Bleeding Clutch System
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 20
Likes: 0
From: Dillsburg, Pa
Bleeding Clutch System
Hey guys hope you can help out with this problem.
I just swapped the motor out of my truck, 221,000 miles to one that has 118,000. Clutch was good
1998 F150 4x4 4.6l Triton 5sp
I've bleed this clutch for probably a total of 3 hours using the recommended procedure in the Hanes manual, pumping rapidly 5-10 times pausing 1-3 mins between, having my wife push and hold the peddle to the floor and I open the line, with a hose attached going to a bottle of fluid, fluid shoots into the bottle, then I close the bleeder. She then pumps again and there's still no peddle.
Trying to get all the air out of the line I've even opened the inspection port on the bell housing on the tranny, used a long flat bar and collapsed the spring toward the rearend while the bleeder valve was opened with the peddle on the floor closing the bleeder before letting go of the spring.
Even opened the bleeder, hooked a hose to the bleeder and to a shop vac
I manage to get a peddle only to loose pressure over night or after driving it about 20 miles.
When I first started the reason I started trying to bleed the line was I only had about 2 inches of peddle at the bottom. At first the fluid was black then went clear after about purging about 3 times.
I'm getting air from some where, and I can't figure it out.
I don't have fluid leaking in the bell, none at the master cylinder or at the plunger thru the firewall or the line.
My next thought is forcing the fluid thru the master with a pump having the bleeder open to a bottle of fluid to see if I can force out the air.
I've only gotten a good solid peddle once only to loose it by the next morning.
Any suggestions??
Thx
I just swapped the motor out of my truck, 221,000 miles to one that has 118,000. Clutch was good
1998 F150 4x4 4.6l Triton 5sp
I've bleed this clutch for probably a total of 3 hours using the recommended procedure in the Hanes manual, pumping rapidly 5-10 times pausing 1-3 mins between, having my wife push and hold the peddle to the floor and I open the line, with a hose attached going to a bottle of fluid, fluid shoots into the bottle, then I close the bleeder. She then pumps again and there's still no peddle.
Trying to get all the air out of the line I've even opened the inspection port on the bell housing on the tranny, used a long flat bar and collapsed the spring toward the rearend while the bleeder valve was opened with the peddle on the floor closing the bleeder before letting go of the spring.
Even opened the bleeder, hooked a hose to the bleeder and to a shop vac
I manage to get a peddle only to loose pressure over night or after driving it about 20 miles.
When I first started the reason I started trying to bleed the line was I only had about 2 inches of peddle at the bottom. At first the fluid was black then went clear after about purging about 3 times.
I'm getting air from some where, and I can't figure it out.
I don't have fluid leaking in the bell, none at the master cylinder or at the plunger thru the firewall or the line.
My next thought is forcing the fluid thru the master with a pump having the bleeder open to a bottle of fluid to see if I can force out the air.
I've only gotten a good solid peddle once only to loose it by the next morning.
Any suggestions??
Thx
Senior Member
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 177
Likes: 23
If the master cylinder for the clutch is original, quite possibly the act of bleeding the system may have blown a seal internally, it's been known to happen more often than not. If you have no leaks anywhere, slave, line, master...I'd start looking at the master cylinder to be a culprit.
I am a professional licensed mechanic.
I am a professional licensed mechanic.
Last edited by nbrowser; Dec 21, 2013 at 12:36 AM.
