arrrrgh (was: re: happy clutch)

[ethan schartman <eschartman@domain.elided>]

alfisti,

('87 milano gold)
on the second test drive my clutch has become
non-operational. the symptoms were as follows:

1)normal operation
2)engagement postion of pedal moves closer to floor
(but otherwise "feels" like proper operation)
3)pedal runs out of travel for proper engagement (but
returns to normal position)
4)pump the pedal hoping to build enough pressure for a
shift.
5)pedal goes from 100% soft, to 100% hard - i.e. as
soon as the pedal moves past the top inch of
mechanical slop, the clutch engages instantly and the
pedal requires serious application of leg muscles to
operate.
6)clutch operational again, but darn heavy pedal.
7)clutch non-operational. heavy application of
pressure pushes pedal slowly to floor as fluid is
pumped out on to the pavement. pedal does not return.

here's what's been done:
*clutch slave and master cyls replaced 5k miles ago.
*clutch replaced as unit 
*pivot ball replaced
*clutch fluid flushed, replaced with valvoline DOT 3&4
synthetic
*pivot ball and clutch fork regreased

i did have a loud rattle, but was *100% sure* (until
last night) that i had just reassembled the exhaust
too tight and it was hitting the frame *exactly* like
it did last time i reconnected the exhaust. 

it's an unpleasant day for crawling under the car, so
i'm curious if anyone has any thoughts about what
happened? it seems likely that either my clutch or
slave cyl has jammed and i am pumping fluid past the
seals. how much resistance should i expect from the
clutch fork if i try to operate it manually (i.e.
disconnect the slave and put an extension on the
fork)? it seems fantastically unlikely that the slave
piston would get jammed in it's cyl, but can anyone
confirm this?

thanks,
-ethan schartman
'87 milano gold
princeton, nj
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