Can infrequent use and onset of cold temps cause a master cylinder to fail?
 

Hello fellow Acuranauts !
In a 1997 but well maintained CL 2.2 5spd, garaged in cold weather and driven short distances approximately every two weeks the clutch master cylinder is decidedly defunct.

While trying to schedule the fastest replacement possible with local authorized and general mechanics and advising them the current cylinder is only eight years old, more than one mechanic but not more than half suggested it was the infrequent usage combined with onset of winter temperatures that has prematurely worn out the master cylinder.

Although this is a news to me I don't suppose it is out the realm of possibility since I had to replace an aging battery in the rarely driven car.

Is this master cylinder malfunction common to all infrequently used cars, just Acura/Honda's or a known issue with the late 90's CL's?

If an additional detail makes a difference, about a week ago when just garanging with another car in cold temps, the clutch was showing symptoms when it refused to enter gear and just flooring the clutch and pressing the gear shifter against first like a flat hand against a solid wall was slowly generating forward momentum until speed build up to enter gear and drive around the block. I just attributed it to cold weather and was in too much of a hurry at the moment to necessarily become concerned troubleshoot.
I don't think I've ever changed the clutch fluid and unaware if I needed to at any interval.


Thanks in advance for your valuable and varied input of crowd wisdom.

Apologies if this has already been answered but searches for keyterms returned valuable threads on replacing and selecting performance master cylinders

This will have to be looked up unless someone was lucky enuff to have the same problem as you..We shall see :)