Edgy01

I finally got around to bleeding my system the other day. (It helps to have a brother in law with 18 repair bays and numerous lifts!)

Just a little information for others tackling the job.

(1) Pull the wheels off the car.

(2) Suck out the excess old fluid if you have one of those gadgets to do that. (No sense in pulling the reservoir stuff on through the lines).

(3) Service the reservoir with only DOT 4. (I used some less costly DOT4 stuff initially, and then added the Porsche stuff once that first stuff was flushed through).

(4) Start from the RR caliper, and always bleed the valve on the outside first, and then the inside one. (Only tool needed is a 11mm wrench).

(5) LR, then RF, and finally, LF calipers.

(6) To purge the hydraulic line for the clutch assist (no separate reservoir) find it beneath the car. Pull off the rear-most bottom body panel with a Torx driver. Locate the nipple above the left CV joint. It's tight in there,--a short-handled 11mm wrench might work best, or perhaps an 11mm crowfoot...

(7) The final step should be to wash the wheels and brake calipers thoroughly,--brake fluid is harsh on paints.

Picture below to help with the identification of that point to drain it from. Of course, I used a catch-bottle with a bunch of that cheap DOT4 stuff in it to keep the bubbles out. Had to empty it a bit to keep from having too much fluid in it with all the bleeding. ALWAYS remember to keep up with the reservoir by adding the DOT4 periodically. With the hydraulic part of this, have an assistant in the cockpit, guarding the clutch pedal from hitting the firewall when you open the drain point. (They can put a shoed foot in behind it to move it in and out).

MUSSBERGER

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0h5bMoW-aw
Motive is your friend

luisimo

Thank you for the info, bookmarking this post!

obsessedone

Great guide. One fine point - Porsche recommends bleeding clutch with pedal depressed (block down with a piece of wood or something after depressing). Due to design and orientation of master or operating cylinder, some old fluid and air can remain trapped there if pedal is not depressed. Depressing pedal fully while flushing moves piston full travel in the master cylinder evacuating both fluid and any trapped air as fully as possible from the cylinder into the line leading to the slave cylinder on the tranmission, allowing you to bleed the air from the system. Usually not a big issue, but if you have gotten air into the master cylinder by changing components or by allowing resevoir to get low while bleeding, this allows you to clear the air from master cylinder.

JW911

Nice write up Edgy.

If you have the 19" Lobster Fork wheels, you can bleed both caliper valves without removing the wheels. I learned this after removing three of them. And by the time I got to the 4th, on a whim I reached in there with my wrench and sure enough, there was more than enough room to fit the tube and open the valve.

If you're doing this on jackstands in the garage, you'll need to remove the left rear wheel to get your body under there to reach the clutch bleed valve.

Also, you should be aware that the amount of bleeding needed for the inside caliper valve is very minimal. You only need to bleed out a very small amount. I know this because I used ATE Super Blue and when I opened all the rear valves, the blue fluid was almost instantaneous. I only needed 1 liter of fluid to bleed the entire system.

helispud

Thanks for the info, Edgy.

Is the transmission fill plug accessible when you remove the panel to bleed the clutch? If so it would be a good time to do both together.

LlBr

Thanks! Brake flush is one half of my $650 "oil service." LOL

997, esq

+1. I took my car to an indy to the brake fluid, just because I don't have the equipment to easily remove wheels. I hung out with him when he did the service. He did not have to remove my 18s in order to remove the bleed valve.

cbzzoom

Hmm if you can in fact do this without popping the wheels off I might give it a go.

USMC_DS1

Thanks Edgy... that's a helpful pic of the clutch bleed value location. Will add to the DIY sticky.

aaks38

I think you pretty much have to remove the wheels as there is an inner and outer bleeder port for each caliper as edgy noted, and its going to be tough to get a wrench in there with the wheels on.

I use the motive as well, i know some recommended evacuating the old fluid from the MC but you have to be careful to not let it run dry otherwise your going to be screwed with getting air into the system. The motive will force the old fluid in the MC as you bleed.

BTW the new ATE4 fluids are rated for 3 years now, so you dont have to bleed after 2 years.

USMC_DS1

Carrera Classic wheels are open enough that I've been bleeding my system with the the wheels on... much easier, of course, with them off. It's such an easy process I just bleed everything on an annual basis.

Ptech1

The outer caliper (and bleeding valve) pulls fluid from the inner through the connecting line, so bleeding from the outer valve through the wheels will work without removal.

USMC_DS1

Ptech1, would you happen to know the purpose of inner bleed value?

mdr2001

Ptech1,

Can you point me to the technical doc where you got this or can anyone confirm? i am doing mine tomorrow and I have classics - so not looking to pull the wheels if I dont have too. I will still place on stands to do the clutch bleed.

TIA

Mark