This isn't a question, more of a observation that may help others with similar issues.
Last week I parked my 318is. The next morning when I went to start it the clutch pedal went to the floor with no resistance.
Reading a little online I decided to start by replacing the slave cylinder. I ended up ordering the cylinder (TRW) and the soft line that connects it to the master cylinder. I thought replacing the line while I was in there was a good idea as it is 25 years old. This way I don't have to think about it for another 25 years.
The replacement was straight forward. The worst part is having to lay on your back in my case as all I had were jack stands. That and the limited space to manoeuvre.
After replacing both parts I still found the pedal had no resistance during its operation. So I took a look at the master cylinder just in case. It looked ok, with no visible leaks.
The next step was to try to bleed the system. I had read that bleeding the slave could be a bitch. With the front still raised on stands, I took off the cap, filled the reservoir with brake fluid and the undid the slave nipple. At this point I had a brain fart and decided to get out from under the car and go for an oil can and some hose so I could reverse bleed the system.
When I got back I found a nice puddle under the car and a constant leak from the nipple, nice. I hand tightened the nipple and went to pour in some more fluid. As I did I noticed bubbles appearing in the reservoir , so I kept adding fluid. After a few minutes the bubbles stopped.
I checked the pedal again and hazaa! It worked. I finally had resistance and I could engage the gears.
So in my case the bleeding was actually very easy, although messy. I guess it was the open nipple and the nose up attitude of the car that made it easier.
Last week I parked my 318is. The next morning when I went to start it the clutch pedal went to the floor with no resistance.
Reading a little online I decided to start by replacing the slave cylinder. I ended up ordering the cylinder (TRW) and the soft line that connects it to the master cylinder. I thought replacing the line while I was in there was a good idea as it is 25 years old. This way I don't have to think about it for another 25 years.
The replacement was straight forward. The worst part is having to lay on your back in my case as all I had were jack stands. That and the limited space to manoeuvre.
After replacing both parts I still found the pedal had no resistance during its operation. So I took a look at the master cylinder just in case. It looked ok, with no visible leaks.
The next step was to try to bleed the system. I had read that bleeding the slave could be a bitch. With the front still raised on stands, I took off the cap, filled the reservoir with brake fluid and the undid the slave nipple. At this point I had a brain fart and decided to get out from under the car and go for an oil can and some hose so I could reverse bleed the system.
When I got back I found a nice puddle under the car and a constant leak from the nipple, nice. I hand tightened the nipple and went to pour in some more fluid. As I did I noticed bubbles appearing in the reservoir , so I kept adding fluid. After a few minutes the bubbles stopped.
I checked the pedal again and hazaa! It worked. I finally had resistance and I could engage the gears.
So in my case the bleeding was actually very easy, although messy. I guess it was the open nipple and the nose up attitude of the car that made it easier.
Comment