V6 clutch issue (Page 1/1)
stevep914 OCT 13, 07:50 PM
Not asking for help hereI have been through this enough to know the drill. After replacing the clutch master and banjo due to poor clutch releasing, my pedal slowly dropped lower and the clutch was releasing at the floor. Then first and reverse simply would not engage. At this point the clutch pedal was level with the brake pedal, instead of about 1 inch higher; the correct height. I went at this today with the intent of reusing an adjustable banjo pushrod to get my pedal back up. I do not really see a bent pedal, so am not sure what is causing this, other than for some reason, the stock banjo and pushrod ( from Autozone) was just not long enough.
So I removed the master, changed the banjo, which brought my pedal back up, and gravity bled the whole system, and got the wife to help me push the pedal while I bled the air at the slave ( Rodney Dickman unit) . After all of this , with no air coming out, the clutch still would not allow gear selection with the engine running. Measuring slave pushrod travel ( not easy) seemed to give me over an inch plus of travel when the pedal is depressed.
Then I tried one last step: forced the slave pushrod in with the bleeder screw totally out and reinstalled the screw. THIS made all the difference! Clutch now works perfectly.
With so many if not all of us ultimately running into clutch bleeding issues, and tons of posts regarding this, I just wanted to reaffirm how important that last step is. Amazing that that tiny bit of air in the slave can make such a difference! As an aside, I did raise the driver’s side FRONT of the car when gravity bleeding, and banged on the slave with a hammer, which brought up a lot of air bubbles. Hope this might help some of you when clutch issues come up
Patrick OCT 13, 09:27 PM

quote
Originally posted by stevep914:

Then I tried one last step: forced the slave pushrod in with the bleeder screw totally out and reinstalled the screw. THIS made all the difference! Clutch now works perfectly.



Steve, my experience is that the bleeder screw just needs to be loose (not removed)... but yes, that last step of pushing the pushrod in (to the end of its travel) can make a world of difference!
Vintage-Nut OCT 13, 10:20 PM
IMHO - A hand operated vacuum pump is the best and easy way to bleed hydraulic lines.

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Original Owner of a Silver '88 GT
Under 'Production Refurbishment' @ 136k Miles

stevep914 OCT 14, 05:09 PM
Patrick, it was wierd, but when gravity bleeding, and the screw backed off, I got very slow flow out of the slave. When I tried to push the slave rod in as a final step, with the bleeder screw in but open, I could not get the rod to move. When I took the screw out, it went “pop” , and air and fluid came out. Problem solved. I was also amazed how much air bubbles I got by tapping the slave with a hammer while doing the whole process. Maybe something wrong with bleeder screw, but air flowed through , when I blew into it.
Patrick OCT 14, 05:57 PM

quote
Originally posted by stevep914:

I was also amazed how much air bubbles I got by tapping the slave with a hammer while doing the whole process.



Steve, some people have better luck with (any sort of) bleeding if they unbolt the slave from the transmission and orient the slave with the bleeder at the top. In doing so, this doesn't allow air to hide in a pocket. I've never had to go that route myself, but it is a viable option for anyone having difficulty getting the air out.
stevep914 OCT 15, 05:11 PM
Thanks Patrick, every little trick helps, and can make a challenging job easier!.
buddycraigg OCT 16, 08:42 PM
Archie use to recommend the pushing the pushrod back in trick.
To me, that is just as bad as using a vacuum bleeder.

I've always gravity blead, on flat level ground, with the screw out. And clean up the mess later.