Bleeding the Clutch....youv'e gotta be joking!

Kevin C · 08-11-2001, 11:32 AM

Well guys my hose finally arrived and I put it on this morning. I then did a search, "Bleeding clutch" on this board before starting. I kept seein post on how long it takes to bleed them and 32oz of new DOT brake fluid later (we are talking hours here) the pedal still goes to floor and stays! I decided to walk away from it for a while.

HOW long does it take doin it this way?. HOW much faster would it be for me if I bought a power bleeder now and did job? I checked ALL fittings 6 times and I almost think that the crappy blue hose on the reservoir is cracked and sucking air.

Bob's944 · Bob's944's Garage

i found that walking away and letting it trickle down with gravity over several hours, then bleeding again. Then go away for awhile, and do it again.... you'll get it.

Ralph Benton · 08-11-2001, 01:24 PM

I also had a tough time bleeding the clutch
system. I finally bought a Mity-Vac and got my clutch to work. Keep the car as level as possible, If the front end is too high you create an air bubble in the master cylinder.

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dk944s2 · 08-11-2001, 07:33 PM

Our local PCA newsletter had a story that suggested bleeding the system from the bottom, with a pump-type oilcan. Put the brake fluid in the oilcan, then get a length of hose to link the oilcan spout to the slave-cylinder bleeder nipple. Then pump away! Seems logical, from the bottom up, since air bubbles want to rise. Good luck!

Magnus_944 · 08-12-2001, 12:32 PM

I use a pressure bleeder which uses the pressure in a wheel to force down the fluid in the system. I think it took me one hour and one liter fluid to bleed the thing. (does not include jacking up the car and removing the starter)

/Magnus

Kevin C · 08-13-2001, 07:07 PM

Thanks guys!

I bought the "mityvac" and it still didn't work. So I took a look in the inspection port and to my suprise the slave actuator failed to line up. So I removed it slave cylinder and reinstalled it. With the vacuum pump it took 15 minutes....ON THE ROAD AGAIN

e_nough · 08-13-2001, 09:01 PM

its actually pretty easy once you figure it out.

i worked on it for hours and hours also then made my own pressurized system to force fluid down the hose.

first take the bleeder valve all the way out of the slave cylinder to make sure its not crudded up. otherwise it will never work.

then assemble everything as normal and back set up the slave cylinder with a hose connected to the bleeder valve screw (1/2 turn opened) with other end of hose submerged in bottle of brake fluid like with bleeding brakes.

next find a bottle with a tappered nozzle like on a gear oil bottle or on some kinds of mustard or other condiments. here's why. you can get all the bubbles out if you just disconnect the blue hose from the brake fluid tank and stick the bottle with the tappered nozzle in there and squeeze really hard. fill the bottle with brake fluid not mustard of course. you may be wondering how you get the system back together when you are done, but you should have plugged up the brake fluid tank some how to keep it from all leaking out. then you can hold the blue hose really close to the tank and jerk the bottle nozzle out of the hose, remove the tank plug, and smush the whole thing together really fast. fluid will leak, but it will work.

good luck. tell me if it works.

oh yeah, be really careful with the little connector on the brake fluid tank, its pretty fragile.

[This message has been edited by e_nough (edited 08-13-2001).]