Ok, just went to pick up my replacement clutch master cylinder at the parts store today (it had to be special ordered) and found that it's got a plastic body. I expected it to be an aluminum body much like the brake MC.

I hesitate using it, but then again for all I know the original is made of plastic, too and it survived 150K miles. It's hard to tell if it is plastic right now though since I haven't removed it yet. Are the clutch MCs typically made of plastic?

 

AFAIK yes.

 

Ah, ok. I'm a bit surprised, but if it works, it works....

But how does the hose connect to the MC? It looks like it comes with a O-ring and a pin. Near as I can tell, the hose fits down into the body of the MC and is held in place by the pin somehow. Again, I haven't removed the original MC yet (can't even see it very well) but from what I can tell there looks to be some sort of fitting that is held in there and the hose clamps onto it? The manual doesn't give instructions (other than saying the system should be replaced as a unit) and the replacment MC didn't include instructions, either....

 

uses a roll pin to secure the line, just tap it out and the line will come off

 

As much as I wish my C4 had a T56 instead of the grossly overpriced, notchy ZF6, I have to say that I'm incredibly impressed with the hydraulics of that system. My master cylinder is a steel bodied unit with the reservoir directly attached to it, and the slave cylinder is also a steel bodied piece. The tube connecting them is a steel braided line. It seems to be much heavier duty than the T5 parts, and thanks to an actual legitimate bleeder screw instead of a damned allen-head plug, bleeding it is a lot easier.