well i did what Onasled advised on bleeding the clutch and im much happier with it but the pedal still feels softer than stock and its not grabbing back down on the floor....im just concerned about when engaging the clutch it sometimes chatters but it doesn't do it all the time. i guess im going to order the power bleeder and try it that way to see if i get a better pedal. thanx for everyones help even though i hijacked Spdfreaks thread. lol

 

I was seeing if a friend of mine had a power bleeder and he said he used a one way valve he bought at a fish store he put inline on a hose attached to the bleeder and just pumped the pedal.

he said he didnt have any problems but i cant see it totally working cuz the slave piston doesnt go all the way in when resting in the neutral position sitting on the clutch fork.

i did find the power bleeder for a few bucks cheap then most sites i looked on

http://www.apexspg.com/index.html?ta...leeder&x=0&y=0

 

Highjack away 1FASTMINI! No problem here as long as you were able to get the info you need to fix you clutch issues. I mean these threads are here for a reason. FYI my clutch only seems to chatter once the car gets warmed up, and I wasn't able to get the powerbleeder method to work for me. I hope you have better luck.

 

thanx.

like i said...i did the method onasled mentioned and it made a hell of a difference but i feel there is still more air in there cuz the pedal feels alil spongy but def stiffer and pulling off the bottom but not as stiff as i thought it would be for being a stage 3 clutch

 

Thanks everyone for the feedback and experience! It sounds like I just got unlucky and inhaled some air in my slave cylinder. Next time I get a chance to work on the MINI [later this week] I'm going to try onasled's bleeding method and see how that goes. I'll report back once it's all fixed and let you know what happened.

 

So Ryephile should we keep the slave pushrod clamped in to prevent air getting in then? Like I said earlier; I'm going to bleed away anyways. I'm glad your MINI's back on the road(R56 now I think).

Jeremy

 

as i seen when i worked for bmw/mini they used the special tool k-huevo uses to clamp the piston in then power bleed the system. clamping the piston all the way in will allow all the air to escape.

 

one thing i notice in your DIY was you said "pressing the clutch pedal 12 times after the bleed it" but u dont mention putting it back on the trans before you do this. letting the piston out all the way and pressing the pedal will ruin the slave i though.

K-huevo
"Remove the clutch slave and depress the piston with the bleeder tool, or wedge a block of wood against the actuator arm. Open the bleeder with an 11mm box end wrench. Notice the blue at the bottom of the catch bottle from the last change interval’s fluid. After bleeding the clutch slave remove the clutch bleeder tool, and the pressure bleeder from the reservoir; push the clutch pedal 12 times slowly."

 

I like the wedging a block of wood between the slave cylinder pushrod and the clutch fork lever, very clever! I'd guess you'd do that while pressure bleeding to keep the slave cylinder compressed just the same as using the factory bleeder tool that squeezes it down.

--->jhiggs; I don't have my R56 anymore, I sold it to get this '02 MCS I'm working on. I did a couple engine mods, had Jan tune the ECU and now look what I got myself into, the stock clutch couldn't hold the torque, LOL!

 

1FSTMINI, I didn’t come up with that procedure on my own, look at page 210-4 in the Bentley Service Manual. I can’t say it matters in certainty but since I’ve experienced success following the procedure, I suggest it to others. I’ll go over it again, open the bleeder valve on the slave, close the bleeder valve, remove the pressure bleeder, replace the master cap, release the arm compression tool, bolt the slave to the gear box, put the clutch actuator arm lever on the slave plunger, and press the clutch pedal. If an alternative method of compressing the plunger is used such as a block of wood, the slave would still be attached to the gear box.

The advantage to removing the slave and using the OEM tool is placing the bleeder valve in the uppermost position allowing bubbles a top exit.

A step I didn’t mention in the how-to, I also do a short gravity bleed after removing the pressure bleeder. I give the slave (or caliper) a few taps and open the valve, I’ve released a bubble or two with the extra step. Using the pressure bleeder is a time saver; it’s not the best method. There is a risk of impregnating the brake fluid with atomized air. Gravity bleeding is a better method, but it’s also time consuming and a lot of attention has to be paid to the master reservoir fluid level to be sure it doesn’t get low.

 

can you use a power suction bleeder that attaches to the slave and sucks the fluid through the system...of coarse having the slave compressed while doing it

 

Yes, that’s another approach; Bill Kim (he knows track preparation) at SoulSpeed performed it that way for me once, that method works.

 

All helpful info, thanks k-huevo! I got my new slave cylinder in today, so I'll swap that out tomorrow and go from there bleeding the system.

 

well i power sucked the slave and the pedal feels alot better but i kinda rushed it cuz i gotta meet my parents and my wife's parents for dinner in a few.....i didnt compress the slave like i said i would so ill have to do it sunday.

its grabbing in the middle towards the top now....where is everyone else's clutch grabbing???

 

Mine is somewhere in between the middle to top, but closer to the top.

 

what about the starter....mine is making a totally different noise on startup....im figuring its the new sharp corners on the flywheel and maybe it will go away after some time.

