redzg

You can bleed trapped air out with no hose at all. Of course it will make a terrible mess and you won't know for sure that the air is all out. A clear tube extending into a pool of fluid, whether a purpose made bleeding bottle or a water bottle, allows you to watch air bubbles travel through the tube and out into the pool. The tube end being in a pool keeps air from back tracking into the tube once air bubbles are out.

1999corvettels1

1999corvettels1

LS1 intake bolt going through hose support clamp.

MetalMan2

I know it's been a year, but I am really glad you had started this topic. Your tips were all very good!

A week ago I installed the Katech bleeder, as I had to replace my midpipe and also had planned a tunnel plate upgrade as well.

It's definitely doable to install the bleeder in-car; having the clutch inspection cover off really makes a big difference, so fortunately it's easy to remove it.
I wouldn't call the in-car bleeder install "hard", unless you aren't patient... it definitely requires patience.

Also I routed mine (with heat sheath - great idea) up to the clutch fluid reservoir. Makes it easy to handle bleeding considering how quickly you can go through fluid.

And I want to point out - the speed bleeder that came with mine is useless, unfortunately. It leaked at the threads and therefore would just suck in air on the pedal's return stroke. So I had to employ my wife and do the 2-person bleeding method.

The only thing I'll add: the AN line they supply, the end fittings take a 3/8" wrench. The C5 Corvette is all metric, as are my tools (I come from an Audi background). A 10mm wrench works but is bigger than I'd like (3/8" is 9.5mm).

And lastly, my experience: the fluid that came out initially was BLACK.
I've had really hard shifting into reverse and sometimes first, despite replacing transmission fluid with Amsoil Torque Drive 1.5 months ago. Have also played around with shifter alignment (currently have a MGW shifter).
So far it seems that doing a proper clutch fluid flush hasn't improved my shifter's behavior, so I may look into adjusting the shifter again. Might be worth re-bleeding also in case of additional trapped air.

1999corvettels1

Glad to hear you got installed without too much trouble, on mine I had more trouble with exhaust flange bolts breaking off and other bolts bending.

Fought for days getting the broken bolts out.

Just like you I found the end of bleeder needs to be submerged in a small container with brake fluid, having no assistance I sat a green plastic coolant drain pan on top of LS1, routed the end of the Katech bleeder through the pour spout on the coolant pan, inside the pan had a plastic cup with brake fluid to cover the threads of bleeder, left bleeder open and got in car and pumped pedal, then added more brake fluid to clutch reservoir, since the plastic cup was inside the coolant drain pan, fluid overflowing out of the cup didn't matter as the pan caught it.

After so many pumps and top offs of fluid, I decided it should be enough, kept threads submerged under fluid while closing off bleeder.

Then pulled hose end out of fluid, sprayed simple green over it and wiped off with paper towels, then did simple green again and wiped again with more paper towel to be certain no brake fluid would get on anything.

I did develop a minor leak, and have to add brake fluid on occasion, not sure what is leaking, the fittings, or the clutch slave seal, or maybe a tiny hole in hose.

Got fittings as tight as possible, since doing this and hearing the squeaking of the pressure plate immediately after the bleeding, that had never made noise before, it could be the slave seal got damaged from moving over area that had not touched for years?

Still much better than it was.
​​​​

MetalMan2

Well, that happened to me too but I didn't group that with the bleeder install since I was also replacing the mid pipe / cats. 1 stud snapped, and one got cross-threaded + bent on removal. Had a little struggle locating 2 replacement studs & nuts but ended up working out.

Next time I'll have to try it with the bleeder submerged, seems like that will be the solution for me. Quite the hassle for a speed bleeder, though... (I have speed bleeders on all 4 corners, those seemed to work well for one-man brake bleeding)

Hope you'll be able to locate that leak and it's nothing major or challenging to access...
I did notice my PP creaking/squeaking as well, but can't say it wasn't doing that before. Most "concerning" to me is the clutch pedal squeak I have, would be nice if it's something simple like needing to lube the over-center spring.

