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HELP 02M clutch bleeding problems! Clutch won't stay bled?

4K views 5 replies 3 participants last post by  RCorrado77 
#1 ·
I will try to provide as much detail as possible to ensure the best recommendations are given. I have searched the forums/google and can't seem to find any ideas on how to correct my problem. If anyone has any experience with this issue or any ideas on how to get this clutch bled, I would GREATLY appreciate it. On to the details.

I removed the transmission to replace a broken 1-2 shift fork. Purchased new USP upgraded steel one-piece shift forks (1-2 & 3-4). Everything went pretty smoothly and the transmission appears to work great now. Since the car ('03 20th) has 125k miles on it, I figured now would be the best time to put in a new clutch. Purchased a Valeo clutch kit with a single mass flywheel to replace the problematic dual mass flywheel. The kit included a new throwout bearing/slave cylinder. I have never done a clutch job on an 02M trans before, so I wasn't overly familiar with this type of slave cylinder. Admittedly, it didn't occur to me at the time of installation to bench bleed the slave cylinder assembly prior to re-installing the transmission. Once the trans was bolted back up, I installed a new ECS bleeder block to replace the existing plastic bleeder block. I replaced the o-ring and rubber seal cap on both sides of the bleeder block with new.

I initially attempted to bleed the clutch the old fashioned way without using a vacuum bottle or pressure bleeder. After this failed to keep the clutch bled for more than a trip down the street, I purchased a Motiv pressure bleeder to do it per the Bentley Manual. I pressurized the system to 30psi and bled the clutch as directed in the manual. I've attempted this at least 10 times over the course of a week, and still cannot seem to keep the clutch bled for more than a 5 minute trip around the block. The clutch will feel fairly decent (although slightly softer than it was prior to clutch replacement), engaging/disengaging at the correct points at first. By the time I make it around the block, the pedal will only engage/disengage at the very bottom and I begin to lose the clutch.

In an attempt to try something different, I have attached a long hose to the bleeder block and opened the bleeder to atmosphere. My hope will be that over the course of ~24 hours, the air will work itself out, but not certain this will even work. Can the clutch be bled properly if I did not bench bleed the throwout bearing/slave cylinder? I have not yet attempted to switch out the ECS bleeder block back to the stock bleeder block, but this will probably be next if it doesn't work again today. Obviously it isn't impossible for the new slave cylinder to be bad or the master cylinder to have failed, but I don't see these as likely causes. Again, if anyone has ANY ideas, I'm open to hearing them.

:beer:
 
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#3 ·
The way i've bled the slave cylinder is to use a bleed hose with a one way valve in it, but even then when you pull the clutch pedal up it sucks the air back in.

The best way is to close the bleed nipple when you pull the clutch pedal up, then open the bleed nipple and push the clutch pedal down, then close the bleed nipple and pull the pedal back up and repeat until no air bubbles appear in the bleed pipe.
 
#6 ·
The issue was a manufacturing issue with the ECS bleeder. The port size was wrong, allowing fluid to pass. Once I installed the OEM bleeder, it worked fine. ECS subsequently raised the prices from $60 to $100, likely to cover their losses on the bad batch. In all fairness to ECS though, they made it right and refunded my money for the bleeder and lost fluid.
 
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