Remove the Katech speed bleeder tip, screw this fitting to the hose end, then reinstall the bleeder fitting. Works like a charm.

 

vettefl, thanks. I saw mention of the Russell 641291 in prior posts. I'm not thrilled with the Katech hose ends and the leak-prone design. It's a good fix if your remote bleeder is on the car, but I have not installed mine yet and prefer a "one and done" pre-engineered solution.

So, I ordered the aforementioned 3 AN Aeroquip line and Russell 3 AN brake bleeder adapter. Based on my prior experiences with Aeroquip hoses, I'm confident the 3 AN Aeroquip hose won't be leak prone like the Katech hose.

The 3AN Aeroquip hose's elbow end will mate up perfectly with the 3 AN head on the Katech slave cylinder bleeder screw, and the 3 AN straight end of the Aeroquip hose will mate up perfectly with the Russell 3 AN adapter. Everything will be 3 AN matched to 37 degree mating surfaces for no leaks once the fittings are properly tightened to 3 AN specs.

 

Aside from the Russel fitting, I did none of the above. Bleeds fine, no leaks.

Looking forward to your results. There’s always a better mousetrap!

Good luck.

 

Update: observations; bad news; good news.

This is a great thread. It is wonderful to be able to benefit from the experience of other members. To follow up on my last posting...

Observation: the Aeroquip 3 AN hose assembly is, indeed, made with superior hose end fittings as compared to the Katech hose.

Bad news: I made an mistake and did not verify that the Katech's 90 degree female fitting was sized as 3 AN. It is not. Best that I can tell it has 5/16 - 24 UNF threads (not 100% certain). So, the Aeroquip assembly is D.O.A., and I have been unable to find a hose assembly that has that specification for the 90 degree female fitting.

Good news: as already discussed by MetalMan2, vette4fl and others, the Russell 641291 fitting seem to be the fix to eliminate air leaks when bleeding. I ordered the Russell 641370 3AN speed bleeder assembly, which uses the same Russell 641291 bleeder fitting, but has a matched bleeder screw and a nifty bracket that might be useful.

Per vette4fl's suggestion, I'll attach the Russell bleeder fitting to the end of the Katech hose and be done with trying to improve the mousetrap. Installation is next.

 

Sounds like you came up with a practical solution. Looking forward to your results and observations!

 

Sorry for bumping an old thread but I was wondering if you figured out the source of your trans leak. I installed the katech bleeder thanks to your thread and my trans looked like yours when I got under there

 

I think it was gear oil that was overfilled in the differential.

In 2005 my exhaust weld broke at flange on pipe where it bolts up to flange at the passenger side catalytic converter, while I had the car jacked up in the back (had jack stands supporting rear of car) decided to check gear oil and it was low, so ran to parts store and topped it off.

In 2019 I checked gear oil while car was on all 4 jack stands with 4 pucks.

When I opened it heard a poof sound and gear oil started draining out fairly heavy like when you drain engine oil, right away I realized I had overfilled it all those years ago by adding gear oil until it dribbled out the full hole, because the rear of the car was up and front wasn’t.

I sprayed the diff and T56 with simple green concentrate and wiped it all off with rags, also the slight dribble on the garage floor under rear of car never had another drop.

Wonder if others have overfilled their diff by not having car level while checking/filling?

I don’t think having too much gear oil hurt anything, just made a mess.

 

Thanks. I replaced trans/diff fluid about a year ago hopefully it's something like that.

Also, to hopefully make this easier for anyone else attempting the install I separated the bleed screw that goes into the slave from the rest of the line and used a "pass thru socket set" to install that piece and it was relatively easy. With a little finesse you should then be able to get the nut connecting the line to the bleed screw started by hand and tightened down with a small wrench. And shine a flashlight up through where the clutch cover goes, I spent forever trying to get the screw started by feel before I realized the hole is easily visible from underneath.

 

Wow never knew that its possible to install a remote clutch bleeder without without dropping the entire driveline. Going to buy the Katech bleeder and Russell 641370 now. Great thread! Thanks everyone!

 

I've never been a fan of speed bleeders. They're great when they work, which isn't all the time. I've been kicking it old school as the wife is pretty good at this, but long term I'll grab one of these for my Motive power bleeder that I use for the brakes.

https://www.zip-corvette.com/motive-...m-adapter.html

 

This is kinda random, I'm evaluating if this Earl's T56 slave cylinder bleeder screw can be machined down and adapted as a less-expensive option instead of the Katech bleeder screw adapter: https://www.holley.com/products/plum...ts/LS642001ERL
It would also need the cross hole near the tip plugged.
Then just buy the right SS braided hose, hose-end adapter fitting, and speed bleeder screw. Should cost SUBSTANTIALLY less than the Katech kit @ $147 + tax + $18 shipping they charge.

Top is a picture I took of the Katech bleeder screw (after I modified it to fit my Dorman brand slave cylinder), and under is the Earl's bleeder screw. They are size-adjusted to each other.



And this is with them overlaid on each other. Looks like the Earl's bleeder screw should have enough meat for the -3AN end...



I'm intrigued, what leads you to believe they don't work "all the time"? Only thing I can think of is that they can suck in air past the threads if there's inadequate sealing between the speed bleeder screw and threaded hole.

 

'Zactly that. Even if they are sealed I don't like the idea that the seal may be imperfect. The clutch hydraulics are more intolerant of air than the brakes as it's a much smaller system. Once you're bled, maintenance bleeds don't take much fluid at all.

