Clutch fluid usage

[Poison457]

how much brake fluid should i be going though on my clutch? the swap is only a week old and I've gone from MAX line to MIN line, the only reason why i looked is because taking of in first gear has gotten A LOT ummm slippyer....
basically it was grabing like a MOFO now it' kinda eased up also just after the swap and up till i left for work this morning putting the clutch all the way down you could feel the difference between clutch {pressure} and the flex plate releasing now it's alot less noticeable. other than those problems no slippage gears shifting fine...ect and there are no noticeable leaks that i can find

[run1206]

i'm kinda curious about that as well, but with my swap my fluid is totally black! :(

Nas and I used about 1/4 of the big bottle to re-bleed my clutch when I had my 1st tranny. Not too sure of the exact amount is used for proper pressure.

[eclipsh]

Your hydraulic systems shouldn't "use" fluid. You either have a leak or there was a lot of air in the system that managed to bleed back up. Either way you'll need to diagnose it and fix it. Pull the rubber boots back on the master and slave cylinders and check for fluid inside of them. If there isn't anything you probably just had air in the system and need to add fluid/bleed the system.

[SPD_FRK]

Your hydraulic systems shouldn't "use" fluid. You either have a leak or there was a lot of air in the system that managed to bleed back up. Either way you'll need to diagnose it and fix it. Pull the rubber boots back on the master and slave cylinders and check for fluid inside of them. If there isn't anything you probably just had air in the system and need to add fluid/bleed the system.
+1

[4g63lover]

I agree with SPD_FRK and eclipsh. As far as the black fluid goes? Is it a new slave and master? The black is from worn seals inside the master or slave.

[03-Galant-ES]

have someone sit in the car and pump the clutch and if anything bubbles in your reservoir then there is still air in the line. Try to rebleed it again refill it and see if it grips like it should. Thats how we did it on my brothers Fiero at least.

[WhiteGalant]

New slave and master and my fluid is black lol. I should prolly flush it.

[run1206]

Oddly same here, Nas gave me a new master cylinder as well and after a few months my fluid is black. I'll probably try to change the fluid soon.

[beam514]

My fluid is black too. When I originally bled the system, I bled it for awhile when it was already squirting clear fluid. So I dunno

[run1206]

I dunno, i'm hoping just bleeding the system will fix it. Cuz when I press the clutch, it only holds for about 5-7 seconds, then loses pressure. Never did that when during the first few months of driving stick. Don't know if any of the other members with "black" fluid is experiencing the same thing as well. (Sorry for thread jacking, just trying to find out if poison457 or anybody else is experiencing this.)

[Poison457]

my fluid is still clear well maybe abit dirty from a dirty resv i'm just loosing fluid, with no visable leaks, and my clutch as gotten "softer" i need to get my extended push rod put in so i can adjust my pedal down abit, cuz right now it's out ALL the way.

[eclipsh]

my fluid is still clear well maybe abit dirty from a dirty resv i'm just loosing fluid, with no visable leaks, and my clutch as gotten "softer" i need to get my extended push rod put in so i can adjust my pedal down abit, cuz right now it's out ALL the way.

For those of you with black looking fluid: it is time to check for leaks, flush the system and consider buying new master/slave cylinders (best done as a pair).

The extended rod is a band-aid for a system that is worn out. Your issue sounds like air in the lines. If you haven't flushed all of the fluid out of your lines in the last couple years I'd do that first then buy or make a speed bleeder for your slave cylinder.

I couldn't find a speed bleeder locally so I just took a spare bleeder valve, cut the nipple off the top and drilled and tapped it for a 6mm bolt. Then I center bored a 6mm bolt. After that I bought a small steel ball and medium-firm spring at the hardware store that fit nicely into the bleeder valve's internal chamber. Drop the ball in, follow it up with a section of spring and thread the bolt in until you barely get a good seal and thread a nut onto the bolt to lock it into place. It cost me all of a couple bucks to make and I got to play in the garage for an hour or so. It works great and makes bleeding the clutch a hell of a lot easier.

One other thing to check is wear in the clutch pedal where the cotter pin slips through to attach the master cylinder. I had a bit of play there partly from a worn pin and partly from a slightly ovaled out hole. I found a 10mm bolt fit the pedal's hole snugly so I drilled out the u-shaped bracket on the push rod to accept the same size. That cured a LOT of my adjustment woes. I have no idea if your pedal assembly is the same but I'm guessing it is close enough that this would be worth looking at.

[Poison457]

eclipsh
my swap is just over a week old, this whole thing could just be in my head and the clutch could be breaking in, directly after the swap it was tough as nails to engage the clutch, and it grabbed like a son of a gun, the only thing that has me concerned is the fluid loss

[eclipsh]

Ahh, I didn't know that. If the parts are new and you're losing fluid it could be either A: bad parts (I've gotten a bad master cylinder that leaked after a week of use) or B: lots of air in the lines. Either way I'd check for fluid in the boots and then stick a speed bleeder on if possible and make sure every bit of air is out of the system. Even with the speed bleeder make sure to use some clear tubing on the end and submerge the other side in some brake fluid so you can see if any more air bubbles are coming out and no air can get back in.

[Stewi]

the black is from the gunk and crap that builds up in the hardline from sitting exposed to the elements in the junkyard.

[03-Galant-ES]

the black is from the gunk and crap that builds up in the hardline from sitting exposed to the elements in the junkyard.

is there a way to blow those out with an air compressor before finishing install and bleeding clutch?

[run1206]

Even with the speed bleeder make sure to use some clear tubing on the end and submerge the other side in some brake fluid so you can see if any more air bubbles are coming out and no air can get back in.

This is what 01Galant01 and I used to fully bleed the clutch. Helped alot with better clutch pressure at the time I had my 1st tranny.