It's always something, isn't it?
Posted: Tue May 06, 2014 6:38 pm
Sometimes I wonder if my Old Blue is just being creative in finding odd things to go awry in her old age. You know, trying to keep the spark alive (wholly unnecessary).
I took a ride the other day, and the clutch felt like there was air in the line. It was working well enough, but it wasn't right - and I had the feeling if I ignored it, it would become a full-blown Not Right. So when I got back to the garage, I figured it's been a couple years, why not take 15 minutes and bleed the clutch.
I get it all set up, pump the lever a couple times, hold it, loosen the bleeder ... clutch fluid comes out, with a couple bubbles. I was right! Then I close the bleeder, and slowly release the lever as I'm watching the bleeder and ... fluid goes back in. Wait. What? The bleed screw is tight (check)? So I pump the lever and ... fluid comes out. Grr ... WTF?
So drain the clutch. Upon closer investigation of the bleeder, I see a little sliver of metal at the top. That can't be anything good. So I start take the bleed screw out by hand and ... out come the top four or five threads, in a single piece, wrapped around the bleeder. Are you kidding?! Really?
Ayup. The threads in the bleeder broke right out of the bore hole. There are a couple clutch covers on Ebay ($225-250USD), or I could drill & tap the bore to use an 11mm bleeder - but I worry about the contact point at the bottom of the bore. So I'm trying a bleeder repair kit:
Basically you bore out the hole, bleeder 'cup' and all, tap & thread in a new (larger) bleed screw insert. I just worry whether there's enough material between the main clutch line inlet and the bleed channels for the insert to fit without compromising either one. We'll see, I guess. Stayed tuned.
If this isn't going to fit, has anyone seen a system that incorporates the bleeder into the banjo bolt that holds the line, or some other solution?
I took a ride the other day, and the clutch felt like there was air in the line. It was working well enough, but it wasn't right - and I had the feeling if I ignored it, it would become a full-blown Not Right. So when I got back to the garage, I figured it's been a couple years, why not take 15 minutes and bleed the clutch.
I get it all set up, pump the lever a couple times, hold it, loosen the bleeder ... clutch fluid comes out, with a couple bubbles. I was right! Then I close the bleeder, and slowly release the lever as I'm watching the bleeder and ... fluid goes back in. Wait. What? The bleed screw is tight (check)? So I pump the lever and ... fluid comes out. Grr ... WTF?
So drain the clutch. Upon closer investigation of the bleeder, I see a little sliver of metal at the top. That can't be anything good. So I start take the bleed screw out by hand and ... out come the top four or five threads, in a single piece, wrapped around the bleeder. Are you kidding?! Really?
Ayup. The threads in the bleeder broke right out of the bore hole. There are a couple clutch covers on Ebay ($225-250USD), or I could drill & tap the bore to use an 11mm bleeder - but I worry about the contact point at the bottom of the bore. So I'm trying a bleeder repair kit:
Basically you bore out the hole, bleeder 'cup' and all, tap & thread in a new (larger) bleed screw insert. I just worry whether there's enough material between the main clutch line inlet and the bleed channels for the insert to fit without compromising either one. We'll see, I guess. Stayed tuned.
If this isn't going to fit, has anyone seen a system that incorporates the bleeder into the banjo bolt that holds the line, or some other solution?