Foxman

The clutch on my C4 has been sticking a bit, particularly in traffic in first gear. I had the brake and clutch system flushed and bled last winter, but the clutch is still sticking. So I thought would try to bleed the clutch slave one more time as a DIY.

I managed to get the bleeder screw out. The screw was badly stripped and corroded. Despite the flush just a few months ago, it looked like the bleeder screw hadn't been touched in years. More importantly, no fluid came out even with 20 pounds of pressure with a Motive Power Bleeder.

Is there some reason that the slave isn't bleeding? I'm guessing the slave is so gunked up that it may simply shot and ready for a replacement.

Thanks in advance for your input!

AOW162435

1) Bleeding the slave is a PITA.
2) Replacing the slave is a TFPITA.

I bleed my brake & clutch circuits every year and have replaced a few slaves over the years. I'd vote for replacing it.

Have plenty of refreshments on hand.



Andreas

jevvy964

Maybe try detatching the slave from the gearbox, drop it down a bit and bleed it where you have more room, its a pig to do in situ. If you get a good bleed then refit if not swap for a new slave. They rarely fail so might be worth giving it another chance before you break the seal so to speak?

jevvy964

Just one other thought have you checked the clutch pedal roll pin, symptoms sound similar to that failing?

boman993

I agree with AOW, what a PITA!!! I just bled mine on Saturday after rebuilding my pedal cluster and installing a new clutch master cylinder. It's not that bad to bleed the slave, but pretty bad to replace it! I was planning on swapping the slave and fluid line this weekend too, but decided to put it off a bit...There is only so much blood i can draw out of my arms and knuckles in one sitting...

Ugh...

Foxman

Thanks for the responses. The process for bleeding the clutch slave wasn't too bad with a friend helping, but if the slave is shot I will let the shop handle the install.

I successfully got the bleed screw open (off actually), so I don't know that I need to disconnect it from the tranny for more room. I'm guessing that the slave simply hasn't been bled in years and it's all gunked up down there. I've read a few threads on the clutch roll pin failing, but the slight sticking symptoms seem more consistent with air in the clutch slave.

I'm going to have my shop take a look and will report back to you.

C4SJOHN

Foxman, I would think about replacing the hose/line to the slave unit also at this time......

mpruden

Oh come on. You guys have never had to mess with a Turbo slave. Now that thing is the work of the devil and definitely a TFPITA!

In all seriousness, maybe I just got lucky, but I put a new NA slave with the lump in the car and didn't think it was bad at all. Sure, I had to put some pressure on it to get the first bolt started, but it wasn't too bad.

Although I didn't use this method, this trick seems to make it more tolerable to keep the slave in position and get the nuts started.

https://rennlist.com/forums/diy-subm...-job-aide.html

If you can bleed the slave, I think you can change it out as well.

Foxman

Just wanted to provide you all an update on my clutch slave and the sticking clutch.
So it turns out that my shop had so many items on the to do list when we dropped the engine last winter, they apparently never got around to bleeding the clutch slave. That helps explain why I couldn't get the clutch slave to bleed - it apparently hadn't been bled for many years, if ever, and was all gummed up.
So we installed a new clutch slave, and hose (thanks C4SJohn - great advice), filled and flushed the system, and the clutch no longer sticks and is operating perfectly! Thanks for the input, and thanks for all the prior posts on this topic. Have you bled your clutch slave lately??

Jlbarnett

I hope they gave you a steep discount for charging you to bleed the slave and then never doing it. Glad to hear all is well now

nine9six

Despite my response being after the fact; If you'd seen the schit that first bled from my clutch slave, you'd know your guess is more a forgone conclusion...

Make sure the rubber bleed screw cap is in place, as this protects the bleed screw from debris buildup and clogging...Same goes for the brake bleed screws.

I flush/bleed my brakes and clutch slave every two years, after the initial bleed when I had purchased my car. At the same time, I installed the Technofit steel braided lines as offered by FD Motorsports in a rennlist group buy a few years back...Also installed new OEM pads, sensors, spiders and turned the rotors, with material to spare!