Miata clutch cylinders

I had a hydraulic failure in the Manic Miata's clutch yesterday. I shouldn't bitch because the car ran flawlessly all day at the autocross. But I'm going to bitch anyway because it chose to fail while towing the tire trailer in bumper to bumper interstate traffic on a stretch with no shoulder through a very bad part of town. I did manage to limp it home, luckily, with a lot of strategic driving, rev-matching, and a few in-gear starts.

By the time I got home, I did get enough pressure back that I was able to put the car in the garage without running over my toolbox.

That was last night after a long day so I haven't really checked the fluid level at the master. Pending confirmation, I'm assuming it's the slave cylinder... but the corollary question is this:

The slave looks easy, but in a 21-year-old car with 110,000+ miles on it, should I preemptively do the master and the line between them? I do not know the replacement history on those items. I ask, because in the Manic Miata there is a lot of complicated hardware, a coolant reroute, and the intake piping burying easy access to the firewall and intake side of the engine.

Any thoughts or suggestions? Thanks.

Did it really last 21 years? If it did that's amazing. I've replaced mine twice now since '09.

I'd do both and the SS clutch line. Too cheap not to.

I don't know the replacement history. I've had the car for about 6 years and I haven't done it. My real issue is the clutch line, since it seems to go through a very congested area I have no easy access to at all.

I replaced this:

..with this:

I think the slave cylinder came from Rock Auto and the line came from 949 Racing. It was cheap and fairly easy. Plus, it was much easier to bleed.

It's getting that bracketry removed that's giving me nightmares.

Look under the dash at the back of the master cylinder. If it's wet, you need to replace the master.

I think Mazda is physically incapable of specifying clutch hydraulics that last...

If it were me I'd do the slave and the line based on experience. Have had three slave cyls fail and one line fail, out of 5 pretty well worn Miatas. Plus one brake master. Haven't lost a clutch master let go yet, knock on wood.

Duke wrote: It's getting that bracketry removed that's giving me nightmares.

Woody wrote:

Duke wrote: It's getting that bracketry removed that's giving me nightmares.