Clutch pedal stiff

[Daveluck]

Originally Posted by Dallas

How straight forward is it to flush a clutch, never attempted one before.

Easyish if a little awkward. Unless you have an easy bleed machine you have to fill the stupid master up about 30ml a time. Get someone to pump the pedal 2-3 times while you faff around under the battery box undoing the bleed nipple and retightening after 3 pumps then do it all again until you get clear liquid out.

I've just ordered a Gunson easibleed....

[HarryM1BYT]

Originally Posted by Daveluck

Easyish if a little awkward. Unless you have an easy bleed machine you have to fill the stupid master up about 30ml a time. Get someone to pump the pedal 2-3 times while you faff around under the battery box undoing the bleed nipple and retightening after 3 pumps then do it all again until you get clear liquid out.

I've just ordered a Gunson easibleed....

Just to expand on that a little - there are two basic bleed methods for hydraulics bleeding.

1. Filling at the master and blowing air out at the bleed nipple.
2. Pushing fluid in via the Slave end (bleed nipple).

2 has the advantage that air is blown out the way it will want to go anyway, up, so could prove to be more thorough in getting air out.

The bleed nipple is located on top of the clutch/gearbox - look down the gap between battery box and engine. There are two pipes going into the clutch housing, one from MC, the other has the bleed nipple on the end.

There are a three methods of doing 2....

1. Using an Eazibleed and air pressure from a tyre.
2. An old style pump type oil can, filled with DOT3, with a bit of plastic tube linking its nozzle to the bleed nipple.
3. Length of tube on the bleed nipple, then a funnel filled with DOT 3 held high.

[EastPete]

Originally Posted by Daveluck

Easyish if a little awkward. Unless you have an easy bleed machine you have to fill the stupid master up about 30ml a time. Get someone to pump the pedal 2-3 times while you faff around under the battery box undoing the bleed nipple and retightening after 3 pumps then do it all again until you get clear liquid out.

I've just ordered a Gunson easibleed....

I normally use an Eezibleed - they generally work well. On some masters, you can have trouble getting a seal with the lid in the bled kit around the top of the master cylinder reservoir - it depends on the thickness of the plastic used for the reservoir. On one very flimsy aftermarket one, I never managed to get a seal, so had to use the two-man pedal pump method.

Regarding reverse bleeding, this makes some sense, but is not as straightforward as some make out. You need to avoid introducing an air bubble at the bleed nipple end, and you have the issue of dealing with spillage from the master reservoir as the fluid bleeds through. The funnel idea from Harry sounds good - when I have done reverse bleeding, I use a big 100 mL syringe and tube on the bleed nipple, and make sure that I push at least 50 mLs of fluid through the system, so that any air bubbles introduced from the tube applied to the bleed nipple, or in the bleed nipple itself, are bled right through the system. In my experience, I have always got a good pedal using the Eezibleed, so do not usually bother with reverse bleeding.

Pete

[graham clarke]

I too had the heavy clutch with the long travel to disengage, that plus a 'clunky' gear engagement made it clear that at 93k a new clutch was needed.
Bit bullet and ordered from DMGRS, kit plus both cylinders (probably the best value espec if ordering metal cylinder replacements). Upshot is that even after the 93k covered, the friction plate was hardly worn, pressure plate was ok-ish, flywheel was fine, the main problem was the slave/release bearing unit. This had started to pull apart unevenly and was destined to fail completely sooner rather than later. MC looked 'grotty' with slight weeping of fluid. All replaced now, the improvement is spectacular, clutch now featherlight, gearchange silky smooth. Yes it is an expensive job but I think it has been worth it.