 

I really can't hear any difference on start up. Mind you in all fairness I also installed a magnaflow exhaust shortly after putting in the clutch/flywheel. But as far as I can tell, no new sounds there, like I'd said before idle and below 2000rpm. How close are you to breaking yours in? I'm getting VERY close and can't wait to open it up.

 

what does this "breaking in" mean that you speak about????

lol....depends on how many miles your going on break in....im at 200 right now. so i figure on my trip to Jan tomorrow in CT and the drive home on sunday ill be broken in. just gotta get this clutch feel alil better.

my starter doesnt make the same noise it did before so im gonna take it out and put it back in and see what happens. i thought maybe it was the new str8 cut teeth had to wear in or something.

then again....we are using different flywheels so maybe Fidanza does sound this way against the starter

 

--->1FSTMINI: I had a UUC [rebadged Fidanza] in my old R53 and it sounded very harsh when engaging the starter. It sounded like teeth were grinding and all sorts of horrible things but everything was installed and working correctly, so it must be the shape of the teeth on the flywheel. It did quiet down after a few months and was less embarrassing sounding but never as quiet as stock.

Update: I received my BMP [aka Motive] pressure bleeder and new clutch slave cylinder! Went over to the MINI's garage with a new bottle of ATE Super Blue in-hand and tried out the pressure bleeder. When I got to the garage I noticed the old slave cylinder was moist with hydraulic fluid leaking out of its dust boot, so it indeed was going bad.

I made a quick home-made slave cylinder compressor out of two long bolts, washers, wing-nuts and a block of 2x2 wood with a little radius trimmed out to fit the slave cylinder tip into.

The pressure bleeder worked flawlessly, it's a piece of cake and quite fun as far as bleeding hydraulics go. Since I had a whole liter of Super Blue I bled the clutch and all four brakes with the pressure bleeder. After pressure bleeding, I unclamped my homemade compressor and hand cycled the slave a few times to pull the rest of the fluid into it. I then bolted it up to the transmission. The clutch feels [and sounds] totally normal as do the brakes. I'm thrilled how easy it was!

Thanks guys! I definitely recommend getting the pressure bleeder from BMP, as it's literally a Motive bleeder for less than from Motive directly.

Cheers,
Ryan

 

That's awesome Ryan. I also ordered a Motive pressure bleeder after you mentioned the BMP version and seeing K-huevo's success with it. My Dad's mini's brake master cylinder is 45mm so it'll get more use! I just have to get a 25mm adaptor for his clutch master cap now.

What size bolts did you use to make your slave pushrod press? Where you able to keep the bleed screw elevated while bleeding?

Jeremy

 

Thanks Jeremy You'll love the Motive. Read the instructions on the side of it first though! My biggest advice is put more fluid in the Motive than you'll need for the job. If bubbles start coming out of the Motive feed tube then you're starting to drain the car's reservoir and you need to stop ASAP! I kept my Motive at about 7-8 PSI; I didn't see a need to push it higher; the Bentley manual says to not go over 14 PSI.

I have no idea what size the bolts I used for the slave cylinder press were I have a big ole' coffee can of "misc imperial hardware" and I found some that'd work in there. They're about 6" long and perhaps 1/4" diameter. I'll take some pictures today of it and post tomorrow.

Yes I was able to keep the slave cylinder bleed screw at the top of the cylinder assembly during bleeding. Just unbolt it from the transmission and rotate it on the hard line so the bleeder is the highest point. It'll support itself on the hard line during bleeding, no problem.

 

Yeah I probably have miscellaneous hardware lying around that will work for a slave press. Although, pics/stats of the press for all of us would be appreciated!

I'll try around half an atmosphere of pressure then!

Jeremy

 

the slave cyl.s are very tricky. if you just bend it a bit to much one way it gets air into the system. i was talking to the dealers guys and they have been seeing the same thing. they lean it off to the side and bam, air gets in. they are actually replacing a lot of them. i had taken one apart a while ago and it's a type of o-ring seal. kind of not a great design, but it works and they are cheap to replace. ($22 ish)

pressure bleeders are a must. i would never do a clutch without it, and it speeds up the brakes a lot. the motive bleeder hose turns blue after a long time of use of super blue...lol

 

Thanks for the info Chad; good to know the Slave Cylinders are tricky and to avoid getting the pushrod off axis.


I finally got the whole clutch/flywheel install finished!

Picture of the ClutchMasters FX200 with matching flywheel, before the transmission got bolted back up.


Here's my 5 minute Clutch Slave Cylinder compressor tool. Note the little divot I cut in the wood between the two bolts using the head of a drill bit to keep the slave's pushrod centered and thus keep air from getting gulped in like Chad said it likes to do.



Keep those slave cylinders on axis and those pressure bleeders on tap!
Cheers,
Ryan

 

Thanks for the pics Ryan.

Let me know how the CM flywheel/FX200 is because that's the set-up I've got going in next month.

Last thing, what's the size of the 6 point bolts(correct socket size that I'll need) for the pressure plate? Thanks!

Jeremy