Newbies first clutch bleed (with pictures) - have I done it right?

[andysee]

Hi,
Today, the bite on the clutch suddenly went to the floor and gears became difficult to change so with the help of the forum I checked the clutch reservoir and found it empty and topped it up. So, I thought I would document my little adventure in the hope that a) it helps others and b) someone can confirm that I've done it properly!

1) Remove the trim under the steering wheel (2 x philips screws)
2) Remove the cover above the pedals (2 x plastic bolts)
From here, using a torch, I could see the reservoir cap;

and a closer view from underneath.

3) I undid the cap and stuck my finger in; only found a small trace of fluid in the bottom. Obviously in need of a topup.
4) My weapon of choice for this was an empty dog ear cleaner bottle!

5) I was able to manoeuvre the bottle behind and above the reservoir and topped it up fully, replacing the cap.
6) Now to find the bleed nipple;
7) I removed the engine cover (3 x 8mm bolts) but in hindsight probably didn't need to.
8) Looking into the engine bay, front and left of the battery;

9) Moving a couple of the larger hoses aside revealed the nipple;

10) I undid the tip by gripping the left-hand side with a spanner and undoing the tip using an 8mm socket.
11) I pumped the clutch pedal a couple of times and observed fluid coming out of the pipe.
12) Replaced the nipple, pumped the clutch a bit more and rechecked the reservoir levels - it was low so I repeated steps 3-12 until I got a consistent level in the reservoir.

So, after doing this the clutch feels much healthier - I realise this is a temporary fix...

BUT - have I done this correctly ????????????????

I am going to start a separate thread with some questions about this so bear with me.

Cheers
Andy

[Mike Noc]

If you are doing it without a self bleeding kit then you should open the nipple, get an assistant to press down on the pedal and let you know when it has reached the floor and hold it there while you close the nipple. Then get the pedal lifted.

Repeat half a dozen times, making sure you keep the reservoir topped up.

Mike

[andysee]

Thanks Mike,
I'll redo it tomorrow and get the boyo to work the pedal!
Andy

[Brek]

I have found this method works faultlessly I pumped a complete replacement of fluid through the system like this when I replaced the master cylinder.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdf--suwqw0

[Bubba]

Originally Posted by andysee

Hi,
Today, the bite on the clutch suddenly went to the floor and gears became difficult to change so with the help of the forum I checked the clutch reservoir and found it empty and topped it up. So, I thought I would document my little adventure in the hope that a) it helps others and b) someone can confirm that I've done it properly!

1) Remove the trim under the steering wheel (2 x philips screws)
2) Remove the cover above the pedals (2 x plastic bolts)
From here, using a torch, I could see the reservoir cap;

and a closer view from underneath.

3) I undid the cap and stuck my finger in; only found a small trace of fluid in the bottom. Obviously in need of a topup.
4) My weapon of choice for this was an empty dog ear cleaner bottle!

5) I was able to manoeuvre the bottle behind and above the reservoir and topped it up fully, replacing the cap.
6) Now to find the bleed nipple;
7) I removed the engine cover (3 x 8mm bolts) but in hindsight probably didn't need to.
8) Looking into the engine bay, front and left of the battery;

9) Moving a couple of the larger hoses aside revealed the nipple;

10) I undid the tip by gripping the left-hand side with a spanner and undoing the tip using an 8mm socket.
11) I pumped the clutch pedal a couple of times and observed fluid coming out of the pipe.
12) Replaced the nipple, pumped the clutch a bit more and rechecked the reservoir levels - it was low so I repeated steps 3-12 until I got a consistent level in the reservoir.

So, after doing this the clutch feels much healthier - I realise this is a temporary fix...

BUT - have I done this correctly ????????????????

I am going to start a separate thread with some questions about this so bear with me.

Cheers
Andy

How many miles had your car done when you lost the clutch ? Trying to understand how long I have before needing new slave/clutch & DMF.

thanks Mark

[andysee]

Originally Posted by Bubba

How many miles had your car done when you lost the clutch ? Trying to understand how long I have before needing new slave/clutch & DMF

I've just bought the car but the service history shows;
51k new clutch, slave cyl & dmf
69k new master cyl

From reading the forum, this sounds a little early(?) and my current problem looks worryingly like slave problems as there doesn't seem to be any leakage around the master. It's only done 72k so 21k is very poor.

[Royster]

I've just bleed my clutch on a 53 plate mgzt.
If this was the first time it had been done then the fluid wasn't too dirty.
It has made the clutch slightly lighter though

Couple of tips.

1) The space available by the clutch pedal is minimal. If you have big hands you have a problem.

2) I had trouble undoing the clear cap. In the end I used a clean rag soaked in boiling water, and wrapped that around the cap. After a minute the cap expanded a little and I was able to grip and loosen it (dry off the cap and surrounds before going any further !)

3) The spanners required for the bleed nipple are an 8 mm and 13 mm. Suggest using ring spanners

4) Maximum number of pedal compressions before topping up the reservoir, is 4. Five and above and you are pushing your luck !


Royster

[starship]

Hi Guys,

I'm a newbie to this site, had my MGZT 190 for two months now and had trouble putting it into gear this week then came across this thread.
I was quoted over £600 to change master/slave cylinder and clutch but following the instructions on this post I took a trip to Halfords, bought 1x 8mm ring spanner, 1x 13mm ring spanner, some clutch fluid, 1 fairy liquid bottle and a straw and an hour later I am now back on the road.
So thank you very much guys and happy motoring.

[RPWC]

My slave cyl collapsed at 84k, replaced that ,master,dmf,and clutch kit, cost me £870 then after 5 months the bearing collapsed( part of the slave).
I bought a Freelander one to replace it, and got a local,garage to replace it,it was still under warranty, but the garage that did the job originally , filled with me with a load of bull about another problem with the car,which is why it didn't go back there .

[andysee]

I've just re-bled the clutch using the reverse method. I picked up a spare master cylinder cap from the scrappy and had my work workshop fit a spigot onto which I could fit a hose. I fed the hose into an empty bowl then undid the bleed nipple and squeezed new clutch fluid through using a syringe. Put about 300ml through to clear any air, closed the bleed nipple. Replaced the modified master cap with the original and disposed of the old fluid from the bowl. Much easier way to do a bleed - I guess this is similar to the easibleed system?