Bleeding the clutch - what am I doing wrong?

[Ray Rollins]

Radek,
The best way to bleed the clutch and breaks in Audi's is with a pressure
brake bleeder. Bleeding the old fashioned way will work only after many
hours/days of trial and error (BTDT). I bought a Motive Power Bleeder and
bleed the clutch system in 10 minutes total.

Ray
90 100Q
Attleboro, MA


>From: "Radek" <radek at istar.ca>
>To: <quattro at audifans.com>
>Subject: Bleeding the clutch - what am I doing wrong?
>Date: Sun, 29 Sep 2002 22:57:48 -0400
>
>Hello listers.
>
>Here's a suite to my Typ 89 clutch problem (a week or so ago the clutch
>pedal stopped returning).  I installed a new master and a new slave
>cylinder
>today.  I also replaced the rubber tube connecting the brake fluid
>reservoir
>to the master cylinder.  I filled up the reservoir and started bleeding the
>system.  Result:  still no clutch.  No resistance until about 3/4 of the
>way.  The pedal stays down.  I can see two possibilities:  1) I didn't
>bleed
>it properly and there is still air in the system, or 2) some other
>component
>is defective.
>
>1) I was bleeding the clutch like I would the brakes:  open the bleeder
>screw, push the pedal down, close the screw, pull the pedal up, repeat.
>Enough fluid went through to tell me there is no blockage.  I kept the
>reservoir full so air wouldn't enter from the top.
>
>2) as far as other components, the flexiblerubber part of the line that
>connects the master and slave might be suspect.  I couldn't see any leaks
>but when the pedal is depressed it seems to bulge and expand (I felt it
>with
>my hand).  Another suspect could be the pedal return spring (it's not
>pulling the pedal up).
>
>What puzzles me is the almost total lack of resistance when pressing the
>pedal down.   Correction, it produces some pressure at the end of the
>pedal's travel and seems to be moving the clutch fork (I could hear it).  I
>disconnected the pressure line at the slave fitting and put my finger on it
>to plug it.  When my wife pressed the clutch pedal down, brake fluid would
>push hard on my finger and spurt out.  However, every subsequent push on
>the
>pedal would produce less and less pressure and less fluid would come out.
>It's a brand new master cylinder so it must be good. I'm sure the clutch
>itself is good too.
>
>Heeelp!  I'm out of ideas.
>
>Radek
>1988 90Q
>1991 V8Q 5-sp.




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