Removing the MC

[bigalpha]

I'm trying to remove the clutch MC to burp the system, but for the life of me, I can't figure out how to remove it.

There's no noticeable bolts from inside the engine bay.

 

[fastpakr]

It's been a few years since I last removed mine, but I think there are two bolts that go through from the cab into the firewall.

 

[bigalpha]

Oh, so it's bolted from the inside.

Well, I suppose I'll have a looksie when I get home. I sure hope it's just air and not a bad clutch

Thank you, sir!

 

[Rinny650]

On my 84 the two bolts go from engine bay to cab. There was nothing on the inside to take off

 

[bigalpha]

I went out and double-checked. There are definitely no bolts.

The MC comes out the firewall, where the rubber hose and hard line are connected.

Inside the cab, the MC runs through a bracket and is connected to the pedal.

Now, the end of the MC 'casing/shell' is squared off. The bracket also has a square cut out of it.

The idea is that the MC shell goes through the bracket square and then turns 45* and it holds itself into place.

Does that make sense, or is it all jumbly?

How do I rotate the MC? AFAIK, I can't rotate it while the hard and soft lines are hooked up.

 

[fastpakr]

I just pulled up a picture of your master cylinder on the advanceauto website. It makes sense now, your master does have a completely different design. I'm not sure how to tell you to rotate it. Hopefully somebody who's done this on a newer RBV can jump in. Supposedly the connection at the slave is designed so you can disconnect the line without introducing any air into the system. Perhaps you can pop the line off there, remove the master, reconnect the line and bleed it that way? When you're done you could just reverse the process.

 

[bigalpha]

Dang.

I would just try bleeding the whole thing, but I figure that if there was air in the system, it's stay in the system. Otherwise, I'd pump the pedal and have someone keep filling the reservoir.

 

[fastpakr]

You're trying to bleed it by itself? I wouldn't even consider doing that. Just leave everything hooked up, run a line from the slave to a container of fluid, and leave the valve open while you cycle the pedal/piston incessantly, then close it when you're happy.

 

[bigalpha]

Yeah.

I thought that the MC had to be bench bled to make sure that all the air gets purged out.

 

[LittleHorse]

as long as you haven't opened the system any more than the quick disconnect, there shouldn't be any air.

I've bled it, without the slave, outside the vehicle, but it took two people. Me to pump the cylinder and my buddy to push in the center of the disconnect to bleed it. Worked pretty well. I don't know if yours is tilted downward toward the front of the car, but if it is, it isn't bled very well because the air floats to the top of the cylinder, away from the lines. If you can detach it from the firewall but don't pull it all out, you can bleed it that way.

 

[bigalpha]

as long as you haven't opened the system any more than the quick disconnect, there shouldn't be any air.

I've bled it, without the slave, outside the vehicle, but it took two people. Me to pump the cylinder and my buddy to push in the center of the disconnect to bleed it. Worked pretty well. I don't know if yours is tilted downward toward the front of the car, but if it is, it isn't bled very well because the air floats to the top of the cylinder, away from the lines. If you can detach it from the firewall but don't pull it all out, you can bleed it that way.

Well, the reservoir was empty, so I'm working on the assumption that air somehow made itself into the system.

The MC is tilted downwards into the cab of the truck.

 

[LittleHorse]

ooh, yeah there's probably air in there.

Tilted downward into the cab is good. You *should* be able to bleed that without removing it.

 

[bigalpha]

That's good to know. I'll flush the system until I get clear fluid out the bleeder valve.

For my intentions, is it necessary, to pump the clutch pedal?

 

[LittleHorse]

Unless you have one of those fancy bleeder pump gadgets, I'd say yes. I've always done it that way though, I'm always more inclined to do what I know will for sure work.

 

[bigalpha]

Well, guess I'll be enlisting the help of the girl sometime this weekend (I am not fancy enough to have a fancy pump) to make sure that reservoir doesn't go dry.

Thanks for the help everyone. I know I probably sounds like a total n00b and tard.