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How do YOU bleed a clutch?

3K views 15 replies 12 participants last post by  Mh4Runner 
#1 ·
I know this is going to sound stupid so I am posting it in newbie tech. I can't get the clutch to bleed in my rig to save my life.

Parts list:
T18 transmission (external slave)
Ranger master cylinder (originally designed for an internal slave)
92 bronco slave. NEW.

Now here's the deal, I have tried a few different ways of bleeding this thing.

1. Pump pump pump, hold, open bleeder screw.

2. Bench bleed by holding master at certain angles, pushing rod in and out, opening bleed screw.

3. Best results were this, which gave me just enough to hold the pedal to floor and keep the truck from moving. Hang master cylinder resovoir as the highest point. Then master cylinder, then slave. Fill master, let bubble a little, then open bleed screw and let fluid run through, close bleed screw. Then push slave cylinder push rod in, and open bleed screw and let drip about 1.5 resovoirs of fluid. Close bleed screw, install in vehicle.

What am I doing wrong here?

Brand new slave for 1992 full size bronco, and there is no bleed nipple like a brake caliper so don't say "hook up a vacuum pump". The fluid squirts out a little hole on the side of the slave when you loosen the allen bolt "bleeder screw".

Thanks in advance for any advice. Open to buying new parts also if you know some aftermarket thing that will fix it.
 
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#3 ·
Ive always had problems bleeding a clutch by "pumping it". It seems pumping the pedal made air bubbles. I started just pushing the clutch to the floor and opening bleeder, repeated that a few times and it worked. Thats the way I bleed all my clutches now and have never had a problem since I started doing it that way.

Robbie
 
#5 ·
^^^ this, gravity bleed it first (open bleeder and attach a clear hose, fill res and let it run though until you dont see anymore bubbles in the hose, close bleeder and then do the pedal pump thing if needed.)

Btw it can take awhile to do, be patient
 
#7 ·
Never had great luck with the ranger masters... Do as they said and gravity bleed to the 'useable' point, then pump the ever livin shit out of it to knock any bubbles loose, then just drive it...

If it doesn't work properly immediately it usually had a magical moment within a week that it finally lost it's last air bubble and worked as it was supposed to.
 
#9 ·
Thanks guys! The ranger masters are tricky because they mount funny. The push rod actually points at a downward angle. So when gravity bleeding I have to hold it at a good angle to make sure no air bubbles gets caught in it. I had to quit working on it a few months back. I tried bleeding it for a couples months straight and finally just gave up and its not really driveable right now. (Open manifolds, no insurance, or plates) its still a project. I guess I'll leave it in there then since it works, but hopefully that bubble will work itself out and if not I'll start fresh again.
 
#10 ·
this is what works for me on the hundreds of clutch master/slaves i have replaced:

open bleeder, push pedal to the floor (the clutch assist spring will hold it there), close bleeder, pull pedal up, repeat 3-4 times. finally with pedal up, open bleeder for 1 minute and let it gravity bleed. clutches are usually self purging at that point as they move alot of fluid and the air bubble will get pushed out on a release cycle.

are you running any kind of spring to keep the clutch arm on the trans retracted? this can help along with an adjustable slave pushrod. if the slave is retracting the throwout bearing too far then when you pump the clutch it takes more travel to get the amount of throw necessary to disengage the clutch. an adjustable pushrod can be used to 'take up some slack' in the system. adjust it so the throwout is just barely off the clutch fingers.

the one possible problem i see is that you mismatched parts: this is ok but there is a possibility that the ranger master doesn't move enough fluid for the external slave. my guess is you don't actually have a air problem, but it is a pure hydraulic problem. you may need to research what size the bronco master is in comparison to your ranger master. even 1/16" makes a huge difference. i have ran across this before when i custom made a hydraulic clutch setup for my truck. had to try two different master's to get the right combination.
 
#11 ·
I wired a small air compressor backwards so it sucks instead of blows... :D

Adapt some clear flexible line to the air line and slide it over the bleeder(this needs to be a tight fit, use a tiny hose clamp if you wish. While the compressor is running(sucking) crack the bleeder loose and watch the fluid flow through the clear line till you don't see bubbles flowing anymore. As soon as your satisfied with the condition of the fluid, tighten the bleeder and your done. Having somebody to keep the reservoir full helps as well.

The first time I used it on my brakes I was really impressed. No pumping, super firm brake pedal. This works the same on a hydraulic clutch as well.
None of my vehicles have old brake fluid in them, this works so easily.

When the air tank fills with fluid, drain it out.
 
#15 · (Edited)
Read the OP, he doesn't have a bleeder screw to attach anything to. Just because yours was that way doesn't mean everything is.

FWIW I've always just gravity bled clutches and been fine. Sometimes I've had to gravity bleed for a while, close the bleeder and stomp the pedal a few times then gravity bleed again. You could try to beg/borrow/create a pressure bleeder for this situation though. In my experience they're easier to use than a vacuum setup anyway.
 
#16 ·
Take the master cylinder off of the firewall since it is at a stupid angle. Stroke the slave cylinder several times with the master level.

I have bled hundreds of trucks with various methods, but the first ranger had me calling Luk's technical hotline. They said they get more calls from the rangers than any other vehicle out there.
 
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