Bleeding my clutch is kicking my ass. Ideas?

#1

Replaced clutch slave cylinder and clutch. Bled about a cup out with a pressure bleeder. Ended up with no resistance at clutch pedal at all. Put wifey in car to operate clutch and attempted to bleed it as if it was a brake caliper…had pressure bleeder on to ensure fluid supply. Bled another cup out. At no point in the bleeding is any air visible in the hose. Clutch resistance got slightly better. Clutch went from no resistance to a little bit of resistance. Pulled slave off and clamped piston rod, but that isn’t changing symptoms any.

Because I have the slave cyl piston rod clamped, I figure it has to be air in the system that I can’t get out, or my master coincidently died while it spend a week empty of fluid.

Am out of ideas. Any input before I buy a clutch master and get it overnighted?

#2

Try bleeding it backwards.
Pull the slave cylinder out and pump the little piston in and out with your hand as you open and close the bleed screw. IIRC this is the method described in the bentley. Just don’t push on the clutch pedal with the slave cylinder out because you’ll push the little piston out of it completely.

#3

Fill up the master cylinder with brake fluid. Pump brake fluid into the slave cylinder through the bleeder screw. Let it sit over night. The next day, open the bleed screw and let fluid slowly drain out for a few minutes. Then it should work…

#4

[quote=“Mattagaffer” post=55007]Try bleeding it backwards.
Pull the slave cylinder out and pump the little piston in and out with your hand as you open and close the bleed screw. IIRC this is the method described in the bentley. Just don’t push on the clutch pedal with the slave cylinder out because you’ll push the little piston out of it completely.[/quote]

I did this with the slave cyl inverted such that the bleed nipple was the highest point. It seemed to help. It’s too late to start the car and see if the slave cyl is disengaging the clutch, but I’ll try it tomorrow.

Just in case, a couple hrs ago I ordered a clutch MC that will be here tomorrow.

#5

I had serious issues getting mine bled as well. In the end I didn’t use the bleed screw at all, and I just kept pumping the pedal till I got a good pedal. The bubbles ended up coming up through the line into the reservoir. Make sure your reservoir is full as the clutch line is farily high on the side. It took A LOT of pumps, but it worked. I was worried I had screwed something up in the intstall as well.

#6

Ranger,

By chance are you using a clutch stop? If so, remove it for bleeding.

I went through this same thing last year. As soonas I removed the stop I was good to go.

#7

When I had trouble bleeding the slave on my street car I raised the rear of the car and that helped. IIRC, the bleeder on the back of the slave is lower than the front when the car is on equal height stands all around.