I installed a new slave cylinder but when I did I lost alot of fluid. I compressed the cylinder and got out all the air but still no force from the clutch pedal. Any suggestions?

 

Yep, you're in for a helluva workout. There was just a recent thread about bleeding the slave. Search it out, figure out how to do it, allow yourself lots of time, and good luck. I've had professional shops call me with the clutch bleeding S.O.S., so don't feel bad if you struggle.

 

You will need to bleed the slave cylinder to get all the air out of the system. It's done just like bleeding the brakes. Just don't let the clutch master run out of fluid.

 

So I have bled the #$%@ out of the slave cyl and absolutely no air is coming out. I ran a hose from the nip of the slave cyl to a jar of fluid submerged and pumped the clutch pedal several times to make sure no air was in the line. While doing this i had the slave cyl compressed. Closed the nip and released the compression and mounted it to the tranny but still the clutch pedal barely has force. Not sure if Im missing something. Super confused???

 

Another Q, do I need to bleed the brakes as well if air gets into the lines?

 

No. The brake system is separate. Try lightly tapping the line going down to the slave cylinder Air maybe trapped in one of the bends and this may jar it loose. Also you can try gravity bleeding it. This sometimes works better for me than pumping the pedal. Put a hose on the bleeder and into a jar of brake fluid. Then just open the bleeder and take the cap off the master. fluid will slowly flow out. Adding fluid as needed.

 

Well, sort of.

There's more to it, as you have discovered. There are two places that can trap air bubbles: one is at the master, and one is at the slave. You're going to be much better off with a pressure bleeder (from the reservoir side), and then there are a couple of tricks. First get a pressure bleeder, pressurize to 15 or more pounds, and start the bleeding. Then carefully and slowly depress the clutch pedal three or four times. Next release the pressure, but leave the slave valve open (still in your jar). compress the slave even more than you have, and you'll purge the bubble that's sitting right next to the valve. Now shut the valve, and repeat as necessary (you'll have to do it a couple of times).

Next go to Leonidas.com, and under Pralines select a dark Belgian chocolate assortment, and send them to Eric care of Helix. This is because I have just saved you a dozen hours and probably your marriage and kept you out of hell because of the stuff you would have done in frustration.

 

I appreciate your help guys. I actually dont have a pressure bleeder so I had the car towed to a shop nearby and they couldnt get it done. They got it to were I could barely drive it and recommended another show to take it to. I got it to that shop and they are still trying to figure it out today. Doesnt look good.

 

Update: Shes as good as new, guy at the shop figured it out. Im super stoked. Dark Belgian chocolates for everyone...

 

What did they do? Was there a pagan sacrificial ceremony involved?

 

I recently flushed the brake system using a Mity pressure bleeder. After 4 wheels were finished, I went onto the clutch slave cylinder (didn't remove & compress cylinder). I opened the bleeder screw 2 turns but fluid wouldn't come out. Didn't want air in the line so I closed the bleeder screw and called it a day. Clutch pedal works fine and feels normal.

But I want to get the old fluid out of the clutch line.

Anyhow, I've been wondering how I can bleed the slave cylinder w/o removing and compressing it. Has anyone tried the following?

1-Raise driver-side of car high enough so the bleeder screw is positioned higher than the rest of the slave cylinder.
2-Helper depress and hold down the clutch pedal. (slave cylinder piston extends)
3-Open bleeder screw. (clutch pressure forces the piston back into the cylinder, which forces the fluid upwards/towards the opened bleeder screw).
4-Close bleeder screw. Helper release clutch pedal.

Repeat steps 2-4 till there's clean fluid and no air bubbles coming out of the bleeder screw.

My lazyman's brain has this kwazy theory.... that by having the bleeder screw positioned higher up and the piston moving back-n-forth in the slave cylinder, trapped air bubbles would be agitated to move up and out the bleeder screw.

What do you guys think?

 

 

The folks at BR Racing in Los Gatos, California confirm that bleeding the clutch slave is a pain and their solution is to simply disconnect the slave and then the position of the slave can be optimized to remove all the air. After it's bled, reinstall it.