Need clutch help

[mud junky]

I will start by saying I am a noob to working on my rig, I learn as I go. I have been trying to bleed my clutch with no success. I needed to replace the line between the master cylinder and the slave cylinder. First I had a hell of a time getting the quick connect to connect. A friend of mine came up and was able to get it to click in after fighting with it for close to an hour. He gave me basic instructions on how to bleed the line. Being a noob i did not do a bench bleed of the master cylinder before the connection was made. Also if doing this can be avoided i would like to, since the connection was such a pain in the ass to make. Any way i watched this video.

http://youtu.be/HgNTDGwcjZc

So with the clutch pushed in I opened the bleeder, to do the Gravity bleed. It spit a little fluid and air, but did not continue to drain fluid like in the video. So i closed the bleeder valve, and had my friend release the clutch. He pumped it till it got good pressure. so we tried to put it in gear with the truck on, and it would not go. so We repeated the process again. Clutch pushed in and held in, bleeder opened, spit fluid and air but no steady flow, bleeder closed, clutch released, pumped to good pressure but could not be put into gear with truck on. We repeated this process about ten times with the same results. (making sure to keep the fluid in the resavor up). what are we doing wrong? what should I do next?

 

[adsm08]

What you are doing wrong is not procedural, it is directional. The truck is right side up, and thus the system is very hard to bleed because the bleeder is at the bottom and air rises.

You need to turn the truck upside down and bleed the clutch that way.


Seriously, the best way to do it is with everything out of the truck, hold the system upside down and do it. In the truck, just keep at it. I'm still working air out of mine after more than a year.

 

[mud junky]

So since i cant drop the bell housing, and i don't dare disconnect the slave cylinder. I should just keep doing exactly what i am doing, and eventually ill get it bleed? Any rough ideas how many times i will have to do this to get it bleed?

 

[adsm08]

One other trick that I have never tried myself, but have heard works...

Take the master off the firewall, turn it upside down so the line connection is at the top, and then try. That bend is supposed to be where most of the air gets trapped.

 

[mud junky]

dumb question, again I am new to this. how can i bleed it with it disconnected from the clutch peddle?

 

[adsm08]

The push rod stays with the master cylinder, not with the pedal. Just push on it. Sometimes I'll put a screwdriver in the hole when I bench bleed them. It gives you a better grip.

 

[mud junky]

Thanks for putting up with noob questions. will try to keep at it the way you said to at first. If that has not worked after several more tries, ill pull the master off the firewall and push at it with a screw driver. Thanks again.

 

[mud junky]

do you think buying a vacuum bleeding tool would cure my problems? Iv tried bleeding it at least 20 times with no success.

 

[Andy D]

Quick disconnect my @$$. I struggled with the line until I broke it. Both of the captive nuts holding on the MC broke loose. In that struggle, I pulled out the push rod. The guts of the MC came with it. Once I had all that straightened out and all the new parts in. I followed the directions that came with the MC. You put the line on the MC and hold the connection to the slave open . the front of the MC has to be pointed down, to purge the air out. Also make sure the reservoir cap is off. Let the brake fluid run for a 2 count. then let the check valve close. The plastic gizmo they give you is useless. I used a little screwdriver and pliers to monkey with the fitting. Once you have the line on the slave, open the bleeder. Close it with the pedal down. I would squirt some lube on the fitting and gently disconnect it. Then loosen up the MC so you can tip it forward.