No return on clutch pedal... huh? / SR don't crank!

[jdurning]

Originally posted by kazuo

jdurning, how much do those speed bleeders you mentioned go for? I can pick one up like at Kragen or Autozone or something right?

Also, how many times should I repeat the process?

Thanks again to everyone who replied

Don at PDM sells them for 11.50 a pair (they're ment for brake calipers but work work for the clutch system as well) and should go for about that as any other place locally.

I couldn't find them at local autoparts places, but the local hotrod shop could get them. I've got Russell speed bleeders (I think Russell got bought by Holley) and I think Earl's makes them too.

You want to do it as many times as it takes to get the air out. It's hard to specify as you may have more or less trapped air than the next guy.

What I've heard some people have done is to route a long piece of plastic tubing from the bleeder valve (here's where the speedbleeder comes in handy) back to the master reservoir. Then while you pump, it will recirculate the fluid but the air will bubble out. You should use less fluid this way, but I like to take the opportunity to flush the system of fluids whenever I'm working on hydraulics. I figure it would take about 3-5 master cylinders to completely replace the volume of the system with new fluid.

I like to bleed the system and then check the "feel" of the clutch pedal. When it feels good, I have a helper press it and I check the movement of the slave cylinder piston and the clutch fork to make sure it's at full travel.

Remember, it's also possible to adjust the travel of the clutch pedal by adjusting the threaded rod on the master cylinder. If no matter what you do you cant get the slave piston to travel enough, you might have to adjust that. The helper spring on the clutch pedal also doesn't like to return the pedal on an empty system, so you might have to manually pull it back up the first couple times.

Hope that helps.

--Je