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Re: clutch bleeding



Hi Graham:

Stop by any place that sells home aquarium supplies. Grab a length of silicone (much more flexible and stretchy than the usual vinyl) airline hose, and a one-way valve (also called a check-valve) for it. The length of hose and the valve will each set you back just a few $. I actually like this method better than using the SpeedBleeders I have on my '74 Spider. It also helps to put a few wraps of Teflon plumber's tape on the bleeder screws, to seal any air leaks during the bleeding, and to keep them from ever rusting in the calipers. The absolute best, and quickest, method is with the Motive Products Power (Pressure) Bleeder.

For Dave:

Yes, gravity bleeding works fine on the clutch hydraulics. Just make sure the slave cylinder is rotated in its sleeve so the bleed valve is at the top.

Regards,

Dean
'74 & '87 Spider Veloce's
Lutz, FL


At 01:29 PM 3/10/2003, you wrote:

Date: Mon, 10 Mar 2003 11:53:51 -0500
From: "Spencer, Graham" <Graham.Spencer@domain.elided>
Subject: RE: clutch bleeding

- -----Original Message-----
From: David Partridge [mailto:David_Partridge@domain.elided]

<snip>
My question is, can I do a "gravity bleed" like you can do with brakes? Or
do you need to pump the fluid through?
It's difficult for me to get a loaner foot to pump pedals when I do stuff
like this.
<snip>

Not a direct answer to your question, but perhaps a solution. I use a short
length of tube with a simple one way valve at the end. makes for a cheap and
easy way for one foot to bleed.

All you need is a piece of clear tube (allows you to see the bubbles)
a fitting of the end of the tube
either a rubber flap, or a spring from a ball point pen and a BB.

The fitting is the only thing I don't know how to easily explain, I've tried
many and currently am using a couple of tapered black plastic pieces (sort
of a solid cone) inserted in the plastic. I'm making this sound terribly
complicated and it's not. Speaking of a pen, seems like the tip of a bic
inserted in the end of the tube, with a flat piece of plastic with a hole
inserted in the tube would work great.

Here is a simple diagram:

Flat plastic bit    spring      BB     Tip
         ___________________________
            | ////////////////  0   \
             ///////////////// 000
            |////////////////   0   /
         ---------------------------

HTH,
Graham
85 GTV6
Tampa Bay
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