clutch wont bleed

[ForzaDesign]

Well its been 4 years and I am finally stumped. Last week my clutch stopped working. Noticed fluid coming from the slave. So I decided to rebuild both the master and slave. Got the kits from SS. Disassembled, bores look great, and did the 15 minute reassemble. Did a bench bleed to make sure there was fluid on both halves of the circuit. Reinstalled in the car and no pressure. Spent 6 hours today. included 6 R/R of the master.

Does anyone have a secret remedy? SV with Lockheed cylinder.

 

[Tom H]

You have the bleed port at the top and not at the bottom, correct?


Tom

 

[Alpine 1789]

I have had this problem in the past, even with the bleed screw in the proper position. Vacuum bleeding seems to be the only way to get it going. I have even resorted to sucking on the plastic tube to get the flow going, but you have to be very careful and be sure the tube is long enough that you can see the flow and stop well before you get a mouthful of brake fluid. I generally assume that anything that eats paint is not good for you.

 

[ALPINE5GT]

If you have a helper, with system closed, push in on the slave rod and have the helper pump the pedal while you push in hard. You should have movement after several pumps. when you have good action, bleed as usual.
Always works for me!

 

[agmason54]

Beamers,
I have had clutch masters refuse to pump up only to walk away and come back and have it ready to go.Sometimes if is over pumped the fluid get churned and is full of air bubbles making the pedal soft.At least this is my theory.
I have replaced the one inch cup in the slave along the highway. My trick is to install the piston as far back as possible then let fluid dribble out the bleeder after the master is topped off and then force the piston forward and shut the bleeder. This has been enough to get the clutch working without further bleeding to keep moving.If your clutch moves from pushing the pedal then with the bleeder shut I shove the piston forward once again to pump air up the line.I can't explain it any further other than it has worked for me.
Agm

 

[tom o]

The easiest way I have found to bleed brakes or clutch is to use a pump oil can.
Fill a clean pump oiler with brake fluid. Put a clear tube on the oiler that is a tight fit over the bleeder. Pump the oiler until the reservoir is full then close
the bleeder. The reason for the clear tube is to see if any bubbles are headed
for the bleeder. Works great, and you only need one person.

 

[Robbo]

That is a good point Al, though I've never done roadside I would also suggest checking the fitting of the little cup seal mentioned that you installed. They are critical for ensuring the resevoir is operating properly when the clutch is pressed. I have had them fold over accidentally (whether too dry or just folded on it's own) when putting the rebuild kit back together on the bench test. If it folds or is installed the wrong direction, then it will not build any pressure (or inconsistent pressure). Also, you might consider using a bleed screw from the slave on the master if the thread is the same (mine was) to bleed it before you connect the pipe to the slave and then bleed the entire system. I know it might not be what you want to do, but it may be worth pulling again, checking that all of the kit was installed and fitted and putting back together. Just my experience as I've had the exact same symptoms when rebuilding my master. good luck and let us know what you find!

 

[65beam]

bleed

when the wife and i bleed the clutch we use a procedure that works good. i open the bleeder and she pushes the pedal and lets me know when the pedal is 3/4 of the way down. i close the bleeder at that point and then she lets the pedal up. she pumps it up again and then i open the bleeder and we do the same thing over again. after a few times it's working.

 

[mackzknife]

This may sound obvious

Check that the slave is on the right side of the bracket, we made that mistake when we rebuilt mine two weeks ago.