MaximaSpd85

iTrader: (14)

-new clutch as of Thanksgiving day.
-New slave cylinder as of last week
-New master as of tonight

Clutch was fine after the clutch swap but i did have a small leak at the slave so i slowly started to lose pedal feel over a few months. Then it got to the point where the clutch wouldnt come up but only half way and i only had about 2 inches of travel. So i swapped out the slave cylinder the other day. I tried bleeding the clutch for hours and nothing got better. So tonight i swapped out the master cylinder and bled for another couple of hours and still nothing. No leaks, the clutch line is a SS one. Any ideas? Could i really just need to bleed even more? The pedal only comes back up about 1-2 inches unless i pull it back up by hand. Maybe im bleeding it wrong? (ive bled it before many times with success)

ajm8127

iTrader: (8)

I had an issue bleeding my clutch recently too. I really never did get to the point where only fluid and no bubbles were coming out of the bleeder. I was at it for almost an hour in two different shifts. I ran through about a pint for fluid. I concluded that my slave cylinder could probably be replaced. In your case, because you already replaced all of the hydraulic components, maybe it's technique. I have found when bleeding brake or clutch systems that you need to open and close the bleeder before the pedal hits the floor to maintain a positive pressure in the lines and prevent air from coming back in through the bleeder. Another problem is the space is so confined, even a standard length 10mm wrench is tough to get in there.

I'd love to hear more people's experience with bleeding the clutch.

bobflood

Unfortunately, there are some really crappy replacement parts out there. It has taken me three slave cylinders and two master cylinders to get a set that will work reliably and not leak out. This is an area where paying for OEM parts might be worth while!
PS Another clutch Q: Does anyone know why we have this strange clutch line arrangement with the intermediate bleeder valve up on the shock tower? I see no point to it - but am always willing to be educated.

essential1

iTrader: (5)

If it's not an OEM master cylinder, there is a chance that even though it's new, it might be bad. I went through about 3 master cylinders from autoparts stores. All failed within a few hours after installation. I purchased one from the dealer and have been fine ever since. Mine was doing the same thing yours was when I had the cheap ones in.

Also recently, my pedal stared acting up again and I assumed it was the master cylinder again. When I removed it, I found out that it was actually the pedal that broke... So I wasted another $80 on a new OEM master cylinder.

cardana24

iTrader: (81)

how are you bleeding it? Also remember there is a bleeding point up on your left strut tower ( I cannot get mine to open, but it would go faster if I could). I have always had to bleed my clutch, then drive it for a little bit feeling spongy, then I will re bleed it the following day again and it feels great when I am done.

Also when bleeding I have never had any luck with the "pumping" the pedal method. With two people, I crack the bleeder open, then push the pedal to the floor in a steady motion, then hold it there until the bleeder is closed. Then back up. I repeat this usually ~15 times, then I test it out.

Goodluck with everything, but the clutch is normally a pain in the a$$ to bleed after a slave/master cylinder change.

slfalco

Mity-vac tool and a lot of patience worked for me.. pumping method does not work well, there is no resistance for the slave cylinder as it just pushes the throwout bearing lever.

ajm8127

iTrader: (8)

I am not sure about the OP, but I have the one piece SS clutch line so there are no other bleeders. I will have to try bleeding it again this weekend after driving for a while. I may have to try one of those one-person bleeding vacuum tools as well. Thanks for the suggestions.

Product_Of_Korea

iTrader: (8)

crack the bleeder and let it sit for a few hours and refill resevoir as needed......

aackshun

iTrader: (3)

For future n00b reference.

if you ever have the Master cyl out again, bench bleed it while it's out, saves you time.

When everything is installed, to jump start the bleeding process, play with the fork by hand on the slave cylinder to build up pressure and bleed from there, once it gets too hard to do it by hand then have a friend come over and do it the old fashioned way.

Either that or invest in one of those shop pumps, both have worked for me.

And to the OP.

You say you have an SS line, is it the full SS line? Or just the one removing all of the rubber pieces??

Full SS line:


I only ask because I'd imagine this would be one of the rare scenarios you'd use the upper bleeder, because of the new master cylinder and such...

MaximaSpd85

iTrader: (14)

I have a full SS line. So only one bleeder at the slave. Today i messed with it some more. I tried a little gravity bleeding, the vacuum pump again, and the foot pump method. Although im sure the gravity bleeding didnt do anything for me because i didnt do it long. So im certain theres no way there should be air in the lines still. Ive done this before and its NEVER taken more than 20 minutes at most. I still only have an inch or two of travel, the pedal doesnt come back up, it does push the fork. So that leaves me with either it just being a bad master cylinder, or even worse the release bearing or another clutch component. What are the odds that its the actual release bearing? Just to make it clear, every once in a while after some bleeding it will go into a gear, but barely. Does that rule out the release bearing/fork? Or are there circumstances in which itll still engage gears even with a messed up bearing? Also, i WAS able to drive this thing and grab gears before i replaced the master cylinder...the pedal was just on the floor and it was difficult sometimes, hence the master cylinder swap.

Boothers96

iTrader: (11)

+10 for really crappy replacement parts.....I replaced my SC and MC and put a SS line in to make bleeding easier. i got the new SC and MC from oreilys. after about a couple days the MC would lose pressure the longer i held the pedal, sometimes rendering the transmission unshiftable. most of the time it would just return the pedal about halfway up and id have to toe it back up. i bled it about 100 times and nothing. Frustrated i replaced the MC again and voala done....this time i got it from Advance Auto. Ive heard things about oreilys parts being sub par....but thats just my experience

MaximaSpd85

iTrader: (14)

before i drop the tranny ill try another MC. I got this one from advance so ill go swap this one out under warranty. im really hoping thats it, because i really dont want to drop the tranny.

ajm8127

iTrader: (8)

I like your procedure but I revised it slightly.

OP, I'm almost sure that if your pedal does not come back up by itself then that is why you cannot shift into gear. Are there any bubbles coming out through the slave bleeder?

I would stay away from the cheap Advance Auto stuff. Beck/Arnley has been a pretty reliable brand for me.

essential1

iTrader: (5)

Thats your problem like I stated in my original post. Dont swap it out, just return it and spend the money on an OEM one from the dealer. Like I said, swapped out several of them under warranty before I gave up and went OEM.

If you want, I have an OEM one sitting right here with only about 2k miles on it that still works just fine. Only reason I swapped it out for another one is because I assumed it failed but it turned out that my actual clutch pedal was broken. I'll let it go for $50 shipped if you want.

MaximaSpd85

iTrader: (14)

I put another master in yesterday and its all good now. So either my boy didnt properly bench bleed the last one, or it was just a bad MC. probably a little of both. we made sure that this one didnt have any air in it, and at first it was still iffy but i was finally able to get this one to gravity bleed, which did the trick! gravity bleeding ftw!

the clutch feels better than ever, theres no more clutch chatter either which is awesome bc this 6 puck has been nothing but hell since the install. my only thing is that the clutch pedal still does not come all the way back up to where it was originally (even with the break pedal), now its even with the gas pedal. this isnt too bad tho. it reduces leg movement a lot. i just have to get used to it being this way.

with that being said, theres a switch that the clutch pedal hits when its all the way up, what is this switch and will this affect anything? (it hasnt yet)

aackshun

iTrader: (3)

Cruise Control

ajm8127

iTrader: (8)

You could try adjusting the clevis on the master cylinder where it attaches to the pedal. Check the FSM CL section for information on adjusting the pedal.