How to bleed clutch slave cyl, 94 Wrangler ??

My 94 Wrangler ( ~150,000 miles) recently got hard to shift. In particular, I sometimes have to turn the engine off to get into reverse. So I checked around, and I found that the fluid level in the master clutch cylinder was VERY low. But the problem did not go away after I added fluid, so I assume that some air must have gotten in.

But I can't figure out how to bleed it. (I have two shop manuals -- a Haynes & a Chiltons, I think -- and my system doesn't look like any of the pictures in either book.)

The slave cylinder is a horizontal cylinder, on the left side of the clutch housing, about 1 inch diameter x 4 inches long. It has a little teat on the bottom, about 1/2 inch diameter x 1/2 inch long with a setscrew on the bottom end, and a little hole on the *side* of the teat

-- right where it joins the main cylinder.

When I loosen the setscrew and press the clutch pedal, fluid comes out of the side-hole, but there is no way you could attach a bleeder hose to the teat without blocking the little hole.

The shop manuals talk about the 94 wranglers having a "sealed" clutch system, but it doesn't make any sense to me that there is provision for adding fluid, but no provision for bleeding.

Thanks in Advance!! john w.

Reply to
jwallacq
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On some of them, you are just supposed to sit there like a fool pumping the crap out of the master until all the bubbles stop coming to the top. Someone here should know how far you are supposed to pump the pedal, it might only be 1" or so, I don't remember. It has been posted about here before.

Mike

86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00 88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's

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Reply to
Mike Romain

I just have someone push and hold, then I open the bleeder, watch the fluid come out, close the bleeder before the fluid stops. Be careful, the first few can have lots of air and it is easy to get sprayed in the face. Repeat about 10 times and you are good to go, all new fluid in everything.

HTH

Carl

Reply to
Carl

I've replaced a couple of those and usually "bleed" them before bolting them into the bell housing so that they can hang straight down (all the air goes to the top near the bleed hole). The last one I got didn't even have the bleed hole drilled through and I quickly figured out that it wasn't needed. The clutch master has no reverse flow valve in it like a brake master would, so the air just slowly bubbles up through the pipe. This works well with the slave off and hanging straight down but I'm not too sure how well it would purge if the slave were level - looks like some air would be trapped. Maybe parking on a downhil slope would help. Pumping seems to get most of the air out, anyway, but pump slow. Fast down is ok, but release slowly to let the air work it's way up the hose. Otherwise, just park on a steep downhil and go have lunch while the air bubbles up.

Anyway, if the fluid was that low, you have more problems than just bleed> My 94 Wrangler ( ~150,000 miles) recently got hard to shift. In

Reply to
Will Honea

Thanks to everybody who offered advice. The problem seems to be solved.

I removed the slave cyl. from the housing and let it hang semi-vertical. ( I couldn't get it fully vertical for fear of breaking the crummy-looking, brittle plastic tube.) Then I worked the slave pushrod in and out about 6 times while my wife watched the main reservoir. The first few times, a lot of bubbles came out; but after the 5th or 6th time, there were no more bubbles, so I re-mounted the slave. Now the transmission is shifting smoothly again.

I didn't touch the clutch pedal at all while the slave was removed.

There is a stain underneath the master cyl., but I suspect that it has been leaking very slowly over a period of years. I will just check the fluid level more frequently from now on. I'm sure that a few cans of brake fluid per year is a lot cheaper than a new hydraulic system.

Thanx again, john w.

Reply to
jwallacq

Whatever you can live with. Another tip that might be of use, is to flush the system periodically. Clean hydraulic fluid is a lot kinder to internal parts than dirty.

Earle

Reply to
Earle Horton

Reply to
Will Honea

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