I have a Saturn Manual 2007 Vue. In the AM clutch pedal flops to floor and cant shift until I turn car off ...put it into gear and pump clutch alot to get air going through. Then I can drive but stick feels stiff. I was told transmission had to be removed to get to the slave cylinder to fix. Over 1000.00 Can I try bleeding the system to see if there is a way I can avoid this cost?? Car has 170, 000 miles and I bought it 6 months ago.

The clutch fluid is actually brake fluid, which absorbs water. The water in the fluid will freeze when enough is absorbed and destroy the hydraulic portion. Clutches should be bled out every 2 years, just like brake fluid. At this point, bleeding would be useless. I found the entire clutch hydraulic system for less than $100 online (not the pedal and clutch itself mind you, just the hydraulic portion). $1000 seems insane to replace the part, unless your mechanic needs to replace the throwout bearing on the transmissions input shaft as well. But with an exploded cap, and black fluid I would just replace the hydraulic portion first.

So what u mention should not create extreme labor on a mechanics part...correct? ..Removing the transmission to replace the slave cylinder is what is so costly on my car. Thank u for ur encouaging advice.

The slave cylinder is actually pictured above, it is part of the clutch hydrsulic assembly. The assembly consists of the master cylinder, the reservoir, the tubing and lastly the slave cylinder, which is the t shaped part at the bottom most portion of that picture. The entire unit should be replaceable with the motor/transmission in the vehicle. Pop the hood on your vue and trace the hydraulic line from the firewall down to the transmission, the slave cylinder is retained on the outside of the transmission, and the small piston are simply sits in a hole in the case, as the fluid components of the clutch system are never put inside the case itself. The worst part about replacing that system to me looks like getting under the dash to disconnect the clutch pedal, and then bleeding the system out after.

Well i will certainly bring this suggestion to another mechanic who i am seeing tomorrow. I surely hopes he agrees and that pulling the transmission wont be necessary. I hope he agrees with what u have suggested. Maybe better news after all.

I hope so as well. Either way a second opinion is totally appropriate in this situation. Good Luck! And let us know out what happens.

Absolutely. Thank u!

So far your response seems to make sense. I mentioned to the "4th" mechanic today that removing the transmission should not be necessary. He said he cannot know until he gets in there and checks it out. But he did say it sounds like a hydraulic issue.. Each mechanic before him says the slave unit is in the bell housing located in (or by) the transmission and that because ot that the transmission has to be removed. Does that make sense?

....in the meantime Im still driving...once I pump it and get it going in the morning it drives pretty normal all day...just not sure how much longer that can last. The cant give me a quote till after the holidays...

4th mechanic is more on track (not to be confued with a word play on 'moron'). Normally when a clutch issue is reported, most mechanics will look at the transmission internals, and bypass the clutch hydraulic circuit. The slave is on the outside, hydraulic is not routed inside the case (literally no room for it on a modern vehicle, feel free to ask why). All the slave cylinder does is press on the throwout bearing armature/fork to disengage the clutch.... A horribly worn clutch will be problematic, but you have already stated warnings with the clutch hydraulic system. A lot of people will blame the clutch, when the main problem is the hydraulic circuit. Can a bad clutch hydraulic circuit destroy the clutch??? Absolutely.

That just makes SO much sense and the mechanics seem to bypass that most essential aspect either because they "forgot" or they just want to get the most out of someone who they assume doesnt "get it!" (Which of course, I didnt until you came up with this very real possibility!) I do want to add...about 2 days before this incident happened (about 5 days ago)...a check engine light came on and has been on since? Could that have been some kind of a warning signal regarding this issue? Could a sensor have anything to do with this at all?

Hello Guru BT3 LW (lol) Got in my car this mornng..pumped as usual...and it seems this time I cant get the shifter to budge. Is this the the end ?

About the warning light, it's an emissions/engine related code. The manual transmission doesn't communicate with the cars computer like an automatic would. Can't get the shifter to move? Do you park the car in gear (I usually park my manuals in 1st gear with the brake on) or is it in nuetral?

Either way it seems like the clutch hydraulic system is now completely dead.

GOT IT GOING! Took a little longer this morning maybe because it was cold outside (Fla). But not sure .anyway its driving ok as it has been. Not sure how long it will keep going for me. Hoping to be able to drive it around my neighborhood until I get it fixed after the holidays... I usuallly park it in neutral at night and pump it in AM ..get it into gear and turn on the engine (and hope it shifts gears . But I will keep it in gear from now own when I park. Good idea...maybe that will help it in the morning. I cannot thank you enough for your help. Just moved to a new area.and dont know anyone around yet. So getting any honest opinion with my car is a tricky situation as I have seen already.