clutch fluid line clogged?
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Joined: Mar 2014
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clutch fluid line clogged?
I have a 01 z with 18K miles. I'm assuming its the original clutch fluid from the factory. It was very black/dirty. I went ahead and changed it yesterday by pumping out the old fluid from the reservoir with a Turkey Baster and replacing with DOT 3 Prestone brake fluid.
When I pumped the clutch about 50 times to get it circulating, I noticed the color didn't change. Based on the videos I've seen of others doing this, the fluid should have at least turned a little black by mixing in with the older fluid.I drove the car for about a 100 miles now with regular shifting and checked again. the fluid is slightly yellow (maybe from the plastic of the reservoir)
Is it possible that the fluid isn't circulating, which is why it isn't changing colors? Maybe the line is clogged up? I had a friend pump the clutch while I looked at the reservoir to see if the fluid would circulate but I didn't see any movement. I've never felt any issues with my clutch. Its very smooth shifting, but I wanted to change the fluid because of the age.
So I guess my questions are, shouldn't the clutch fluid change colors after pumping it 50 times or so, and is it possible that the line is clogged with debris if the fluid looks to not be circulating?
When I pumped the clutch about 50 times to get it circulating, I noticed the color didn't change. Based on the videos I've seen of others doing this, the fluid should have at least turned a little black by mixing in with the older fluid.I drove the car for about a 100 miles now with regular shifting and checked again. the fluid is slightly yellow (maybe from the plastic of the reservoir)
Is it possible that the fluid isn't circulating, which is why it isn't changing colors? Maybe the line is clogged up? I had a friend pump the clutch while I looked at the reservoir to see if the fluid would circulate but I didn't see any movement. I've never felt any issues with my clutch. Its very smooth shifting, but I wanted to change the fluid because of the age.
So I guess my questions are, shouldn't the clutch fluid change colors after pumping it 50 times or so, and is it possible that the line is clogged with debris if the fluid looks to not be circulating?
Last edited by ArabVette; Jan 5, 2018 at 06:18 PM.
Instructor
Joined: Jan 2017
Posts: 169
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From: Shelton WA
OK, so i'm somewhat of a vette newb, so take this for what its worth, and i'm sure someone will definitely correct me if i'm wrong which is fine! But when i changed out the fluid in my reservoir (which some refer to as the Ranger method), mine never really circulated like you think it would. (i know i freaked out when i watched a vid online of some guy doing it and you could actually see the fluid circulating like crazy in the reservoir so i thought my line was clogged too). Since the reservoir sits way above everything and fluid is pushed from the mc to the slave which is below, the reservoir basically just ensures there is fluid available. the amount of fluid exchanged from the mc to slave isn't that great (i don't think) so it will take a while for your new fluid to be circulated. Some may even argue that swapping out the fluid in just the reservoir doesn't do much if anything, and that you truly need to bleed the system through the bleeder in the slave. Definitely don't want to open up that can o' worms, but i am putting in a new tick bleeder line as my slave just puked and i'm in there anyways! Hope this helps 
jp
ps-so i guess what i'm saying is swap it out and definitely drive it around for a while to give it time!
jp
ps-so i guess what i'm saying is swap it out and definitely drive it around for a while to give it time!
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Melting Slicks
Joined: Sep 2011
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From: Appleton WI
The fluid does not "circulate" in the sense you're thinking. There isn't a loop in the system just a single line. The fluid gets pushed down to the slave cylinder when you press the pedal and it backs up when you release the pedal. It is more of a mixing than circulation. Additionally, if your clutch system is working the line cannot be plugged.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jul 2013
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From: Kensington MD
You push fluid from the master to the slave, but only a little bit at a time. If all the fluid in the slave is black, you're only going to get mixing at the interface with the new fluid—mixing is going to be very slow. It may take hundreds of clutch cycles to mix the fluid.
