im doing a t5 swap and i got as far as the clutch and it seems to not be bleeding properly. couple things that i would like to know if they could be effecting this. if my resevoir is located higher than the master cylinder but there is a small droop in the line could that create an issue?

also i cannot seem to get enough fluid to the cylinder to get more than a half inch of movement on the clutch fork. but its not a smooth half inch, the pedal is soft then a bit harder then very firm, all in one stroke. it feels like something is resisting it.

the last question is my release bearing is making a klunking noise when i push and release the clutch, its at one certain point in the pedals travel. one single klunk. i believe i put the spring things on the clutch fork inside the flanges on the release bearing. any thoughts on this?

also ive read the bleeding procedure a million times on this forum, pedal doesnt seem to wanna cooperate though

any thoughts or input is appreciated. thanks

-eric

 

I would think a slight droop in the line shouldn't be a problem. As long as there's more "down" flowing fluid than "up" flowing, you should be fine.

The little spring things on the fork should be inside the flange. sounds like you have it right. There's some great pictures of the right and wrong way somewhere here on TGO. You'd think the flange on the bearing would slide between the spring clips and the fork itself, but no, it doesn't. I wouldn't worry about the klank until the whole unit is bled properly. THEN worry about other issues.

As for actually bleeding the clutch, I've read many ways of doing it, and I always had trouble. I was getting frustrated, and then one of my friends with a little more experience came over and said "dude, bleed it like your brakes". First time we did it, it worked like a charm.

 

when i get back to school after the break im thinking my next option is to fill the slave then attach the lines. seems like theres an air pocket that i can get at with regular bleeding. other threads on here say you have to pump the pedal 100 times. still trying everything lol

 

It would seem that filling the slave, then attaching the lines would be a SURE way to get air in the system.

...could you possibly have a leak somewhere? Maybe you're doing it properly, but you keep getting new air in the line? I bought a new slave cylinder to guarantee it was good, even though the "swap" part I bought appeared to be ok.

 

okay so update on this. decided to take my fork boot off and see if everything looked fine anddddd it definately did not. the fork was not clicked in on the pivot ball so it was a simple matter of pulling the fork onto the proper position.. simple as that.

the clutch works fine from about a 1/4 of the way down with the pedal. in order for it to start pushing the fork immediately do i just need to continue to bleed?

 

There is usually a little free play in the clutch pedal. If you feel it is excessive, look at the bushing on the master cylinder rod and see if it has play or is missing.

As far as bleeding, all you have to do is take a pry bar and push the clutch fork toward the front of the car. Once it is all the way forward hold it, crack the bleeder, wait a second or two, tightern the bleeder, and release the clutch fork. Repeat about 2 or three times and it will be bled perfectly. Be sure to check the clutch res for fluid before each session.

 

If it works, leave it alone.

It will "bleed" itself eventually, all on its own without any outside intervention, if it needs it; probably within a day or so. If it's been assembled and left sitting for more than about a day, it doesn't need bleeding any more, because the air has found its way to the top by itself already.

This is why I asked about "history": I'm guessing the fork didn't just up and jump off into the ozone all by itself on its own; but rather, some one of those big nuts, the kind that usually goes between the driver's seat and the steering wheel, backed off and got loose and started rattling around in there and knocked it out of position. Am I wrong? In such cases, all that can be done is, go back and check your work, and find what was put together wrong.

 

lol the slave and master are new im doing a t5 swap. ill try the pry bar method. when i came back to it today i still had that play in the top of the pedal travel. i also started it on the hoist in first gear and pushed the clutch in and i could hear it slipping so i now know my input shaft isnt stuck. ill update after i try the ory bar method

 

alright time for another update

i got it bled fully. it seems to work fine, a tiny bit hard to get into gear but it is still livable.

on to the next problem, i think my batteries dead haha i took it for a test drive...car shut off for some reason when the rpm went closer to idle when i was driving so i dropped the clutch in 2nd and went on with the test drive. im going to replace my battery tomorrow and see if theres a difference. this one wont hold a charge.