Lately I have been having a hard time putting the car in gear if I am stopped so I checked my clutch fluid and it is black. Time for a change. What is the propper procedure for bleeding the clutch?
Thanks,

 

The cheesy $13.00 Haynes manual has a good write up. The system isn't much different than a brake system except there's just one slave cylinder instead if four. Under the car on the driver's side you'll find the slave cylinder, remove it by taking off the two bolts. Turn the cylinder so the bleed screw is the highest point. I placed a hose over the bleed valve and drained it into a jar. Then it's time for your "assistant" to work the pedal while you work the bleed screw. She presses the clutch pedal in when you have the bled screw open, you close it before she lets up up the pedal. Be sure to keep the resevoir (sp?) full while you do this.

Eric

 

According to GM Service manual for a '96:
1. Remove the pcm from the mounting bracket.
2. Fill the master cylinder reservoir with clutch hydraulic fluid GM part #12345347 or equivalent.
3. In order to remove as much aof the air from the system prior to bleeding at the actuator, complete the following.
3.1 remove the clutch master cylinder cap and the moisture barrier.
3.2 reinstall the cap.
3.3 Lightly stroke the clutch pedal in order to release air trapped in the system through the master cylinder.
3.4 remove the clutch master cylinder cap and reinstall the moisture barrier.
3.5 reinstall cap.
4.Raise hood and support vehicle.
5. remove the actuator cylinder retaining nuts.
6.remove the actuator cylinder and the actuator cylinder from the clutch housing.
7. remove the hydraulic line from the retaining clip.
8. remove the bleed screw dust cap.
9. hold the cylinder in a horizontal position with the bleeder screw vertical.
10. fully depress the clutch pedal and open the bleed screw.
11. close the bleed screw and release the clutch pedal.
12. repeat steps 10 and 11 until all air is evacuated. Check and refill the clutch master cylinder reservoir as required in order to prevent air from being drawn through the clutch master cylinder.

Do not reuse any fluid from the reservoir as it may be contaminated or have moisture or be areated.

 

Easy. Hard. Take your pick!

If yours has a bleed screw on it, you can do it the same way as you would your brakes. It's a B*&%$. The bleed screw is almost against the floor. The only reason I would do it this way again, is if I needed to totally purge all the fluid. (like your black stuff!)

Having stated the above, you can also suck out as much as you can using your significant other's turkey baster. (just remember to pass on this Thanksgiving's bird) The clutch master doesn't hold much AT ALL. Re-fill the master with your favorite new brake fluid, (I know, I know, GM has a part # for clutch fluid. Don't worry, it's not critical like ZF juice is)

Next, as noted in the GM procedure, lightly push the clutch pedal to the floor a few times. Normally you're done. You however, may notice that your new fluid is now brown. If not, it will. If so, just repeat the process. There are a couple of good reasons for purging that old S&*%, one of course is that by now, it's probably 15-20% water! Maybe less, but after that many years, it's a bunch!! There's just no good reason not to purge it. And of course your brake fluid!!

 

If you remove the slave cylinder (the one with the bleed screw) then it's much easier to bleed. If you look at Tony's procedure, it's step 5 and 6.

Eric

 

Thanks for the tips guys. Hopefully I can get this done this week.

 

if you read the procedure on the zfdoc web site, it is completely different. he recommends a bleed tool for the 96.

also they say the GM clutch fluid has a friction modifier in it. it is not pure brake fluid.