MetalMan2

Just bumping this up because I realize the Katech remote clutch bleeder has a FLAW. This was somewhat addressed above as well.

So the Katech remote clutch bleeder line uses a swivel -3AN fitting on the bleeder end. A 3/8"-24 speed bleeder threads into that. (the threads for -3AN are 3/8"-24)

A speed bleeder is a check valve that only allows flow when there is sufficient pressure built up. Fluid is released only when pressing the pedal and air won't be drawn in when the pedal is released.

Well, an AN swivel fitting ONLY seals when it is tight. Therefore, when you crack open a bleeder screw (as you do with any bleeder valve) in a swivel AN fitting, fluid will leak through the swivel fitting itself. When using a speed bleeder this means that pressure CAN'T build up and fluid ONLY flows/leaks through the swivel fitting. Also means that air can be drawn in when clutch pedal is released.
Therefore I wonder: what's the point of Katech including a speed bleeder???

For reference: right now I possess a Tick Remote Bleeder line. It also includes a speed bleeder. BUT the bleeder end of the hose DOES NOT swivel - it's fixed. As a result the only path for fluid to flow is through the speed bleeder itself.

I'm looking into options to make the Katech remote clutch bleeder line work as it should/was intended.
This ought to be doable if I can find an adapter fitting that's -3AN male (screw into Katech line) and 3/8"-24 non-inverted flare female (to screw in the speed bleeder). I came across a post with the exact same attempt:
https://ls1tech.com/forums/manual-tr...rs-inside.html
Using Fragola 650201, but then countersinking the inverted flare to make a proper seat for the speed bleeder.
Other comparable options to Fragola 650201:
Jegs 555-100780
Earls 989543
Aeroquip FBM2936
Russell 641291
Pegasus 3265-12

Needless to say I'm kinda pissed right now, especially considering the Katech bleeder is by far the most expensive option.
I just installed a Tick Master Cylinder, and I'm having a really hard time bleeding out the air despite having a remote bleeder line. In the meantime I'll probably have to go with 1999corvettels1's above suggestion of submerging the swivel fitting end in fluid.

Rx7Rob

For the past two years I've been planning to use a Russell 641370 on the end of the hose, just haven't gotten around to it.

It may not be plug / play depending on what Katech did. Not sure if they used a special end on that hose to mate with the speed bleeder or if it a standard hose end (they would be different tapers). My plan is to turn it on my lathe if the angle isn't correct.

MetalMan2

As far as I can tell, it looks like Katech uses a standard -3AN female swivel fitting (74 degrees total angle). Surely the speed bleeder they included is your typical 90 degree taper. So I doubt that the tapers match anyways...

Russell 641370 looks like the IDEAL solution. Last night I ordered Russell 641291 as it was on Amazon Prime and will be delivered today.

MetalMan2

Installed Russell 641291 fitting after using a regular 21/64" drill bit (135 degree tip) to drill out the female inverted flare. Naturally a 135deg seat and the speed bleeder's 90 degree tip won't exactly jive nicely... but recently I had success with this combination on a brake caliper in my other car. (brake hydraulics experience much higher pressures than clutch hydraulics)

Anyways, the 90deg. tip was able to nicely create a little seat into the 135deg. drill point on the Russell fitting. Here's what it looked like after screwing them together prior to installing on the car:




You can see where the sealing band resides, and IMO this is plenty of contact to seal the relatively low pressure clutch hydraulics.

Oh, and if you're wondering, it was AMAZING being able to use the speed bleeder as, well, a speed bleeder.

Hatepylons

MetalMan,

Based on the description above, I assume you found it leaking here at the side of the torque tube?

MetalMan2

I didn't have any leaking in the area you circled. My description was for the fitting at the speed bleeder end, and it wasn't a leak per-se, except when the speed bleeder was cracked open it could let air in.


