Bleeding the clutch?

[nickmpower]

My dad and me have tried to bleed the clutch but it doesn’t seem to be functioning. Is the clutch bled like the brakes? What else could be the problem?

[steve_D]

Yes you bleed it the same way.
More detail on 'It dosn't work'

Steve

[nickmpower]

the pedal feels the same as when there is no fluid in it but we just took the slave cylinder out and we were able to get pressure and even popped off the ring that holds the cylinder in. I think we might just have some air in the lines

[nickmpower]

well we finally figured out we have to take the slave cylender out in order to let all of the air drain out of it but we are still not sure if the clutch is working and we dont have the drive shafts on because we need to replace the boots. The pedal is very firm but we tried putting it in 1st and depressing the clutch and could not turn the transmission outputs by hand. Could it be that there is enough friction to prevent us from doing that?

[Cabby]

nickmpower said:

well we finally figured out we have to take the slave cylender out in order to let all of the air drain out of it but we are still not sure if the clutch is working and we dont have the drive shafts on because we need to replace the boots. The pedal is very firm but we tried putting it in 1st and depressing the clutch and could not turn the transmission outputs by hand. Could it be that there is enough friction to prevent us from doing that?

It could just be friction if your trying to turn it by hand. Have you had the 'box seperated from the engine/is it a new build? The clutch actuation arm can be rather fiddly to get right on the G50. If you are assembling it for the first time it may not be sat home correct, therefore not working against the clutch properly!

Paul.

[nickmpower]

we have the getrag transmission

[nickmpower]

so i just got the driveshafts on and locked the ebrake put it in first pushed in the clutch and the engine and wheels turned so i guess our clutch isnt working. Something can defenatly be heard moving back there and the clutch is stiff so what could be wrong?

[steve_D]

I don't know if the getrag has a different clutch lever arrangement. The Porsche one on the G50 can be assembled incorrectly where the fork is no longer engaged with the thrust bearing.

I think I remember being able to look inside the G50 bellhousing with a torch and see that all was well with my assembly.

Steve

[raptor]

I too have the Getrag and i don't mean to be rude but have you got the clutch fork pivot button screwed in properly ,along with it's spring and the clutch fork seated correctly with the releasing device clicked in to place?. If so is the actuating arm on the master cylinder extending when you depress the clutch pedle? and ,if so ,is it seating home in the dimple in the clutch fork?. If the above all seems in order then it could be that you may still have a little air still in the system( I know after all your foot pumping it seems unlikely but the same thing happened to me ). If this all fails then I suggest that you call Ted, Richard or Andy, I am sure they have come across this before and will probably have an immediate solution.

[nickmpower]

my dad emailed the factory and they seem to think our clutch disk is in backwards

[raptor]

Hi it's me again.
if I remember correctly the clutch is a cone shape and it should be pointing towards the rear of the car and when the thrust bearing is pushed in to the diaphragm it lifts the friction pads away from the flywheel. Sorry if I am teaching you to suck eggs but it is 3 am here in viet nam and I am still on pain killing drugs after breaking an ankle and then very cleverly getting a post op infection that just won't go away ( I think it's trying to hitch a ride out of the country ) ( and I don't blame it ) But looking forward to getting back to England and on with my build.
I wish you the best of luck and will be watching the rest with interest

[nickmpower]

shouldnt the thrust bearing still be able to push it and release some force even if it was backwards?

[nickmpower]

well we were able to use a crow bar and a rod to get the clutch to function. When we pushed down on the slave cylender and pushed in the clutch it only moved about an inch so maybe something is wrong with that?

[steve_D]

I would think an inch is about the right amount of travel. Will get my son to pedal push later and see what travel my clutch has.
Where are you in the UK? There may be someone close who could come and help 'brainstorm' this problem with you.

Steve

[nickmpower]

we are located in the USA. Since my dad was able to manually push it in that means the problem is somewhere in the master or slave cylender, or in the line right? The slave cylender could move much more then an inch but it doesnt

[davefiddes]

It sounds to me like you might need to have another go at rebleeding the clutch. I had similar problems and finally expelled a tiny amount of air and suddenly it started working. It doesn't seem to take much air to kill the system.

[steve_D]

nickmpower said:

we are located in the USA.....

Now you have me confused. Your profile says you live in the UK.

How are you doing the bleed?

My method is to put a clear plastic tube on the bleed nipple and have it dangle in a jar. With 2 people the sequence is:-
(1) opens the nipple and then (2) depresses the pedal at a not too slow but steady rate. (2) shouts 'Down' and holds the pedal down. (1) closes the nipple and shouts ‘Closed’. (2) lets the pedal up and shouts ‘Up’. (1) opens the nipple again and shouts ‘Open’.

This process continues until no more bubbles are seen coming down the tube. It is important that the nipple is opened enough or the back pressure compresses the trapped air making the bubbles smaller and more difficult to remove.

If it really pi$$es me about I will just allow it to drain through for a couple of hours. The master cylinder must be higher than the slave cylinder. Don’t let the master cylinder run out or you will have to start all over again.

Steve

[davefiddes]

I'd add that the highest point in the system is the loop up above the master cylinder. Air will naturally gather there if you leave the system for any length of time. With the pipe being quite a large bore you'll find you have to pump through a heck of a lot of fluid (compared to a brake system) to get to the air...

[gdr]

I use one of these vacuum bleeder devices running off air compressor - works very well, one man operation, can get all air out of system quickly and easily.

[gtr-gaz]

took me a couple of attempts.

It is so easy to use up all the fluid in the master cylinder. It only holds an egg cup full!

Gary