This weekend I used my handy Power Bleeder and changed the brake fluid, what a easy job it is with the right tools. But what about the clutch. According the shop manual I need a special tool to depress the clutch slave cylinder before I can bleed the line. Can I do this without this special tool.
I also changed the SC belt myself for the first time (brought the belt tension tool from Outmotoring last week) It was a great weekend.

 

bleeding the clutch is a bi#$%... don't do it if you don't have to.

 

There isn't much reason to bleed a clutch for performance reasons. The fluid in that line isn't going to get hot like the lines to the brakes. If you have to do a repair to the clutch hydrolic system, you will need to do it... otherwise, just skip it.

 

You do not need the special tool to bleed the clutch. You just need something the correct length to depress the clutch pedal. Anything that can be wedged between the clutch pedal and the seat will work. You can adjust the seat travel to get the length just right to compress the clutch. Some people have used a length of wood. I used a 2 foot "Quick Grip" Bar Clamp because it was easy to adjust to a proper length.

 

To properly bleed the slave.....Compress it with a c-clamp so the rod is all the way in and then gravity bleed it if you dont have a power bleeder for the resivior. you dont want the valve all the way out cuz air could be caught in that area which you wont get out....Compressing it will bring everthing back in and the trapped air if any, will bleed out.

i wouldnt do the pedal trick.

 

Brake/clutch fluid is hydroscopic. It absorbs mositure and will rust the internals of the slave cylinder and other parts if not changed every few years..

 

Exactly....BMW/MINI recommends flushing the brake/clutch system every 2 yrs.

 

And if you're feeling particularly fussy, replace the seals in the clutch cylinders, flush everything out with denatured alcohol, and replace the fluid with silicone fluid.

 

Thats something 80% of the people on here shouldnt be doing.

 

A good garage can do it, and probably so would a dealer once the car was out of warranty.

 

I wouldnt. We dont offer anything to rebuild it nor does MINI recommend taking it apart.

 

To each their own. As long as I could get the proper clutch seal kits, I wouldn't hesitate. I've restored more than a couple of MG's bumper to bumper.

 

the master and slave cylinders for the clutch are made out of plastic and the lines are stainless. They will not rust.

Brake cylinders are metal of course and should be bled.

 

I was able to take off the slave cylinder and compress the piston by hand, then wedge it between the flange on the tranny where it mounts and the actuation lever. I had a friend in the car depress the pedal gently while I opened the bleeder valve (with hose attached) and held the slave cylinder in place where I had it wedged. This requires a helper. Made a big difference since there was air in it from last place that bled it.

 

With regard to a post above about using DOT 5 silicone brake fluid, it's excellent for collector cars in storage but I don't recommend it to anyone who would be tracking their car. However, there is a DOT 5.1 racing silicone fluid which is extremely expensive but why go to the trouble? Just use good 'ol DOT 4.

 

You guys resurrected a 6 year old thread!

 

Also, silicone fluid is not compatible with the other kinds and since the clutch and brakes
share the same resevoir, so you'd have to strip down all the brake calipers to do
a proper change.
Plus, silicone fluid is more compressible than regular fluid and doesn't perform as well except
for it's much lower affinity for water, and that very quality can actually backfire on you,
since any water that does get in stays out of solution, where it can rust things.