Bleeding clutch question

[imprezha]

Hi,

The clutch dropped to the floor and the master cylinder was leaking at the clutch pedal. The master cylinder, slave cylinder and clutch hose has been replaced with oem parts. I am currently trying to bleed the system and the clutch is still sticking to the floor. How many cycles of loosening bleeder screw, pump the clutch, tightening bleed screw, and pulling the pedal back to the up position does it take to finally get the clutch to pull back up on it's own?

Your help is much appreciated. Thanks!

 

[gabedm]

that shit doesnt work. you have too much air in your lines.

Heres the trick, you need to feed clutch fluid through the system constantly.

Have one friend pumping the pedal, keep the bleeder open and draining into a cup (via hose of course) and have someone constantly topping off the master.

go through a full master, without emptying all the way obviously, close the screw and give it like 10 good pumps. Open the screw and flush the system again. Close and pump to get pressure. By the 3rd or 4th time you will get good pressure, then start doing the usual 2-3 pumps, open and close that you would normally do.

Should work.

 

[pgilliam1]

The clutch system is a little different than the brake system, in that you have to pump the clutch many more times to initially bring up the pressure. If you have stopped the leaking you can simply open the slave cylinder's bleeder and let gravity do the work for you. Make sure the reservior stays full and watch the flow from the bleeder until air no longer is seen coming out. Then you can tighten the bleeder and pump the clutch pedal many times until pressure returns. Good Luck!

 

[imprezha]

Thanks for the reply. I can leave the bleeder open the whole time while a friend is pumping the clutch as long as I maintain the reservoir filled with fluid? I will try that as soon as I can get some more help.

that shit doesnt work. you have too much air in your lines.

Heres the trick, you need to feed clutch fluid through the system constantly.

Have one friend pumping the pedal, keep the bleeder open and draining into a cup (via hose of course) and have someone constantly topping off the master.

go through a full master, without emptying all the way obviously, close the screw and give it like 10 good pumps. Open the screw and flush the system again. Close and pump to get pressure. By the 3rd or 4th time you will get good pressure, then start doing the usual 2-3 pumps, open and close that you would normally do.

Should work.

 

[imprezha]

Thanks for your help. How long does the gravity method take for the clutch to start getting pressure?

The clutch system is a little different than the brake system, in that you have to pump the clutch many more times to initially bring up the pressure. If you have stopped the leaking you can simply open the slave cylinder's bleeder and let gravity do the work for you. Make sure the reservior stays full and watch the flow from the bleeder until air no longer is seen coming out. Then you can tighten the bleeder and pump the clutch pedal many times until pressure returns. Good Luck!

 

[imprezha]

Clutch is finally getting pressure now. I will do the gravity thing to get the rest of the air out. Thanks guys for the help.

 

[gabedm]

NP. I had trouble with the gravity shit, Left it overnight, nothing was happening. You have to flush alot of air out befor thats effective.

Just keep doin it ull get it.

 

[navyflydoc]

Greetings Imprezha,
Hope you had success with the clutch bleeding. If not, here is a DIY video explaining a different approach to bleeding the clutch.
http://www.bmpdesign.com/technical/bleed_clutch.php
Tom

 

[ralph cerbone]

Ok here we go , GET YOUR SELF a MIGHTY_VAC, you can get them on line . The mighty vac comes with a bleed bottle that gets connectd to the bleeder screw ,when you pump it it creates a vacuum . you can watch the fluid being drawn thru , just make sure you have someone to keep the master cyl. full. it can't be any simpler ,you can use it on brakes or clutch system . How do you think the brakes and clutch are bleed in production vehicles . I have bled all my cars by my self , does gravity bleeding work ,maybe ,it all depends on the layout of the hydraulic lines .

 

[NSXGB]

I used one of these to suck the fresh fluid through a 'dry' system.

http://www.toolbox.co.uk/sealey-ak47-oil-suction-2081-120736

The rubber hose fits neatly over the bleed nipple. Very useful tool otherwise too.

The link is from a UK supplier but I'm sure you have similar over your side of the pond.

 

[Honcho]

I bought this and it works great. Did my clutch this weekend.

 

[ftuhy]

I have a "MityVac Shooter" that pressure feeds the fluid through the system. Its one drawback is it uses a cone shaped rubber tip on the pressure hose that you have to hold in place in the master cyclinder, so a second person is needed to open the bleeder at the slave. But, you can flush as much fluid as you want through the system in a very short time with no worries about bubbles.

 

[ralph cerbone]

just be carefull with a pressurized bleeder tool , they have been known to spray fluid if not used properly , keep some water around . :wink:

 

[ftuhy]

just be carefull with a pressurized bleeder tool , they have been known to spray fluid if not used properly , keep some water around . :wink:

Ralph - so noted on the water. Plus I do wear safety glasses when using it for that very reason.

 

[davidf]

Gravity bleeding works quite fast.

 

[EdinKali]

just be carefull with a pressurized bleeder tool , they have been known to spray fluid if not used properly , keep some water around . :wink:

^ This I have seen first hand happen to a couple other techs. Makes a big mess and you have to wash every painted surface it gets on ASAP.

 

[ralph cerbone]

somethings never change , 40 yrs ago I attended GM tech center, we were taught how to bleed brakes. The first thing we were taught is the paint removing ability of brake fluid , then how to handle the container of brake fluid . If you shake it will aeriate the fluid ,your out of the class . Then we all had to make the pedal block ( 4" long piece of 2x4 ) very few techs today even know what its for , but wonder why the customer comes back a few months later and needs a master cyl.