Slave clutch cylinder fails on my 2007 Suzuki Grand Vitara 4x4

My usually heavy clutch was sinking like a stone, not even coming back in a hurry.

BHPian Samurai recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Two days after picking up the car from the workshop, I ran into a new problem. I started the car and discovered that the clutch has become too light, and I can't change into 1st gear, no matter what. My usually heavy clutch was sinking like a stone, not even coming back in a hurry. The brake was working fine, only the clutch was having the problem. Luckily, I was at home, just 2Kms from the workshop. I called up and the workshop's mobile repair van showed up in 20 minutes. The mechanic concluded that the slave clutch cylinder could be leaking, but we couldn't spot any leaks. He pumped the clutch repeatedly and it started responding fine after 2 minutes.

Until then I was thinking that this will be the first time my Grand Vitara was stranded, requiring a tow to the workshop. No, I am not counting the many times it had to be towed out of an offroad trail, those were not due to mechanical issues.

Once the pressure came back, I drove it out of the basement and removed all the stuff from the car, so that they can take the car to the workshop. I also noticed a screeching noise from the fan belt mechanism, when we were looking for the possible leak.

By next day, the problems were diagnosed:

• Slave clutch cylinder needs replacement.
• Tensioner bearing needs replacement. They temporarily fixed the problem by spraying some lubricant, but it can dry off soon and start screeching again.

Meanwhile, I had to go around in auto rickshaw for my work and errands. Upon hearing this, the works manager asked if I want to drive it around until the parts arrive. I said YES, and rushed to the workshop and picked up the car. So, I have been driving around town since Friday in the GV with a faulty slave clutch cylinder. Only once the clutch just dropped like a stone, but it came back up after pumping couple times. I hope the parts will arrive this week and it can get back to normalcy. This is like my good old Jeep days, the vehicle is functional even with failed parts.

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