I know this is long, If you don't want the whole sordid story, skip to "The point?"
Ok, so maybe you know (or not) that I have been replacing my clutch, flywheel etc for like 3 weeks now(...I know...) anywhoo, I replaced damn near everything except the master cylinder but still having problems. First, they may be self inflicted, to whit, I thought I read that the CTF-11S(?) (green hydraulic fluid) was the stuff to put in the reservoir, which I thought was weird because the stuff in there was orange but I have not changed it in the 4 years that I have had the car cause there was never a problem so I thought maybe the fluid changed color. Suffice it to say that after consulting with my local NAPA man he steered me away from that and towards DOT 4 brake fluid, same stuff recommended in Bentey btw, (which is where I thought I read the original) but he did not correct me before I had filled the clutch lines with the green stuff which seemed to be going fine and then it didn't. So I built a pressure bleeder and tried to flush/bleed the clutch but could get NO, NADA, ZERO flow of fluid, even under pressure. So I assumed there was an obstruction somewhere in the line I used my pressure bleeder to backflush the clutch hydraulics going up the line disconnecting/depressurizing the lines in succession (to find any obstruction should it exist) and this is what led me to remove the clutch master cylinder, coincidentally(?) when I disconnected the hydraulic line from master to slave, the line depressurized inside my car(so glad I have fitted mini rubber mats)there was not a lot of fluid in the line but still...that is where the air flow stopped and that is the reason I removed the Master to find it in its current state.

The point?
When I removed the clutch master cylinder and it seems frozen, I can move it with significant effort but I was wondering if it shouldn't move as "freely" as the slave when it was off the car?
At this point I will probably replace the master anyway, because why not? it has 140xxx miles on it and the rest of that system is new.
I am just curious, did I do this? will the hydraulic fluid wreck the clutch hydraulics? If so, do I have to replace the brand new slave cylinder as well? or did the master just crap out at this inconvenient point? The lines themselves are steel(I assume) so that should not be a problem.
I have a gallon of DOT 4 to flush/replace what I have done already.
FYI: I did not push the brakes so I did not get any green in those lines, nonetheless, I will be bleeding/replacing the fluid in those lines as well(see above comment about years of ownership)

Any advice would be appreciated, like I said, I will be replacing the Master anyway, at this point it is curiosity about what may have happened.

 

You don't mention here which MINI you have but for the R53 CHF 11S is the power steering fluid, not brake fluid. DOT 4 is for brakes and clutch. If you are flushing the whole system with DOT 4 you may be OK, but the ABS module could be affected. You might have to take it to a specialist who can activate the ABS so all the fluid is removed from that part of the system. Hope it all works out for you.

 

Sorry, 2005 Mini Cooper S, R53.
Yeah I am not worried about the brakes because of the way the reservoir is set up I did not push any CHF into the brake lines, there is still orange fluid in the bottom of the reservoir. I am going to flush the clutch system first and when I get that going I will flush the brakes. I will pull as much of the CHF out of the res as I can with a large syringe and start over with DOT4. I am going flush the brakes simply because it has not been done since I have owned the car. To be safe I might start by pushing a little fluid out of the line to make sure no green got in there and then bleed them according to Bentley or Pelican.
My main question is: Will the CHF ruin the hydraulics in the clutch system, specifically the slave cylinder? I just replaced it, did I ruin it and have to buy a new one along with the new master cylinder?