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A quick and dirty clutch pressure bleeder

9000 2.0T: I had the misfortune to have the hydraulic line from the master cylinder to slave cylinder separate this week-end. Waited in the bush a dehydrating 3 hours in 40C heat for the recovery truck to pick me up.

The Quasi motors site describes a pressure bleed procedure using a sacrificial Saab reservoir cap.

I discovered that the lid from a standard metal 5 litre (1 gal?) fuel can like the BP "Handycan" is a perfect fit for the thread of the master cylinder reservoir cap. The lids on all of these fuel cans have a plastic outer childproof shroud. This must be removed to leave just the metal lid itself.

Next, get a bicycle tube and with some scissors cut out the valve leaving enough of the tube around the valve so that it forms a circular collar whose diameter is the inside diameter of the lid.

Next drill a hole in the centre of the lid so that the valve can be poked through it. Screwing it down should will make an airtight seal as the lip of reservoir compresses the rubber collar.

Connect a foot operated car pump, loosen the bleeder valve and bleed away.

Reply to
ShazWozza
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Just found a new tool for the toolbox. Thanks for the great tip

Reply to
Norm Boyce

Why not just drive it home, or at least to a more civilized place? That's what I do when the clutch line pops loose! Start it in first gear and be careful shifting, be sure to follow through.

Dave Hinz introduced me to the IV method of clutch bleeding which I have used twice now on mid 80's 900 Turbos:

Connect the bottom half of a turkey baster to a piece of plastic hose then to the bleed nipple. Keep the baster level about 2-3 feet (1 m) above the slave cylinder. Fill the baster and hose with brake fluid and keep it full. Open the bleed nipple. Gravity will push the fluid back into the reservoir and get rid of the air.

Put the bulb back on the turkey baster to suck the excess fluid out of the reservoir.

Works great!

Charles

Reply to
Charles

Nice idea, but the place where it broke down was on a winding mountain road and there would have been 20km and dozens and dozens of gear changes to get to a better location. In addition, once off the mountain the summer holdiday traffic was stop start. Better to wait for the truck than risk hurting the 'box in those conditions.

Reply to
ShazWozza

....there's nothing like desperation to make you come up with solutions - well done! It's great to hear of situations where human ingenuity triumphs without resorting to a technician with a black box...! And in case you're wondering, I've got nothing against techies, but generally you don't find them half-way up a mountain when your clutch is lunched...

Reply to
Pidgeonpost

Next turkey must taste funny?

Reply to
Richard Sutherland-Smith

OK, I understand it is not a lot of fun to drive without a clutch in less than ideal conditions, which sounds like your case. Also the situation you describe sounds like it would increase the damage beyond just the clutch!

Charles

Reply to
Charles

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