a link on here to the workshop manual which will give you a better insight into whats involved

Having changed the clutch and concentric slave on our Fabia VRS several years ago - I can tell you that even little gearboxes are surprisingly heavy - be careful .

The Fabia's gearbox slipped off the jack whilst I was lying underneath which caused a nerve injury that took months to recover from.

The post ramps on the farm next door were out of action and so I raised the car up onto axle stands - not doing that again. Jules

rik88 wrote:

Anyone got any tips for a non mechanic to replace the clutch slave cylinder on my 08?

Would love too mate but with the price of the parts being about £100 and every garage around me wanting to charge over 700 cannot really justify it, ive got to try it myself

If you're an experienced DIYer then it's possible to do. However it's a long old job, and will be physically demanding.
All the parts you are removing are heavy, and can't really be dropped without damage. The gearbox is over 60Kg, and is awkwardly balanced making handling and alignment when refitting a pain.

Also if you're only spending £100, you're not spending enough for the amount of work involved.
You want to be fitting a 3 part clutch kit as a minimum, and get one made by LUK, who is the OE supplier.
You'll also need to measure the free play in the flywheel, and be prepared to replace that too, if it's outside of specification.

You'll need 2L of oil for the gearbox, and another litre of oil for the PTU.
Officially you're also supposed to replace the propshaft flange bolts, but as they're not torqued to yeald, simply applying some thread lock will keep them from working loose.
Make sure all bolts removed are tightened with a torque wrench to the correct specification, as it's too easy to strip threads or breaking bolts, causing more grief than needed.

Have a good read of the manual, and print out all the relevant pages to help you when you're all dirty. 2009 Rimini Red SE TD4. Soon to be sold.
Hyundai Ioniq 5 Ultimate on order.
Gone. 2006 Tonga Green i6 HSE.

From memory, jack up front and put on axle stands, remove front wheels. remove ball joints both sides from lower arms. drain gearbox oil. remove bolts from driveshaft ends and pull hubs away and to one side, secure with bungee straps. Remove drive shafts from gearbox. remove gear cables from top of gearbox, remove flexible hydraulic hose connection and bag up, be careful, I broke mine. Isolate battery, remove starter motor. remove wires for reversing light switch. Put support under engine, ideally trolley jack / equivalent. Support gear box with another trolley jack, remove top gearbox mount, i think you need to remove air box to gain full access. Carefully lower the gearbox / engine so it tilts down, engine must be supported undersump with jack and wooden block. remove bolts and nuts round bell housing, some are from engine side, some from gearbox side. make a note of location as they are different lengths. Separate gearbox from engine, keep supported to avoid damaging input shaft and move out from under car. It is very heavy, and bulky and will need extreme care to avoid the body itself. Cant remember if the subframe needs lowering aswell, quite possible it does. This is not a 5minute task, so be prepared. I may have missed out some steps, it been a while, but this should give you a point in the right direction. I would give serious thought about swapping the clutch while its out, and check very carefully the DMF. I got mine from Advanced factors and its been fine since i did it, even though everything else is falling apart like.

Quick update on this i have finally started on getting it done, got stuck trying to get the ball joints off the hub that took over a week now im stuck trying to get the passenger side drive shaft out. overall its being a nightmare

is there some sort of special tool for removing shafts?

thanks

A pry bar is all you need to pop a CV from a box.
I don't want to sound rude, but if your having trouble with simple tasks like ball joints and popping the drive shafts, you're probably not experienced or equipped enough for this job.
You really should be paying a professional to do it. 2009 Rimini Red SE TD4. Soon to be sold.
Hyundai Ioniq 5 Ultimate on order.
Gone. 2006 Tonga Green i6 HSE.

As suggested it's not for the faint hearted but stick with it buddy.. Take your time and be careful - everything surprisingly heavy.. Including DMF.. which I replaced (not cheap either).. I removed subframe also but rust treated it while it was off... Took me 3days in the street with Jack's and axle stands... Lining it all up is a ... So was bleeding up afterwards.. I found reverse bleeding easier hope this helps mate.

Nodge68 wrote:

A pry bar is all you need to pop a CV from a box.
I don't want to sound rude, but if your having trouble with simple tasks like ball joints and popping the drive shafts, you're probably not experienced or equipped enough for this job.
You really should be paying a professional to do it.