Does anyone have concise clutch bleed instructions?

I am finally starting to see signs of spring with the snow melt.

Before I stored the car last winter, I had notice more than usual clutch pedal movement to disengage the clutch. The clutch, slave and master were all replaced back in 2006, and only 7k miles have been put on the car since then.

Does anyone have a step by step, with pictures on how to adjust and bleed the system?

I have read on the forum an alternative method of reverse bleeding the system by forcing fluid backward flow from the slave clutch bleed nipple back into the reservoir. If this is done, how does one deal with the extra fluid?

Also, DOT 3 or DOT 4, what are the latest thoughts/facts?

Will

I think there is no difference with doing it on a Montecarlo.
So just pump the pedal, when you have a little bit of pressure keep it on the end of its travel and another person can open and close the bleed nipple. Do this as much as to have normal pressure and seeing no more air bubbles and clear brake fluid coming out of the bleed nipple

Have access to a Motive pressure bleeder by chance?

I just did this with a standard bleeder and my system was totally dry. Took quite a while but it worked and is a one person job.

Assuming your hoses are all in good condition I would go with a pressure bleed.

Empty the reservoir of fluid, remove the hose from the reservoir and attach it to the pressure bleeder, open the bleeder on the slave and push away.

Alternatively gravity bleeding has worked well for many which entails raising the fluid reservoir as high as is reasonable, opening the bleeder and letting it run over time. Just don't let it run out of fluid

I now use Valvoline Synthetic DOT 4 and have been very happy with it

Question - on a couple of my British cars one trick is to leave the clutch depressed overnight and the system will self bleed. You need to get it close for it to work, but useful as a lazy way to finish the job. Obviously the X is a totally different car but wonder if that is an option for a soft clutch and if raising or lowering the car on the front or back would help?

Why yours is going weird would be more concerning. "new" parts don't seem to last like the OEM stuff, it could be the seals in the master/slave are getting tired already. I've had to rebuild my clutch master already which was new 2 years ago, though quite a few miles.
Anyway, bleeding clutch was never a huge problem for me but has been for others. I remember Tony had a write up somewhere.
1)Fill reservoir,
1a)take the stop off the firewall (if you have it-behind the pedal, keeps it from traveling full, some feel it bleeds easier with it gone though removiing it allows the pedal to travel further and lets teh seal travel over areas of the bore it hasn't been before, areas that may not be nice and smooth and therefore contributes to seal failure)
2)remove air cleaner (FI) housing
2a)crack open banjo fitting where rubber hose meets slave,
have helper pump pedal until juice flows out this fitting, tighten back up
3)put tube over slave bleeder nipple, wrench on it (flare nut wrench if available, otherwise wrench held closed with vise grips--DON'T strip it!) open a 1/2 turn or so
4)refill reservoir
5)helper pumps a few times holds pedal, crack bleeder to release air/fluid
6)refill reservoir
7)repeat 5-6 for a good 20 minutes
sometimes altering where the slave piston is during bleeding helps, letting it come out a bit, pushing it back in

I have removed the slave from the bracket to hold it up and bleed, some say this helps
I have cracked the output right at the master to bleed it there too, but it's a pain to get to and messy, last resort

Why you need to bleed it is the question though, right?

My pedal felt a little different last Nov., about 1 miles before the slave blew out. Slave was 2 years old and had been working fine for 20,000 miles.

Havent blead an X yet but its most likey going to be bleading me soon.
Have had my best luck havcing some one push / pump pedle while some one using a pry bar (if possible) prys / pulls the slave back untill it fills enough pulling it back it dosent need the help. Sometimes a little help in either direction helps. Of course some push and some pull to release the clutch depending on cars set up

Every solution, every procedure, no matter what...

has PROVEN to be a bitch!

In my experience though... these few thoughts seem to work WELL, or BETTER when combined with any and all other processes.

1. Two people makes it better, and you may learn a few new terms for your vocabulary.
2. Pump 3 times and hold the pedal down. If the pedal does not return, kneel beside the car and use your arm to push and pull.
3. Bleed and purge from the front towards the back. Loosen the 10 mm nut at the master and purge air at that point. Then go to the slave and loosen the banjo-bolt and bleed air from that point. Lastly, bleed it from the slave cylinder nibble.
4. Always assure the reservoir is full. Check frequently and watch as the pedal is pumped to assure it is going down and fluid is flowing into the system.
5. I ONCE replaced the slave cylinder and had to wait a day for my son to give me a hand. In the interim, I had a small leak at the slave. When I secured this and had him pump the next day, we purged the system in a matter of a few minutes. I think I inadvertently "gravity-bled" my system.
6. When properly bled, you want to see the clutch arm move about 1 1/4 inches. Properly adjusted, there should be just a "kiss" of contact against the T/O bearing with the pedal released. You do this by feel... then by the pedal travel in the cockpit. Should engage about and 1 inch off the floor and also about an 1 inch of slop off the top.

