TJ: bleeding clutch

[Mtbikbob]

Ok... I have tried. clear tubing into a bottle with fluid...
Originally started with the brake bleeding process, one person pushing down the pedal with opening the bleed screw then closing bleed screw and lifting up the pedal....

tried pumping then bleeding off....seemed to work, till I finally stripped the threads of the bleeder screw.... so I guess I am now 'screwed' as they say. I have to buy on Monday on new assembly. So when I do... how in the hell do you bleed this dumb system!!
Help please.

I thought I was handy in the garage, now I'll spend most of tomorrow finding all the tools I threw into the garage after spending nearly two hours trying to bleed this stupid system. Ok, maybe its not the stupid system and its me.. either way help a guy out.

Its a 2005 TJ and the slave looks like a black plastic tube. It has a allen set screw on top of it and the bleeder small hole below the set screw on the side

[6spdYJ]

You can pre-fill the slave on your bench by having a container of brake fluid with a large mouth open, keep the slave piston compressed and put the line hole below the fluid level and drawing the fluid into the slave. Once it's hooked up, you can bleed as normal or might get locky and have the air work itself out. I had an S-10 that the bleeder seized on and we just had to pump the daylights out of it.

[aw12345]

One way that works well on clutches or whatever is to get one of these brake fluid pumps or even a hypodermic needle with a piece of hose on it and pump brake fluid from the the slave cylinder into the master cylinder will push all of the air up and out. Other way is to just keep pumping the pedal eventually all the air works it self out without opening the bleeder screw

[6spdYJ]

The booger with these is that the bleeder screw is just a threaded post with a set screw in it and the bleeder hole is drilled just above the cylinder body. There really is no way to get a good seal to inject or draw fluid into it.

[NAILER341]

You don't bleed this system, you replace it. It is a sealed master/slave system and you buy it for about 150 bucks and replace the whole mess.



Quote from the 2003 FSM

MASTER CYLINDER
INSPECTION
The clutch fluid reservoir, master cylinder, slave
cylinder and fluid lines are pre-filled with fluid at
the factory during assembly operations.
The hydraulic system should not require additional
fluid under normal circumstances. The reservoir
fluid level will actually increase as normal
clutch wear occurs. Avoid overfilling, or removing
fluid from the reservoir.
Clutch fluid level is checked at the master cylinder
reservoir. An indicator ring is provided on the outside
of the reservoir. With the cap and diaphragm
removed, fluid level should not be above indicator
ring.
To avoid contaminating the hydraulic fluid during
inspection, wipe reservoir and cover clean before
removing the cap.

[Mtbikbob]

yeah... thats the one.
Hmmm, here I thought I was doing a good thing replacing the fluid. The Haynes service manual had all that stuff about using the clear tubing into a bottle with 2'' fluid, pushing the pedal all the way down, letting it run till its clear. oh boy, expensive lessen learned. Thanks.

[NAILER341]

What the Haynes manual is referring to is an earlier model jeep. 88-9x with the internal slave.

Later models use the sealed system.

[aw12345]

Keep pumping the pedal eventually the air will work out unless offcourse you got 150 bucks that needs to be spend.
By the way I could hook you up with a Jeep manual as well as the one fellow that had a printed one here on MJR

[6spdYJ]

I'm running a 92 master with a 94 tube and an 05 slave. Maybe the TJ's master can't be removed. If it was assembled, it can be taken apart...

[Mtbikbob]

Keep pumping the pedal eventually the air will work out unless offcourse you got 150 bucks that needs to be spend.
By the way I could hook you up with a Jeep manual as well as the one fellow that had a printed one here on MJR

Keep pumping it works....but by the time I finished I had stripped the screw and thats my fault for over tightening.

[Mtbikbob]

I'm running a 92 master with a 94 tube and an 05 slave. Maybe the TJ's master can't be removed. If it was assembled, it can be taken apart...

I have now removed the whole assembly. It takes about 5 mins. About the time it should take to bleed an assembly. By the whole assembly I mean the master tubing and slave just as Eric shows it in the picture.

After rereading the Haynes manual, sure enough it says that the 94 and later are sealed units.

Thanks guys... I am good. Just mad at myself for being ignorant about it all. Well now I am no longer ignorant on the subject.

[platnumb4x]

Erik, Thanks for posting that, I have a TJ but I'm sure this will help someone out in the future.

[OU812]

I used the TJ slave like yours in my YJ. It had the same kind of "bleader" that is just a plug. All I did was fill up the slave with fluid on the bench. The. I attached the tubing to the master and the slave. It comes on and off with a rollpin at each end. Then I used an Allen wrench to pull the "bleader" plug on the slave. I poured fluid into the master and watched it drain out the slave till no bubbles came out. Then I put the plug back in quickly so the line didn't completely drain. So now the only air in the system was in the line. I filled up the master bench bled the last little bit of air out. All in all it took about 20 minutes. Definitely worth the time.

[Mtbikbob]

I used the TJ slave like yours in my YJ. It had the same kind of "bleader" that is just a plug. All I did was fill up the slave with fluid on the bench. The. I attached the tubing to the master and the slave. It comes on and off with a rollpin at each end. Then I used an Allen wrench to pull the "bleader" plug on the slave. I poured fluid into the master and watched it drain out the slave till no bubbles came out. Then I put the plug back in quickly so the line didn't completely drain. So now the only air in the system was in the line. I filled up the master bench bled the last little bit of air out. All in all it took about 20 minutes. Definitely worth the time.

Whatever works. Sealed system, what a bonehead idea that is.
Thanks for the imput.

[platnumb4x]

OU812 is brings a lot of knowledge to this site, (as do so many others). We are fortunate he is sticking around even though he is Jeepless at this time. I would take his info and run with it and it may save you some money. Good luck. Thanks for the info OU812.