HELP! just lost clutch after bleeding

[po79]

Hi guys,
Just changed the rear caliper and whilst my partner was sat in the car i thought i would just bleed the clutch slave.
Two pumps and i opened the bleed nipple and that was all but now the peddle is sat on the floor and I've got no clutch.
I know this will seem really stupid but didn't check the reseviour as this was an after thought.
So please tell me where the reservoir is for the clutch, where i have gone wrong and how can i get myself out of this mess!
Thanks,
Po79.

[johnnyroper]

Same as the brake one,clutch take off about half way down. Have you tried lifting pedal up? I seem to remember they stay down until lifted back upwards.

[po79]

Thanks for the reply,
I did wonder if that might be the case as i had a car years ago where the brakes and clutch shared the reservoir but couldn't see any pipes heading to where the clutch master would be.
Pulling the pedal up doesn't make any difference.
As the reservoir is in such a bad position and grubby the level may had dropped lower that i thought and as I'm guessing the clutch feed will be higher than the minimum level of the reservoir there is a chance when i bled the clutch i may have ran out of available fluid and let air in to the system.
I will be rebleeding again tomorrow but if anyone else has any more suggestions I'll be grateful to hear them.
Cheers,
Po79

[johnnyroper]

No doubt itââ,¬â,,¢s just a bleed issue then after fluid dropped lower than clutch take off. It is really awkward to top up,I used a funnel with a length of hose pipe on it to top mine. Ended up doing fill to spill method as couldnââ,¬â,,¢t see level,once all bled through filled to over flow then a quick bleed to drop level in res. Finally after cap back on a good soaking with watering can to remove the excesss brake fluid

[brianh]

Its a pain to do it, but its far easier to remove the scuttle panel to top the fluid up. Also have an empty bottle for the fluid, and only half fill it up, then you can tip it to the right position without spilling fluid everywhere.

And yes, the fluid take off is at the minimum level on the brake reservoir - its designed that way as they would rather you lose the clutch than the brakes if you have a leak on the clutch circuit.

Your probably best to let it settle for a minute or two once you've added fluid before trying to bleed it, and its best done after you have done the rest of the brakes first.

[po79]

I topped the fluid up by removing the scuttle panel and used a small 35ml medicine cup the type that come with cough mixtures we use them in work to pot up tablets and it made topping up very easy and didn't spill a drop of fluid.
But what a crappy place to put the reservoir.
I've got some pedal back and can drive the car but it's not great.
Cheers,
Po79.

[brianh]

That suggests it needs bleeding more - I'd suspect putting it in is creating bubbles in the fluid as your trying to fill it up. Best bet if so is to top the reservoir up as high as you can, let the car sit for a couple of hours to let the bubbles settle (don't drive it or anything while your waiting) and then try again to bleed it.

I think if i remember rightly there is a filter screen in the cap, which will probabbly add more bubbles as your doing it, but letting it settle should solve that problem. It might sort itself if your lucky as the clutch is a larger feed, but the key is being gentle with it to avoid agaiting the fluid too much. It will also help if you have someone to help either pushing the pedal or watching the fluid to judge when to shut the nipple off, having a bleed hose or similar on the nipple helps a lot as you can reduce the amount of air sucked back inside (wouldn't bother with the pressure bleed type system personally, and others here have said the same, just a basic bottle or if your not wanting to buy anything a piece of washer hose would be an improvement on nothing)

Yes the location is awful, but most things relating to the engine area on people carrier type vehicles are (I've got an 2006 Espace, and that makes the Galaxy look easy to work on by comparison)

[po79]

Yeah thats what I'm using.  Clear pvc tube and a clear bottle withsomeone slowly pumping the pedal.
Your right about the filter in the reservoir but at the rate you can pour fresh liquid in not sure this would cause any issues.
I only bled it as every now and then when selecting 1st at say a set of traffic lights it would seem to grab or clunk into gear so I was hopeful that bleeding the clutch would help but I'm now thinking it may actually be the fact that it needs a new clutch.
Po79.