Hiya! New to the board and to Volvo ownership. I'm a BMW 2002 guy who recently bought an '87 740ti sedan for a wintercar to save the old Bimmer from the salt. The Volvo's got an M46 tranny and 171k miles. So far, I've been impressed with its performance and straightforward layout.

It came with the problem of a clutch that fails to release completely -- almost all the way, but it grinds going into reverse with the engine on and can be tough to get into first and second. The clutch was supposedly replaced about a year ago, including a new Sachs kit and release arm. The clutch master is less than a year old as well.

Under the car while my wife worked the clutch, I saw the slave extend what looked to be a full range of motion without an obvious hitch in its gitalong. No leaks from it. I bled it using a Motive Products pressure bleeder with no change. The rubber hydraulic line is old and reveals cracks when bent contrary to its "set," but it's not obviously ballooning as the clutch cycles.

The boot is missing where the release arm enters the bellhousing, and the pivot point on the release arm was rusted and squeaking. I hit it with a carefully directed bit of PBlaster and smeared a dab of grease around it. No more squeak, but no better luck with the main issue of the clutch failing to release.

Any ideas? Could something (a bearing, perhaps) have been harmed inside the bellhousing due to the lack of that boot? Could this be a bad pilot bearing they forgot to change when they did the clutch (dunno if it was changed or not)? Or does this sound more like just a bad rubber line or slave cylinder?

The price will still have been right even if I have to change the clutch again, but I'd naturally like to avoid that.

Thanks in advance for your advice,
-Dave
'87 744ti, M46
'71 BMW 2002