Clutch and Brake Bleeding Techniques
Dan Cordon
cord4530 at uidaho.edu
Mon Dec 15 17:24:11 EST 2003
With all the talk about clutch bleeding, I thought I'd share my
technique that I use for bleeding systems. I've used this on brakes for
dozens of cars, and even a few months ago on my audi clutch (after MC
rebuild).
Below is a link (sorry for the length) to a picture I made of the setup.
Really, you just need a clear piece of tubing that fits snugly over the
bleeder valve and a cup of water. You can use non-clear tubing, but it's
not as cool :o)
1) Press one end of the tubing over the bleeder valve.
2) Place the other end of the tubing hose below the water in the cup
3) Open the bleeder valve
4) Depress (or have friend do it while you watch) clutch/brake pedal a
few times. Keep reservoir topped off. Continue bleeding until fluid
coming out hose is clear.
5) Close bleeder valve
6) Repeat for other circuits if necessary.
http://www.its2.uidaho.edu/cordon/dan/images/car_images/brake_bleeding.jpg
The key to making this work is keeping the end of the hose in the fluid.
By doing this, the cylinder will draw fluid from the reservoir *instead*
of sucking it up the hose.
NOTE: In this setup, fluid in NOT drawn from the cup. It's just used as
an means to keep air from drawing back in to the cylinder.
I've done this by myself many times with success, though I prefer to
have another person operating the pedal. This way I can watch things to
tell when they've cleared up and close the valve quickly when done.
Also, when doing my clutch circuit, I couldn't get any other method to
work. This way worked great.
--
Dan Cordon
Mechanical Engineer
University of Idaho - Engine Research Facility
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