Clutch bleed job gone wrong; HELP PLEASE!!!

[Eurotrash8]

Originally Posted by BMRLVR

elp_jc, get a pressure bleeder and use it next time. The european version of the motive power bleeder is only $54.95 and it allows you to complete the task by yourself and not have to depend on your daughter or wife to pump the pedal for you.

If you don't trust a pressure bleeder than you can complete the fluid change with the pressure bleeder and have someone pump the pedal for you so you can conventionally check it and make make sure it is ok. Another big plus with a pressure bleeder is the fact that they hold at least 2 quarts of fluid which makes sure the reservoir stays full.

Where can you buy that?

I already have a vacuum bleeder so dont wanna go out and blow more money but if it is better may have to invest.

Even though the fluid filter is so impermeable, if you vacuum very slowly with nipple loosened just enough for fluid to flow and keep fluid topped everything will be fine.

elp_jc, not sure what you meant by when you said "the line has air in it anyway"?

[JCtx]

Originally Posted by Eurotrash8

Even though the fluid filter is so impermeable, if you vacuum very slowly with nipple loosened just enough for fluid to flow and keep fluid topped everything will be fine.

Indeed . That's all you need. All the other options are in case you screw the job up, but with our input, it shouldn't happen .

Originally Posted by Eurotrash8

elp_jc, not sure what you meant by when you said "the line has air in it anyway"?

To use the bleeder's valve as a substitute for the nipple valve ; it's not designed for that. But maybe I understood you wrong too . Take care.

[aussiem3]

Originally Posted by BMRLVR

elp_jc, get a pressure bleeder and use it next time. The european version of the motive power bleeder is only $54.95 and it allows you to complete the task by yourself and not have to depend on your daughter or wife to pump the pedal for you.

If you don't trust a pressure bleeder than you can complete the fluid change with the pressure bleeder and have someone pump the pedal for you so you can conventionally check it and make make sure it is ok. Another big plus with a pressure bleeder is the fact that they hold at least 2 quarts of fluid which makes sure the reservoir stays full.

Does the Motiv pressure bleeder also bleed the clutch? I have flushed my system twice as per the CBS using Motiv but haven't put much thought into the clutch part of it. Thanks!

[tubedreamer]

Originally Posted by aussiem3

Does the Motiv pressure bleeder also bleed the clutch? I have flushed my system twice as per the CBS using Motiv but haven't put much thought into the clutch part of it. Thanks!

It pushes fluid through quickly and the tap point in the reservoir is pretty high so don't go for long without topping up again. You actually need to fill the reservoir itself. I started pushing air through the clutch and it went soft. But using the motive to push fluid through the clutch line again and pumping the clutch pedal 30 or more times restored the pedal. At that point I thought I'd try bleeding it the manual way. I'm pretty sure the motive would work if you didn't let the clutch line run dry.

[aussiem3]

Originally Posted by tubedreamer

It pushes fluid through quickly and the tap point in the reservoir is pretty high so don't go for long without topping up again. You actually need to fill the reservoir itself. I started pushing air through the clutch and it went soft. But using the motive to push fluid through the clutch line again and pumping the clutch pedal 30 or more times restored the pedal. At that point I thought I'd try bleeding it the manual way. I'm pretty sure the motive would work if you didn't let the clutch line run dry.

[M3an V8]

Just bled the brakes today using the Motiv pressure bleeder but for some reason I couldn't get the clutch to bleed :, had it pressurized close to 20psi. I ended up doing the manual method.

[pbonsalb]

I have had mixed results also using the motive on slaves and typically do them by hand.

[tubedreamer]

How do you open and close the valve doing it by hand? It was such a pain for me to reach the clutch bleed valve using a socket and some u-joints. What's a better tool for this?

thx

[fleetfoot]

After reading various threads for hours, and getting fairly nervous from all the folks who messed up their clutch bleed, mine went off without a hitch. I have an e92 328i, so it's possible there are some differences between that and an M3, but I suspect not. I also have an M2 and I'm planning to use this same approach in the future.

After bleeding my brakes, I continued on and did the clutch following this process:

1. Fill brake fluid reservoir to max
   
2. Fill catch can with ~1" of fluid (to prevent air from backflowing)
   
3. Fill pressure bleeder, and pressurize bleeder to 18psi
   
4. Remove transmission belly pan (3 8mm screws in front, 2 in back, and 2 on each side).
   
5. Remove cap from bleeder valve on slave cylinder, attach catch can hose, and loosen it one (maybe 2) full turns with an 11mm box wrench.
   
6. Let fluid drip until you see fresh fluid coming through
   
7. Close bleeder valve. DO NOT apply too much force since it's PLASTIC. Put rubber cap back on.
   
8. Reinstall belly pan and you're done.

A few thoughts:
The fluid flowed right through for me, and I had zero issues with air bubbles. I did check numerous times that the brake fluid and power bleeder reservoirs were full. I also tapped the brake fluid reservoir quite a bit to get air bubbles out.

I didn't have any issues getting to the bleeder valve on the side of the transmission with an 11mm box wrench.

I suspect that pressing the clutch pedal (especially multiple times) just moves too much fluid too fast, and that might be why the reservoir gets drained leading to air bubbles. IMO power bleeding is the simplest and safest approach. I did the whole thing in less than 15 minutes.

My clutch had been feeling a bit "juddery" lately, and after the fluid flush it feels perfect again.