wombatsauce

iTrader: (7)

So.. My clutch system had been showing signs of needing a bleeding. My friend and I tried to bleed it last saturday, and the slave lost all pressure and we could get no pressure at all in the system. I searched a little online and found a TSB for my car for the slave and clutch line. I got both brand new and tried to replace and bleed again, but it didn't work. Finally, we tried pumping the clutch with the banjo bolt off to see if fluid would come out, and nada - nothing. We can hear air moving in the line when the clutch is depressed, but the fluid level in the reservoir does not go down at all, and no fluid comes out of the hose. I am thinking somehow the master cylinder has failed.

Shouldn't fluid come rushing out when you pump the pedal with the slave end of the clutch hose disconnected? Is my master cylinder dead? This seems really weird as my car has 58k miles on it. I had a clutch and flywheel installed about 1k miles ago, so maybe the new clutch put extra strain on the master. I have no idea.

Anyone have an idea? I have replaced at least 20 clutch slaves and never had an issue. I have always filled the reservoir, pumped till fluid came out of the nipple, and then bled it as normal.

TIA,

Jacob

wombatsauce

iTrader: (7)

Mmmmm... Fresh bump!

Does anyone on this homesitepage know how a clutch master cylinder is supposed to act when you disconnect the banjo bolt and pump the clutch like it ain't no thang? Clutch fluid should come out of the hose and and the fluid level in the reservoir should lower with each pump, right?

TIA.

Jdog81

it would be real hard to force brake fluid through the line with that technique especially if there is a large air pocket.best way would be to use a vacuum brake bleeder to suck the brake fluid through the line and make sure you keep the resivoir full while doing so.

wombatsauce

iTrader: (7)

But, if the banjo bolt at the slave cylinder end is disconnected, and you move the clutch pedal up and down - shouldn't fluid come out of the hose? Shouldn't the fluid level get lower with each pump of the pedal?

silentbob343

This article might be helpful, not the exact same car, but the principle is the same.

wombatsauce

iTrader: (7)

Amazing. What article are you talking about?

So.. Just in case anyone else has the question I had, and gets the same overwhelming response back - yes my Master cylinder was bad as well as the slave. I do not know how both could simultaneously fail, but they did. I replaced the slave, master, clutch hose and washers, and the system is great now. The new parts (master and slave) are definitely upgraded and are different.

wombatsauce

iTrader: (7)

Not true. No need for a vacuum bleeder or anything fancy. I primed the master, connected everything, and started priming the system with the slave (pump the slave, hold, open/close bleeder, continue) and it filled the whole system in about 2 minutes. Then I had my g/f operate the clutch pedal as you normally would when bleeding the system and the whole thing was done in less than 10 minutes. From new parts in the box.

silentbob343

article was over at subymods and was on how to bleed the system.