Bleeding clutch (manual) Pressure/vac required?

I know your car is a converted F1 to manual, somI assume the brake resivior is supplying the clutch like a gated car?

Get a pressure bleeder. Bleed at the clutch and the clutch master cylinder (crack line)

 

Try this method that i have done with the 355 for years.
Get a helper to sit in the car while you at the rear just open the clutch bleed valve. Keep it open and get the helper just to continuosly pump the pedal. The fluid will streem through the bleed valve. Then as the pedal is being pressed down lock of the valve. This will bleed the clutch system and give you a good pedal feel.
Dont be afraid in thinking that the valve will suck air back up into it while its open as the fluid streems out, it wont.
Then top up the fluid level.
Dont try to bleed the clutch like you do the brakes, you may be there for ages trying to get good pedal pressure. Try the method above, it works.

 

I used the Motive Power Bkeeder to flush my 355. I also used it after I replaced a slave cylinder on another Euro car, and had the exact same problem as you. Couldn't get any pedal.

The bleeder was around $40 and worked like a charm.

 

2 man bleed master 1st.. Then 2 man bleed pedal. Pedal will stay to floor. Lift it with left foot and pump it until the pedal springs to rest position. Then 2 man bleed pedal. Rinse and repeat until good pedal. If that does not work report back here there are more tricks.

ps. going all the way to floor is fine for clutch but should not be done on infrequently bleed brakes. Why is for another thread.

 

Yep, vacuum bleeders suck! No pun intended

 

I have bled my f355 twice with a vacuum bleeder at all 5 locations with zero issues both times.

They work just fine.

 

Bob, Ken posted the exact reason and issue with them - air gets sucked by the threads and air bubbles are always seen.

A pressure bleeder is much better - give it a try and then let me know what you think is better.

BTW, most techs pressure bleed.

 

As I said, not my experience. No issues and I'll stick with what works.

 

Whatever works, works...

 

Gravity!

 

One of the benefits of a pressure bleeder (as David certainly knows, as I bought the bleeder he recommended), is for annual fluid changes, the new fluid pushes the old out and introduces little to no air into the system.

 

HA! That worked well for decades, but not so good on these ABS/ASR cars....

 

No ABS on the clutch.

 

Push or pull. I never got a single air bubble to my knowledge in my system on two go rounds.

I replaced all of my calipers and rubber brake lines with SS braided and bled and refreshed the brake and clutch lines using a vscuum bleeder on all four brake points and the clutch.

Zero bubbles, zero issues , zero problems two times.

Your experience may vary.

 

So Bob, you have a fluid tank with your vacuum bleeder to supply the fresh fluid to the system while vacuuming the old? You removed calipers and never had a single bubble? That is a magic trick I want to learn

Here is a post from David which lead me to purchase the pressure bleeder I have that works very well.
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I don't have s clue what you're talking about.

Vacuum bleeders are not something I invented. They work. Period

I removed my calipers , changed my brake lines. Installed new calipers and brake lines. Vacuum bled the complete system including the clutch. That means sucking new brake fluid through all five bleed points.

I have done this twice on this car. Just once with the caliper/brake change of course. The first time I used different color fluid (blue) which is no longer available but it made it easy to tell when you got the new stuff in.

Anyway. Vacuum bleeders work great.

 

Probably a really good idea. With the distance of the master and slave cylinder, and the highs and lows of the line, it can be a bear getting the air out.... Especially what you need to get the initial pedal pressure needed to pump bleed.

 

I have to say I've never had a problem with a vacuum bleeder. But perhaps what Dave R is referring to is that when you apply a vacuum to a caliper nipple and then crack the nipple open, there is the possibility of sucking a little air into the bleed line since air can leak around the threads of the nipple. But this doesn't get into the braking system. You might (I have) see micro bubbles in the bleed line, but for me it's obvious what are micro bubbles and what is significant air pulled from the lines.

In any event, when doing brakes, if I have removed the calipers, I plug the lines and fill the calipers with fluid before reinstalling. When reconnecting the brake lines to the calipers the small amount of fluid the leaks out while connecting the lines serves pretty much to self bleed the lines and often I find no need to bleed the system at all.

 

Correct, John. It's not introducing air into the system, it's sucking it around the bleeder screw threads so it's hard to tell when the line is bleed as you will continually see air bubbles. With pressure bleeding, this does not happen.

The vacuum bleeder is still good for other uses (to remove fluid if you overfill is one example)

 

From a vacuum bleeder site:

If it is sucking air through the threads on the bleeder fitting to the casting it would be prudent to reseal those fittings as in this tutorial.

My calipers were just rebuilt by Bradan before I installed them and I would think they had sealed the threads.

I had zero bubbles and it was an effortless procedure the two times I have done it.



Q: When I try to bleed my brake system using the Mityvac® pump I am getting air bubbles in the line connected to the bleeder screw on the wheel cylinder and little or no fluid is being collected in the reservoir jar. I have tried several times to bleed my brakes without success. What is the cause of this problem?

A: Usually this condition is caused by a small amount of air being pulled between the threads of the bleeder screw and the body of the wheel cylinder or caliper resulting in the appearance of several small bubbles in the line connected to the bleeder screw. This can be corrected quickly and easily. Before you begin to bleed the brake system we suggest that the bleeder screws be removed at all four wheels. With the bleeder screws removed assure all are clean and the passages of the bleeder screws are free of corrosion or debris. (A small paper clip will work well.) Next, be sure that all brake fluid, penatrating oil, and or grease is removed from the bleeder screw. (Brake cleaning solvent does an excellent job.) Apply a 2 to 3 inch piece of Teflon® tape to the threaded area of the bleeder screw only. Wrap the tape in the opposite direction of the rotation of the threads. This will prevent any see page of air from around the threads. Install each bleeder screw back into the corresponding caliper or wheel cylinder and lightly seat the bleeder screw. Now you are ready to begin bleeding the brake system! This may seem like quite a bit of work in the beginning, but, once you get started it should only take minutes to complete. In fact, the procedure outlined above is an important step when bleeding brake systems regardless of the method used. It is critical to be sure that each component in the brake system is in proper working order to assure a long lasting repair. Remember, the brake system is the most important system in your vehicle. If the brake system fails to perform correctly, the results could be disastrous.

 

Or, just pack a little Mortite around the base of the bleeder where it meets the caliper.

Actually, the only time I bother to use a vacuum bleeder, or any bleeder, is when I am flushing brake fluid. I set of the bleeder and suck out the old fluid until the reservoir is nearly empty. Refill and suck some more. Repeat on all 4 wheels. Rock hard pedal and clean fluid.

For casual bleeding I just get in the car. Pump up the brakes. Put a stick between the pedal and seat to hold the pedal depressed, and crack the bleed valve.

(Yes, I'm bored today. )

 

I always use a pressure bleeder so I can get a good look at the fluid coming out.