Clutch fluid change
01-15-2008, 07:19 AM
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Clutch fluid change hey does anyone know where i could find a writeup on how to change my clutch fluid from start to finish? id rather do it myself than get ripped for 120.00 at a dealership!!! 
thanks fellas..
thanks fellas.. 
01-15-2008, 09:43 AM
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jack the car up, drop the trans crossmember and lower the rear of the trans a bit.
access teh bleed valve on the passenger side of the trans, just below the braded hydrolic line.
don't recall the size off hand.
but get a 1/4" breaker bar with the correct socket size.
bleed it just like the brakes.
press clutch hold
crack bleed valve
close valve
release clutch
check fluid level
repeat untill fluid coming out is clear (new)
access teh bleed valve on the passenger side of the trans, just below the braded hydrolic line.
don't recall the size off hand.
but get a 1/4" breaker bar with the correct socket size.
bleed it just like the brakes.
press clutch hold
crack bleed valve
close valve
release clutch
check fluid level
repeat untill fluid coming out is clear (new)
01-15-2008, 11:52 PM
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I personally just use a turkey baster, suck the bad fluid out of the master reservoir, and pour new stuff in. Using paper towels to get all the old fluid out of the reservoir. Takes 5 minutes, and even with the dirty fluid in the hydraulic line and slave, all it takes is a few pumps to mix it all up, and it feels a hell of a lot better.
http://www.rangeracceleration.com/Clutch_Care.html
^good write up.
Bleeding it is probably the better of the two. But IMO, it's a pain, you need two people, and it's really messy.
You could look into a remote bleeder screw too.. Not exactly sure how they work, but I heard about it from Tech, so I'm sure someone with experience will chime in eventually.
http://www.rangeracceleration.com/Clutch_Care.html
^good write up.
Bleeding it is probably the better of the two. But IMO, it's a pain, you need two people, and it's really messy.
You could look into a remote bleeder screw too.. Not exactly sure how they work, but I heard about it from Tech, so I'm sure someone with experience will chime in eventually.
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01-16-2008, 10:04 AM
#9
As stated, the bleed process is similar to the procedure for brakes.
Ranger's guide is good for maintenance, but to do a good old fashioned change it was already posted.
You can't install a remote bleeder without removing the transmission and getting to the slave.
To bleed your clutch requires a few steps and 2 people.
First jack the car up and use jack stands to support. Safety first.
Remove the reservoir cap, remove the black diaphragm and take out all the old fluid. Clean out the reservoir of any particulate. Do not pump the clutch while it is empty! Refill it with new fluid. Recommend DOT4 synthetic for it's higher boil point.
Underneath the car, on the driver's side of the transmission near the front of the transmission you will see a braided hydraulic line plugged into the side of the transmission. Right above it which you CANNOT see, but you can feel with your hands will be the bleeder valve. I can't recall the size of the bleeder, maybe 11mm. I have my old slave in the garage, I'll check on it later for the size.
You need a really small 1/4 drive socket wrench, I was lucky enough for mine to barely get in there with some manipulation. I'd also put a piece of tape between the 1/4 inch drive and the socket so that you don't lose the socket in the bleeder area.
Once you have the wrench on it have the person in the car push the clutch pedal in AND hold it down. Crack the bleeder to allow fluid to escape, then close the bleeder. Have the person in the car pull the clutch pedal out, pump it up if necessary until pedal feel comes back. Repeat the bleed. Push clutch in, crack bleeder, close bleeder, bring pedal back. Check the reservoir to ensure it hasn't emptied itself yet. Top up with fluid if necessary.
Hydraulic fluid WILL spray out from the bleeder area and from the bottom of the transmission. Be sure to have some sort of catch bottle underneath with you along with a lot of rags. When you are satisfied you have flushed out all the old fluid, spray the area around the bleeder with brake cleaner. People say wait until the fluid coming out of the transmission area is clear, but for the life of me, I've gone through a whole large bottle and not gotten "clear" results. Too much clutch dust inside the clutch area for the fluid to pick up and dirty itself as it trickles down. The hydraulic system doesn't hold too much fluid in it.
Ranger's guide is good for maintenance, but to do a good old fashioned change it was already posted.
You can't install a remote bleeder without removing the transmission and getting to the slave.
To bleed your clutch requires a few steps and 2 people.
First jack the car up and use jack stands to support. Safety first.
Remove the reservoir cap, remove the black diaphragm and take out all the old fluid. Clean out the reservoir of any particulate. Do not pump the clutch while it is empty! Refill it with new fluid. Recommend DOT4 synthetic for it's higher boil point.
Underneath the car, on the driver's side of the transmission near the front of the transmission you will see a braided hydraulic line plugged into the side of the transmission. Right above it which you CANNOT see, but you can feel with your hands will be the bleeder valve. I can't recall the size of the bleeder, maybe 11mm. I have my old slave in the garage, I'll check on it later for the size.
You need a really small 1/4 drive socket wrench, I was lucky enough for mine to barely get in there with some manipulation. I'd also put a piece of tape between the 1/4 inch drive and the socket so that you don't lose the socket in the bleeder area.
Once you have the wrench on it have the person in the car push the clutch pedal in AND hold it down. Crack the bleeder to allow fluid to escape, then close the bleeder. Have the person in the car pull the clutch pedal out, pump it up if necessary until pedal feel comes back. Repeat the bleed. Push clutch in, crack bleeder, close bleeder, bring pedal back. Check the reservoir to ensure it hasn't emptied itself yet. Top up with fluid if necessary.
Hydraulic fluid WILL spray out from the bleeder area and from the bottom of the transmission. Be sure to have some sort of catch bottle underneath with you along with a lot of rags. When you are satisfied you have flushed out all the old fluid, spray the area around the bleeder with brake cleaner. People say wait until the fluid coming out of the transmission area is clear, but for the life of me, I've gone through a whole large bottle and not gotten "clear" results. Too much clutch dust inside the clutch area for the fluid to pick up and dirty itself as it trickles down. The hydraulic system doesn't hold too much fluid in it.
01-18-2008, 11:17 AM
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I herd from the guys at eastside performance you shouldn't mess with bleeding unless its absolutely necessary. You could accidentally get some air in the lines if you don't follow proper procedure and then have to bleed it all over again.
01-18-2008, 04:07 PM
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Yeah, unless you're having problems shifting, then I wouldn't mess with it - or, do the turkey baster method as mentioned above. I did mine for the first time a few years ago and the socket fell off the bleeder and the system ran dry - not good. However if you do it, make sure you have someone monitoring the reservoir.
