I have just completed a clutch / brake fluid bleed / drain, through and independent exotic car service center The clutch seams to be engaging / disengaging real low in its throw, just above the floor board, in addition, there is a 2 inches of free travel at the top, and it is difficult to select gears. The pedal feels spongy... Is this a symptom of the system not being bled properly? Background.. I have about 10K Miles on the clutch, and it was working fine with full travel engagement / disengagement prior to the fluid change. And it would engage / disengage in the middle of its throw. Are there multiple bleeder valves on the clutch? Thank You
I've not performed this on a 456/550/575, but from what you're describing, it sure seems like a bleed issue. Perhaps others can confirm where the bleed valves are on our cars. Also, you don't mention it, but it's worth clarifying: have you checked for fluid leaks? Is the reservoir still properly filled? Cheers! Ruben
On the 550 there is only 1 clutch bleeder. The clutch line is right over the cat and it can boil the fluid in the line especially if the cat has been tweeked. It is also possible the bleed was not done right. It is also possible a clutch bleed was done and they sucked air because the clutch line in the reservoir is well above the min line which is ment for the brakes fluid level. You can only bleed a small amount of clutch fluid before you expose this reservoir opening and suck air. While this seems dumb on the surface it is a genius safety feature. When fluid drops you loose the clutch and hence your drive long before you can loose your brakes and stop the car. Genius!
Gentlemen Thanks or the responses FBB, I do believe the bled let in air as the tech said he bled the brakes once again after the clutch as the brakes felt soft Based on what you describe above it may be best to bleed the clutch last slowly as not to let in air Will report back later today
HA! Obviously spoken by someone who has first hand experience with this engineering marvel. Seems that the mere thought of bleeding the clutch was an oversight from the beginning, considering the ridiculously high (clutch) fluid pick-up point in the reservoir. Never though about the built-in safety feature. Learned something new today...Thank you.
I have a small pump through which I bleed the fluid backwards from slave to master after draining the reservoir. Then I prerssure bleed the brake system normal way.
After clutch replacement, I tried bleeding from the top no go. The only way was pressure bleeding from under the car till air came into the reservoir. No air in system no clutch problems since.
