I bought a 2004 x-type with a manual 5 speed. Had about 95K on it and within 6 months the clutch slave cylinder blew leaving me stranded. I replaced it myself, learning lots along the way, and now, about 7 months later we have the same problem. This time it blew even more suddenly. Is there a known defect with these parts? I'm prepared to replace it, but I don't want to have to keep doing this. It is a Ford part. Anyone plagued by the same problem?

 

95k is probably reasonable for clutch component life. What did you replace it with? (Meaning was it a cheap Chinese knock off from eBay.) My 03 has 75K and no problems. Also, any evidence of flywheel vibration?

 

Yeah, the first one didn't really bother me at it was right around 100k. The replacement was stamped as a Ford part, I believe it said it was made in Germany. I have a second replacement. It has the Jaguar sticker on the box and says it is made in Germany, but "Ford" is not stamped on the part. I have no sense of vibration from the flywheel which seemed OK when I did the job last time. I wonder if they overheat. I don't ride the clutch, but being an internal part seems to make it more liable to overheating. Thanks for the reply.

 

I did a little "failure analysis" and I'm quite sure what problem led to two slave cylinders blowing within a year. One of the mounting bolts was stripped and quite loose. I noticed this the first time I changed the slave cylinder, but I didn't think much of it given that it is a steel bolt threaded into cast aluminum (easily stripped), plus there are two other bolts holding it in place. I put some loctite on the threads and didn't think much more of it. What I didn't notice is that those three bolts not only hold the slave cylinder in place, they basically hold the casting together -- in terms of hydraulic pressure that is. With one bolt loose the back of the casting will begin to leak and eventually blow out. In other words if you apply hydraulic pressure to the slave cylinder without mounting it the back of the casting will blow out. The solution? Simply a longer bolt. There was another half inch of good thread unused in the transmission. I bought three longer bolts and now it is mounted tight. I doubt I will be changing the slave any time soon. I am so relived. This job is a real time consuming hassle for the home mechanic. I would have been doing it again in 6 months if I hadn't found this -- either that or selling the car! For those of you who have never driven an X-Type with a 5 or 6 speed manual, do try it if you get a chance. It is a real treat. Cheers!