Replacing the clutch slave cylinder on a Hyundai Excel is not difficult but it does require an assistant to aid in bleeding the air out of the hydraulic lines. The slave cylinder is on the side of the manual transmission. It is made of cast iron and held in place by two bolts. The job can be performed in under an hour.
Jack up the Excel and place jack stands under the frame. Lower the car onto the stands and make sure it is stable. Find the slave cylinder by following the steel line from the clutch master cylinder to the slave cylinder. The clutch master cylinder is bolted to the firewall next to the brake master cylinder. There is only one steel line leaving the clutch master cylinder.
Loosen the flare nut that carries the hydraulic fluid to the slave cylinder. Be sure to use a line wrench designed to apply even torque to the nut to prevent the nut from slipping. Catch the fluid in a drip pan. Completely remove the line -- being careful not to bend or kink it -- which will render it useless. Use a 3/8-inch socket and remove the two mounting bolts. Set the old stave cylinder aside.
Mount the new slave cylinder by hand-tightening the two mounting bolts. Leave the cylinder loose to allow movement. This will aid in starting the supply line into the threaded port. Make sure the line is straight because flare nuts can easily be cross-threaded. Once it is fully started and hand-tight, fully tighten the mounting bolts to secure the slave cylinder to the transmission. Finish tightening the flare nut with a flare nut wrench.
Fill the clutch master cylinder with brake fluid and have an assistant operate the clutch several times to pump fluid to the slave cylinder. Ask the assistant to keep steady pressure on the clutch pedal and loosen the bleeder valve. This will allow air and hydraulic fluid to escape. Ask the assistant to operate the clutch again to test for clutch pedal integrity. Have the assistant hold pressure once again while the bleeder valve is opened. Make sure there is no air in the line or in the slave cylinder. Continue this process until the clutch pedal is firm and no air is present.
Lower the car to the ground by jacking it up and removing the jack stands. Check for fluid leaks and operate the clutch several times. Start the vehicle and test drive it to make sure the clutch is operating properly.
