Help! Clutch stopped working!

[tonyhetherington]

Hi all

You remember I bled my brakes? Well I thought I'd also do the clutch fluid also at the same time (It's all run from the same resevoir so seemed logical).

Today, take off cap from reservoir, use bleed kit fixed to the clutch fluid bleed nipple and start pumping clutch. fluid starts draining, fill up in reservoir a bit, all's going very well. Fluid starts to become clean, so it's pumping through just right.

But then, go to tighten up the bleed nipple and the clutch pedal is still loose?! It's like the nipple's still un done (when it's completely tight). When we try to bleed more fluid through it, the fluid has stopped pumping out of the nipple (or rather it does but it's incredibly slow).

Any thoughts? I now have no clutch!! It's like the piston is not pushing the fluid, or rather the fluid is getting past the piston rather than creating pressure.

It's so strange, it literally just stopped working. There's no leaks anywhere - when you pump the clutch and nothing comes out the bleed nipple, the fluid in the reservoir does not go down, so it's not a leak.

Any help and thougths very gratefully received!

Thanks all
Tony

Oh PS: it's a MY 04 S2 111S if that makes any difference
Thanks

[GTRene]

Hi Tony, I don't know what you did wrong?? or forgot to do maybe? but I found a site about this and you can read better English then I can(dutch) so hope the answer is in this...

www.sandsmuseum.com/cars/elise/information/misc/manual/eliseservicemanual/a1111t0327_3_part_5_of_6.pdf

good luck mate...hope you get it operated again!
GTRene

[dss123]

Tony,

Are you you using a pressure bleeder?

If so, you won't even need to pump the pedal, just open the bleed nipple and let the fluid purge through.

Dunc

[GreenV8S]

Either you let the reservoir run low and you have introduced an air bubble (clear by bleeding it again) or the master cylinder has just failed.

[jondude]

Sounds like you have loads of air in the system.

All you can do is keep bleeding the system, taking car to keep the master cylinder topped up. If you are not using a pressure bleed, it really does help to have another set of feet in the car pumping the peadl as you bleed.

It can take AGES this way!

[tuscan_thunder]

could be the master cylinder seals have turned round and won't hold pressure.

[TonyHetherington]

Thanks everyone for the responses!

I was doing it with a friend of mine so had me in the car pumping the pedal, and him on the bleed system. I don't think it was a pressure bleed; it was just a bottle with a one way valve in it, nothing fancy. Pressure was produced from pumping the clutch pedal.

How do we go about establishing what the problem is? Be it having just got air in the system or the cylinder gone Pete-Tong?

Thanks all
Tony

[iccees]

It's probably a safer bet to control the operations regard the bleed nipple youself. Although a very trustworty friend did it for you, i'm sure, I would swap jobs and try again. Air in the system could be in the form of very, VERY fine bubbles and can be hard to see, espiclly through cloudy bleed tubes. First hand knowlage is always the best. Make sure you don't let the res run low on fluid, I would check every two or three pumps. You could also try, keep nipple closed, pump pedal two or three times, keep pedal down, open nipple, release air/fluid, close nipple, release pedal, check fluid, repaet as required. If your clutch still dosn't work, you must have another problem which would require further investigating, either slave or master cylinder.

[TonyHetherington]

I should have probably pointed out, my friend is a mechanic so it's him with the knowledge, not I - but I take your point, so thank you!

We tried the close nipple, pump 3 or 4 times, release and some fluid was coming out - so it suggests there is a BIT of pressure building, just apparently not enough. We'd not let the front reservoir empty so it suggests something a bit more serious is a foot here?!

So it's either a fair bit of air which has been introduced, or the piston seal is not sealing (and so pushing the clutch just introduces it into fluid rather than creating pressure?!).

What I don't know is how to work out which one of these things it is?!?!

Thanks again people!

[djroadboy]

As long as you've bled it properly, I'd put money on the slave cylinder.

HTH

Dan

[TonyHetherington]

Doh!

[iccees]

If you are sure theres no air in the system and not sure if it,s the master or slave giving the problem try this. Push on clutch pedal until you have taken up the linkage slop, without pushing pedal down, apply pressure, if the pedal slowly sinks, it would indicate a faulty master cylinder. If your having slave problems, you would most likely see by the fluid leaks which would be evident.

[tonyhetherington]

Thanks for all the replies guys. FYI, we got ourselves an EEzi pressure bleed kit and it pumped a fair few 'gulps' of air out.

Though it didn't seem that much, apparently that was the problem; a bit more bleeding and some umming and arrring later, (read; not quite sure if it was right or not) then it worked a treat.

I have a clutch Thanks again for your help
Tony

[S Works]

Coolio, pleased it's back on the road again Tony.