Dear All

I've been a bit quiet on here recently, mainly because I haven't had any mechanical problems; it's been more the slow deterioration of metal in the British drizzle.

However there is one thing that I need advice on. When I am performing a rather tricky reverse (say backing into a tight space) and my clutch is down for a few seconds, the pressure sometimes drops completely. I can feel the pedal getting loose, and the car creeping backwards on its own. The gear then becomes difficult to change. This has also happened in first gear, say waiting to pull out. Once I've got the gear in neutral and lifted the clutch, it's fine.

I'm not losing any fluid from the master cylinder, and the slave was replaced for a new one last year. I'm using DOT 5 silicone.

Why would the hydraulic pressure disappear just because I keep the clutch down longer than a few seconds?

Thanks for any advice

Tom