Lastly... I have replaced mine about 4 times. The first at about 116K, and 3 others to 173K. That would then be about 57K miles divided by 3, or about 19K miles for each new slave, over about 10 years, at about 5700 a year. Just about what you said (20K) as well.

I really think they fail primarily due to INACTIVITY!

Good luck, have LOTS of patience and a good friend help ya... (Do not use a spouse or S/O! Kids should be OK.)

Bleeding brakes and clutch hydraulics on our cars is so much more of an Art than a Science:grin:

I will add...

Remove the pedal stop from the floor to gain more pedal travel when bleeding. Use Dot 5 or synthetic oil as the seal will last longer.

Lift the back of the car or bleed on a hill with the nose down helps as well. I have heard that vacuum bleeding works very well.

If doing alone cut a length of broom stick to hold the pedal down against the seat rail.

A successful bleed will give 1 1/4" of slave travel.


TonyK.

Grimsby Ontario Canada.

I've pretty much always bled my clutch hydraulics alone. All you need is a tight fitting hose off the bleed nipple set in a container of your chosen fluid. Top off the reservoir, and simply stroke the pedal, by hand if it doesn't return itself initially. Stop & check that the capture container isn't overflowing, and keep topping off the the reservoir. You will feel when the pedal normalizes. Tighten the bleed nipple, top off reservoir.

Definitely takes longer on the X1/9 - my Volvo bleeds in under 3min...

bleeding clutch

not to say I have the be all end all way to bleed the clutch, but after attempting years ago for a day and a half with a mitivac, I drove it to a coworkers house(we worked at a fiat dlrshp) hard shifting all the way. I pumped the pedal and he bled at the slave. three pumps and he did what would taken the better years of my youth. he did a reverse bleed. since you are compressing air and trying to overcome compressing the clutch this was so simple.
crack the bleeder at the slave, and put your fingertip on the bleeder. then have someone slowly depress the pedal my hand so it can be brought back after you override the pedal return spring.
what you are doing is using your finger as a one way valve. the air will pass out the bleeder and finger, and you do this a few times and you got clutch!!
just remember to keep a keen eye on the reservoir,as two or three pumps will suck it dry and you start over.
hope this helps
mikemo90*aol.com

mikemo90 said:

crack the bleeder at the slave, and put your fingertip on the bleeder. then have someone slowly depress the pedal my hand so it can be brought back after you override the pedal return spring.
what you are doing is using your finger as a one way valve. the air will pass out the bleeder and finger, and you do this a few times and you got clutch!!
just remember to keep a keen eye on the reservoir,as two or three pumps will suck it dry and you start over.

Click to expand...

The friend is less expensive (assuming you're splitting the cost of the beer) and better company, but if you have to do this alone.... A speedbleeder (www.speedbleeder.com) does the same one-way-valve trick.

I'm trying to fully understand the process explained and am not getting it. So you crack open the bleeder and then while one person has their finger on the bleeder, the other person presses the clutch pedal by hand? Not sure if I got this right but what happens next? When the pedal is released to come back up does the other person take the finger off the bleeder or keep it on? What point is the bleeder closed again?

This sounds like it worked for someone and I'm very anxious to try it.

you have to use your hand to push the pedal down since it has no pressure it won't come back up on its own, you have to pull it back up.
I guess covering the bleeder with your finger tip saves the trouble of turning the bleeder closed and open again as the pumper pushed down and pulls up? I also think a few pumps with bleeder closed, then crack open, close, repeat. Slave disconnected held up and rod half extended, held in place with a clamp.

So if putting your finger on the bleeder is the same as closing it then why is this method different or any more effective then the traditional opening and closing of the bleeder with a wrench and someone pumping the pedal?

YES for some, NO for others...

Your choice... and freedom to choose.

My preference is this:



... and I choose to leave a box end (6 or 8mm?) wrench on the bleeder valve and just twist it open and closed. I outlined my "process" above but PM me if you need more info.

Black-Tooth said:

Your choice... and freedom to choose.

Click to expand...

Hey, that was an '80s Devo song 'freedom of choice'...:grin:

X1/9 clutch/brake bleeding

1. Replace master cylinder, fill with fluid.
2. Pump, hold, open bleeder, close bleeder, release.
3. Repeat step 2 for 30 minutes.
4. Cuss, go have a beer.
5. Repeat step 2 for another 30 minutes.
6. Cuss some more, threaten car with potential of sale *cheap*, have another beer.
7. Repeat step 2 for another 30 minutes.
8. Realize you've not checked fluid level, find you still have some in the hose, refill & another beer.
9. Proceed to more advanced cuss words, submit Craigslist/FS&W post, a couple more beers.
10. Repeat step 2 for 15 minutes, suddenly it all works. Celebratory beer.
11. Retract Craigslist/FS&W post, state how you're good for another 20 years.
12. Enjoy brand new master cylinder for six months.
13. Repeat at step 1.