Unrelated to anything I posted in this thread previously, but at one point I did end up with a leak in the fitting that screws into the slave cylinder. I had replaced the slave cylinder, and compared to the original slave, the new one had shallower threads for the bleeder screw. This meant that the Katech fitting couldn't be screwed in all the way, and therefore it leaked.

Here's an image of the Katech fitting vs. stock bleeder screw. You can see how the Katech fitting's threads extend further down, and my new slave cylinder couldn't accommodate this extra thread length.


And I modified the Katech fitting so it could fully seat into the slave:


This was previously posted in a different thread: https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...post1601932463

Iandoohan

So I got my Katech bleeder today and see 100% how the swivel fitting would bleed fluid out before it reached the speed bleeder. My next question is, if the bleeder's tapered seat is sealed, and doesn't have a hole at the point of the taper, how does the fluid enter the hole on the side, even if using the Russell fitting? Doesn't that mean you still need to crack the speed bleeder to get fluid to flow. thus creating another way to bring air in? I'm a little dense, so I may not be understanding properly. I was looking to get the Russell adapter, but I'm having trouble seeing how it works without cracking the bleeder.

Thanks,

Ian

MetalMan2

You're right that the speed bleeder has to be backed out slightly to allow fluid to flow, just like a normal bleeder screw.
The thread sealant on the bleeder screw's threads helps to mitigate air entry past the threads. In my experience this does a pretty good job, although after enough time the thread sealant will wear down and require re-application.

Iandoohan

Hey MM2, I got that Russell fitting as well. Did you use a drill press to create the new seat, or just sent it? I have limited tooling here. Thank you.

MetalMan2

Yeah I used a drill press. Ideally you would want to use a lathe to ensure the seat shape/concentricity is as good as it can be, but the fitting's aluminum material is soft enough to conform to the steel bleeder screw.

M.Y.02Z06

Would the bleeding-out of fluid occur if vacuum or pressure was used to bleed the remote clutch bleeder line?

I typically vacuum bleed brake and clutch lines and open and close each bleeder under constant vacuum.

MetalMan2

Assuming you mean when there's a speed bleeder in place, then I would think vacuum bleeding should work okay if the vacuum pressure is strong enough to overcome the closing force of the speed bleeder's valve. Otherwise I'd swap the speed bleeder for a standard bleeder screw.

Zyllek

I have a remote bleeder and wanted to use my mityvac to flush new fluid thru the system, but found the swivel at the end of the bleeder was letting in air (like MetalMan2 mentioned in post #27). The air was not allowing me to pull fluid, so I drilled out a bleeder and installed it tight for the flush. To finish, I switched out to the regular bleeder and had a second person for a conventional bleed.

Drilled out bleeder

M.Y.02Z06

I received my Katech remote bleeder and (not installed yet) just bench tested the speed bleeder swivel fitting to confirm the reported air leakage. What a #%*@ design especially given the product's price!

No one seems to be reporting the slave cylinder adapter fitting to be an issue, so that is good news. The machining of that piece (matching the OEM bleed screw specs) seems to be what sets the Katech apart from other remote bleeder kits. So, the product's only problem seems to be the hose design at the bleeder end.

I like MetalMan2's solution. It looks like a proper fix that is adapted to Katech's inadequate hose design, which makes sense if the Katech remote bleeder is already installed on the car.

Since I have not yet done the Katech remote bleeder installation on my car, I'll upgrade the Katech hose with an Aeroquip FBPA0039-36, which is a 36-inch long PTFE hydraulic / brake hose with 3 AN fittings at each end (link ---> www.summitracing.com/parts/aer-fbpa0039-36). My expectation is that Aeroquip's 3AN fitting will not leak air, but I won't know for sure until receiving the part and bench testing it. Also, I'll attached a Russell 641370 3AN speed bleeder assembly (link --> www.summitracing.com/parts/rus-641370) to the end of the Aeroquip hose for a leak free solution on the bleeder screw end.

I'll follow up to report if the Aeroquip hose and Russell speed bleeder assembly are suitable upgrades.