Clutch Bleed Quite Baffling!

["jason.glover" <jason.glover@domain.elided>]

A few weeks back the clutch hydraulic system on my '76 spider ran
completely out of fluid while I was out driving. Yes, I know I should be
more aware of the fluid levels in the car, but I hadn't noticed the
leaking slave cylinder or the puddle it left on the garage floor since I
hadn't been driving the car due to the bad weather in NW Washington and
the fact that the top is on my dining room table instead of on the
car...Anyway

I was able to get home by adding fluid, and even drove the car a few
times while I was waiting for the new slave cylinder to arrive. I
noticed if I let the clutch pedal all the way up (foot off the pedal)
the next time I depressed the pedal there was zero resistance. The only
way to get resistance back was to literally slam my foot down on the
pedal. Then it worked ok so long as I kept my foot slightly on the
pedal. I don't think the clutch was actually being applied by the
pressure, but the pressure was just enough to keep the slave extended to
a point where it didn't leak. That was my theory...

New slave installed and despite several attenpts at bleeding the system,
I still get no pressure until....I slam the pedal down fast. What the
hell is going on? No leaks at either and or in between. I've put a lot
of fluid through the system, and I'm just at a loss as to what is
happening. It would seem to me that the speed at which you depressed the
pedal would have no bearing on the situation. Someone suggested that
maybe I'm "beating" an air bubble somewhere in the system by applying
the pedal rapidly. That doesn't fly for me, because it's either zero
resistance or normal resistance on the pedal. Not spongy and some
actuation if the slave. Just all or nothing.

Any feedback would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Jason G.
Bellingham, WA
'76 Spider
--
to be removed from alfa, see /bin/digest-subs.cgi
or email "unsubscribe alfa" to majordomo@domain.elided