bleeding clutch slave - solved!

[Exbiker]

As so many others have, I had problems bleeding my replacement clutch slave cylinder.

I read just about every post I could find, in UK, USA, & here in Australia.

I tried most of the tips, & pumped until my leg couldn't take it any more. Used vac bleeding pump - no good.

I was about to embark on the expensive route of progressively throwing money at the problem: braided flexi hose; new master cylinder; garage.

But after day 2 of fruitless floppy-peddledom, and about to give up, we (son & me) tried one last trick - and it worked! Yaay!

The answer was a simple tip from - I think - the Miata forum in US. All I did was completely remove the bleed nipple, & use my finger instead. Turns out a finger makes a much better seal & one way valve than the leaking bleed nipple (& yes, I greased the threads to seal it).

We then carried out a bleed in the conventional way, & within a few pumps we got a result - good as new!

Drawback is that it sprays brake fluid everywhere. But you can clean this up, & by now I was past caring.

So do try this simple method before selling your car & buying an automatic.

[greenMachine]

Tell me about it.

Under the hammer to get the car mobile, nothing I could do would get the crappy fluid out of the line, and with it the air that was (I guess) causing the floppy pedal. Likewise the vacuum bleeder was useless (even though it pulled and held a good vacuum), I too greased the bleeder nipple threads, that was a waste of time and good grease! .

Cue a trip to Bunnings Auto Supplies (next door to Bunnings Racer Supplies ), returning with plastic tubing in various sizes, a garden sprayer, and some irrigation connectors. Drilled out a spare m/c cap, siliconed on the irrigation joiner, attached one end of the hose to the cap, the other end to the nozzle of the sprayer, and a lengthy piece to the bleeder, then pumped a little pressure into the m/c and hey presto a few drips appeared. Rinse and repeat (because the m/c setup was not holding pressure well), and after a few repeats I had enough fluid for the pedal to operate the pressure plate. If you are playing at home, GO NOT yse a garden sprayer from the shed, you do not want the stuff left in it in your clutch fluid!!!

I still need to continue the bleeding, I have not yet got clean fluid coming out the bleed nipple, but the car is driveable. I am going to make a mk2 version, using a tyre valve and a bike pump, and if that works I'll do another for the brake m/c. Pictures will be provided!