Clutch reservoir question

[fr7]

Ok, I have a very dumb question for you guys.
Is the black rubber condom looking thing under the cap in the clutch reservoir supposed to be full of fluid??
The reason I ask is when I first bought the truck I checked all the fluids and that thing was full of fluid.
I pulled it out and dumped the fluid. The reservoir was at the normal level so I just put the rubber thing and the cap back. I've always thought it was for pressure relief without squirting fluid out since the cap has a hole on it.
Since it was full when I bought it, I'm not sure anymore, that's the reason I'm asking. I've been having problems with the clutch not disengaging enough to make smooth shifts, I bled it once and worked great for a while now it's doing it again, I'm just trying to pinpoint the problem before I start throwing parts at it.
Thanks a lot guys..

 

[RonD]

No, not suppose to be full of fluid, and you can remove it and leave it out.
Yes, it is there to prevent fluid splashing out and to displace fluid so you don't need as much in there.

No fluid should come IN to reservoir from Master, the Master has a check valve that is open when clutch pedal is up all the way, this allows reservoir fluid to flow into Master to replace any lost fluid from a leak.
Vent hole in cap allows fluid to flow OUT of reservoir to Master.

When you press clutch pedal down check valve closes and fluid/pressure all goes to Slave cylinder.
Yes, any air in the system means you won't get full disengagement of clutch disc.
Because the Master sits at an angle air can get trapped at the top of it, hard to bleed this out without pulling out the Master and flipping it upside down.

One other thing can occur that causes same symptom, line from Master to Slave can get weak, so it expands when you push clutch pedal down, so similar symptom to air in the system, you can see and feel this if you have someone pump the clutch while you watch the line, rare occurrence but can happen

 

[fr7]

I took the master out and bled it the right way, I made sure there was no bubbles, then did a gravity bleed.
It seems to be worse when I first start it in the morning, then after driving it for a bit it gets better.
I'm wondering if the seals in the master or slave are getting weak. Might try gravity bleeding again and see what happens. Thanks for the response..

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

[ The black rubber diaphragm] and you can remove it and leave it out

I disagree. It's a gasket to prevent air [and moisture in the air] from getting to the brake fluid. Brake fluid really likes water and will absorb it and then you get rust inside the lines.

PS; Not a stupid question. When I got my first truck with this system I assumed the black gasket was supposed to be filled with fluid. This was because it had been sucked down into the reservoir because of a leaking slave cylinder. It took a couple days to figure it out.

 

[fr7]

I won't take it out either way, but what's the purpose of the hole on the cap then?
I'm open to opinions and willing to learn things, so don't worry about hurting my feelings LOL.
This is my first ranger ever and I love it when it works right, but I don't know everything about it.
I doubt it but, is there a way that the fluid might possibly be bypassing and no building enough pressure? Or maybe a weak seal or O ring somewheres?

 

[fr7]

A little update.
I tried gravity bleeding it again, now when I loosen the bleeder nothing comes out unless I step on the clutch pedal. The reservoir is full, any ideas on that?

 

[RonD]

Remove reservoir cap and "bladder" when gravity bleeding.

Hole in cap is vent to allow air in when fluid flows out.

 

[fr7]

A little update.
I tried gravity bleeding it again, now when I loosen the bleeder nothing comes out unless I step on the clutch pedal. The reservoir is full, any ideas on that?

 

[fr7]

Sorry, I don't know why my replay got posted more than once, I apologize.
Anyways, I had the cap and the rubber thing off when I did it, nothing would flow downstream. When I push the clutch it squirts out and the reservoir gets low, other than that nothing comes out.

 

[drlewistwo]

was having a similar issue, wasnt losing fluid, slave was fine. replaced master, no issues since

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

I won't take it out either way, but what's the purpose of the hole on the cap then?

The hole in the cap is to allow air in to the reservoir when brake fluid level goes down. The black bladder is a seal between the brake fluid and the air.

 

[fr7]

Hey guys I'm back, took me a while to find my post since it got moved here.
After bleeding the clutch for a long time the hard way since it refused to gravity bleed, I think it's alive again.
I was doing it on my own so I rigged me a piece of 2"x4" with a screw in one end so I was able to hold the pedal down locking the screw to the carpet, then I crawled under and loosen the bleeder. Did this several times and after a while I got just a spit of air out of it.
After that, gravity started working, so I went through almost 12 oz of new fluid (takes a while) and made sure the whole system had new fluid in it.
Now the pedal is firm and disengage good, it starts grabbing about 1/3rd of the way up, is that about normal? I'm hoping it was just a little air but I'm gonna drive it and if it starts acting up again I guess it's time for new cylinders or something.