Basic questions

[adamred]

I know these are basic but I'm tired of not knowing what these terms mean and if you don't ask you don't know right?

1) What does it mean to "dump your clutch" have been driving stick for 16 years and never heard the term until I started visiting this site.

2) What exactly does "bleeding brakes" do? Does a street car only at this point need to have this done?

Thanks for your patience....

Adam

[Tim Walsh]

I'm not sure about dumping the clutch but to bleed the brakes is to get rid of any air in the brake lines and is essential to having good brakes. Air in the lines will make the petal feel mushy as the air expands and contracts within the line.

[RickM]

Bleeding brakes is also done periodically to replace burnt, aged or water "infested" fluid. I believe the timetable for replacement is every 1-2 years.

[JR Indy]

Dumping the clutch?? - To quickly release the clutch, think of it as a switch; ON/OFF. Usually done at high revs.

[piedogger]

To "dump" ones clutch is to rev the car and just side step off the clutch pedal.

[Joe Bob]

Dumping the clutch is when you are stopped, you rev the motor and side slip the clutch pedal allowing it to release without any foot pressure to slow it down. Not a good idea on expensive 901/915/G50 Porsche transmissions. Usually done to burn rubber, impress the chicks or if you really want to rebuild that trans....

Bleeding the brakes is the purging of the system of air bubbles. This is usually done when replacing a component that breaks the integrity of the system or if air got in the line due to the brake fluid reservoir getting too low.

Flushing the system usually involves cracking the bleeder valves on all four corners and draining fluid until it appears clear or a different color if using alternate colored fluids.

Those that race or have more than average mileage will flush a system more frequently than others.

[adamred]

Thanks all, more educated then I was a couple of hours ago...

Adam