Tried to bleed the slave cylinder on my ‘04 MCS and made a royal mess of things. Now the clutch pedal sits on the floor.

I don’t have a pressure bleeder so I tried to gravity bleed it; only I forgot/didn’t know to compress the cylinder first. I think I next tried the clutch pedal to force the fluid through. Tried various things.

I could occasionally get the gravity bleed to flow clean with the cylinder compressed but the pedal never recovered.

Some posts have mentioned taking off the slave and turning it upwards to get the air out. But I don’t understand how this would keep fluid in if it is not attached to the line.

How can I be sure the slave is still working? Or the master?

 

Sounds like you need to get it to a dealer to not only fix the slave but to make sure the abs system is going to be ok.

 

Why are you worried about the ABS? The brakes feel fine; not that I can try out the ABS when I can't get it in gear....

Unless I come up with something soon, it will be going to the shop.

 

Try this, compress the slave & bleed, release slave, accutate the clutch pedal 12 times slowly, if no worky afterwards, flush/bleed brake system including slave again last, pump clutch pedal 12 times slowly and try again. If there is no fluid in the slave boot the slave is OK, so just keep bleeding and pump the pedal slowly afterwards.

 

Just had the thing towed to the shop. I think this is the first time I had to give up completely on a repair. I just couldn't afford more time without wheels.

> compress the slave & bleed, release slave, accutate the clutch pedal 12 times slowly

I'm fairly certain this is one of the combinations I tried. And I had just bled the brakes before I started on the slave cylinder. There was no fluid in the slave boot. I could hear fluid sloshing (like air with liquid) when I pumped the pedal. Sounded like it was in the master.

Wouldn't surprise me if a power bleeder could sort it all out in a couple of minutes. We'll see.

 

If the clutch slave has air in it there is a very good possibility that the ABS pump has it also. This can not be purged w/o going to shop that can cycle the abs pump while bleeding the system.

 

Bigshot, are you thinking that I may have run the reservoir dry and allowed air into the brake lines or ABS that way? The fluid supply to the clutch hydrolics system is higher in the reservoir that that to the braking system. Even if I drained the clutch supply line dry, that would still leave the brake supply line well covered. Right?

 

Yes it would, but I was trying to help in case you had run the resv. dry while bleeding the brakes.

 

There is a very helpful youtube link around here somewhere showing how to bleed from the slave cylinder bleed nipple with fluid forced in with an old-fashioned oil can. Very quick and slick- just did it and it works a treat.
Also, the spring on the pedal will hold it to the floor if there is no fluid pressure to push it back up. I'd just pull it up into the up position and get to bleedin'.

 

Is this the youtube video you referred to?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdf--suwqw0

Looks very slick. Seems like it would still be worthwhile to compress the slave cylinder. Or possibly continue on with the technique from the Moss video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uj1dMdYgRK4

which only addresses air in the slave.

Anyway, I had a shop get mine back to life for me. However, I think there may be a little air still caught in there somewhere, so I may give it another try with some better tools (and a little more knowledge) this time.

Does anyone know a good trick for removing the screen/filter at the top of the brake fluid reservoir? So I can remove some fluid first?

 

Put your finger in and pull up from the side.

FYI http://www.lonestarminiclub.com/foru...read.php?t=476

 

This is one DIY that takes patience. With a pressure bleeder and slave compression tool it still took me four attempts to get a pedal. Followed k-huevo's write up on Lone Star Mini. Thanks k.

 

Thanks k-huevo, I tried my finger briefly but now I know that it is the way, I'll be a more persistent. Your write-up is great, but I don't have the pressure bleeder. And once I got air in the clutch system, I don't think gravity bleeding was ever going to do it.

What do you think of the oil can from below bleeding method?