bleeding clutch

[VALARIE]

Help,,, changing out and flushing clutch, new dot 4, old fluid VERY brown and gooey??? now I think iv air in system no clutch lever at all, any luck with gravity bleed?

[WintrSol]

If you can, prop the bike upright and turn the bars so that the reservoir is at least level, preferably tilted a bit towards the banjo fitting. You may have to loosen the reservoir/lever clamp and move it to get it tilted this way. This makes the following more efficient.

It can be messy, but reverse bleeding will get your system up pretty quick. You can use gravity, or a pump, to force fluid into the bleeder at the slave cylinder and up into the reservoir. Just connect your source, say a funnel held above the reservoir with a tube that fits tight to it and the bleeder, fill it with fluid and open the bleeder. You have to be careful to cover everything with plastic sheets, to keep the fluid off anything it can damage - paint, polished metal, etc. I keep a spray bottle of water handy to rinse any stray fluid away. Air will still be trapped in the MC and banjo, but you can work that out.

Or, you may be able to get the air out of the MC by moving the lever in and out to get bubbles to appear from the holes at the bottom of the reservoir. If you get pressure to build this way, then very slowly squeeze the lever, hold a few seconds, then let it snap back; this will pull bubbles out of the banjo, so you can get them out of the MC and into the reservoir. This is the method to get the last air out when using reverse bleed, too.

BTW, if you give us an idea of your location, there may be a member close to you willing to lend a hand. I will, if you live close to St. Louis, MO.

[vanagon40]

Welcome to the forum VALARIE. If it were me, I would continue to bleed the clutch as normal: pull, open bleeder, close bleeder, release (or reverse steps 1 and 2), until no more air bubbles were seen. Then try this: I know this works with the brakes, so I assume it works with the clutch--similar to gravity bleed--after doing the best you can, tie off the clutch lever in the pulled position and let is sit overnight.

I also recommend the speed bleeders.

Again, welcome to the forum. Pictures of your bike are always welcome.

[sandy]

Where do you live. You may get local help to respond.

[VALARIE]

I'm loving this club, thanks for all your advise, I will try it all again in the morning, I live in Medford oregon

[Dorkman]

More advice here:

http://www.valkyrieforum.com/bbs/index.php/topic,58234.0.html

Tying the lever overnight to get the bubbles to rise, then tap the banjo bolt works well.  Speed bleeders are great for a final easy solution.

[mmvalk]

Speed Bleedrs fer sure!  Suggest you bleed your brakes as well - if the clutch system wasn't bled for a while then in all likelihood neither were the brakes.

[VALARIE]

 are speed bleeders hard to install, what brand, and do I need bleed slave cylinder if I'm able??

[mmvalk]

Best way to find any Valk related tech information is use this site's search function. 

There's nothing new under the sun.

[svsteve]

One of the most useful tool I have. I was having trouble bleeding the brakes on my Triumph, and someone on a Triumph forum suggested this. I've used it on hydraulic brakes and clutches. After I used it, I wondered how I got along without it all these years. Bleed your brakes and clutch in minutes. http://www.harborfreight.com/brake-fluid-bleeder-92924.html  

[doubletee]

I had this problem on a previous bike when changing brake fluid. Just cracking the banjo fitting at the master cylinder and immediately re-tightening purged an air bubble that was preventing a full bleed.

[DK]

One of the most useful tool I have. I was having trouble bleeding the brakes on my Triumph, and someone on a Triumph forum suggested this. I've used it on hydraulic brakes and clutches. After I used it, I wondered how I got along without it all these years. Bleed your brakes and clutch in minutes. http://www.harborfreight.com/brake-fluid-bleeder-92924.html  

I've looked at your link but cannot determine how the HF bleeder connects to the Valk master cylinders.

How does it work?

[svsteve]

One of the most useful tool I have. I was having trouble bleeding the brakes on my Triumph, and someone on a Triumph forum suggested this. I've used it on hydraulic brakes and clutches. After I used it, I wondered how I got along without it all these years. Bleed your brakes and clutch in minutes. http://www.harborfreight.com/brake-fluid-bleeder-92924.html  

I've looked at your link but cannot determine how the HF bleeder connects to the Valk master cylinders.

How does it work?

It doesn't connect to the master cylinder. It connects to the bleeder screw and sucks the fluid thru using vacuum. Ill probably never use my Miti Vac again. Read some of the reviews on the tool website. Just another handy tool to make life a bit easier. Works great. I've used it on 5 different bikes and 2 cars.  1 person brake, or clutch bleeding, gotta love it.

[VALARIE]

well, patience and a half bottle of dot4,along with taking the banjo bolt off, pump handle, done deal!!, I HAVE A CLUTCH AGAIN. thanks for your help everyone. VALARIE

[mello dude]

well, patience and a half bottle of dot4,along with taking the banjo bolt off, pump handle, done deal!!, I HAVE A CLUTCH AGAIN. thanks for your help everyone. VALARIE

Looks like you already got it done, but speedbleeders make a pain in the ass job way much easier... I install them on every bike I own....
http://www.speedbleeder.com/

[VALARIE]

 :)next purchase, speed bleeders all around, thanks everyone...

[Harryc]

:)next purchase, speed bleeders all around, thanks everyone...

It's my first purchase with a new bike. They are great.