 

I just jumped into the way back machine (circa 2013) and found that I got an RPM Motorsports remote bleeder setup.



I'm not sure why this old PB pic still shows as I didn't pay the ransom those vultures demanded but here it is, you can see that this one also has the correct machined taper.

 

Makes sense. There's no reason why you can't still use a speed bleeder screw as a traditional bleeder screw to get out that last bit of air (this is what I do anyways, my wife has gotten really good at helping me with pedal-pumping from all the various clutch and brake work I've done across many cars).

Very nice! I kinda wonder if RPM Motorsports went under and Katech just copied their design.

Also I just found that Tick makes a similar style of remote bleeder screw fitting, but it's probably too long for C5 Corvette:
https://www.tickperformance.com/tick...6-pontiac-gto/
Maybe they would consider making a shorter version that would work with our cars...

This is super random, I came across a company that sells a speed bleeder mechanism that has an O-ring to seal off fluid from flowing past the screw threads: https://www.stahlbus-us.com/bleeding...0mm-steel.html

 

I installed the Katech bleeder last week...without pulling the drive-train. It was not a difficult job from a technical standpoint. Though, it was a bit of a grind as it required a fair amount of prep work (remove cross-pipe and tunnel plate) just to get access, the work conditions were compromised because of tight clearances and need to work by feel rather than by sight, and it was tough to adequately light up the work area because of the tight spaces.

I'll try to keep my comments focused on installation observations, tips and related matters since this topic has already been well covered through various threads.

Disassembly went pretty quickly. Removing the cross-pipe was straight forward other than jostling it around (supported by floor jacks at front and back) to clear stuff while lowering it. The tunnel plate came out quickly: loosened all of the bolts by hand, then spun each one completely out with an air compressor powered ratchet. I also removed the flywheel inspection plate, which provided a limited view of where the bleeder screw enters the clutch slave cylinder. I did not disconnect the clutch hydraulic line going to the slave cylinder). The OEM bleeder screw was fiddly to remove (3/8 inch box wrench ) because of the tight space. I have the 2002 Z06 Factory Service Manual, which helped with disconnecting the oxygen sensor plugs and torque specs for reassembly.

Remote clutch bleeder line parts that used for this project:

· Katech bleeder hose (Katech part no. KAT-A6503);

· Russell Performance bleeder fitting (Russell part no. 641291);

· 3/8 x 24 regular bleeder screw (note: not a speed bleed screw) matched to same size as the bleeder screw provided by Katech so that line bleeding can be a one man job with a vacuum-pull bleed;

· DEI 36-inch long x 3/4 inch wide thermal sleeve (DEI part no. 010403).

The Russell bleeder fitting permanently attaches to the end of the Katech bleeder line at the swivel fitting to make a leak-free connection for bleeding.

Ahead of time, I modified a couple of tools recommended for installing the Katech bleeder screw and line elbow fitting: a shortened 7/16 inch 1/4 drive socket to tighten the Katech bleeder screw; a 7/16 box wrench notched with a gap large enough for the bleeder's hard line to pass through for tightening the Katech bleeder fitting to the screw (note: a 7/16 line wrench would be a more structurally solid and ready-made alternative). I also pre-assembled the bleeder line by connecting the Russell bleeder fitting to the end of the Katech bleeder line swivel fitting (much easier to do at a workbench than when under the car or leaning under hood).

Because of the tight vertical clearance in the drive-line tunnel area I was only able to use the shortened 7/16 socket once the Katech bleeder screw was snugged-up (used a 7/16 box end wrench) and then did the final tightening with the 7/16 inch 1/4-inch drive socket. I spun the Katech elbow fitting onto the Katech bleeder screw by hand, tightened, loosened, and retightened the elbow fitting several times using the 7/16 notched box wrench (to pre-seat the fittings) during which I noticed that the elbow would rotate about the same rate / distance that I tightened. So for the final tightening of the elbow fitting, I first lightly tightened it, then rotated / clocked the hard metal elbow about 90 degrees out from where I wanted it to stop, and then used the 7/16 notched box end wrench to make the final tightening. As expected, the bleeder line elbow rotated as I tightened and stopped at the pre-determined final destination.

After cleaning up the nasty nasty old clutch fluid that dribbled out during the installation, I used a MityVac unit to bleed about 10 oz. of fresh clutch fluid through the Katech line. Then, I checked for any bleeder line and fitting leaks by having my trusty shop assistant repeatedly press and also hold down the clutch pedal to create hydraulic pressure...no issues. For grins, I let it sit overnight and rechecked it for any signs of fresh fluid leaks the next day (again, no issues) before putting the car back together.

I slid the DEI thermal sleeve over the Katech bleeder line all the way down to the elbow fitting, folded the sleeve in half lengthwise, and routed it up the firewall into the engine bay. I located the bleeder end in the engine compartment by zip tying it to the brake fluid reservoir - see picture.



To reinstall the tunnel plate, I started each bolt by hand, then spun each one down using my air compressor powered ratchet, and then used a torque wrench to do the final tightening of each bolt. For the exhaust system, I reinstalled it using all new front and rear exhaust gaskets, rear muffler connection bolts, and nuts to connect to the exhaust manifold. All fasteners were torqued to factory specs.

I have not included any photos of the Katech clutch line installed because the photo lighting conditions sucked...plus, there are already a bunch of those pictures posted, and mine looks no different.

One upgrade that I did not do, but would have been nice to do, was to install the DEI tunnel plate heat shield (DEI part no. DEI-050525). I thought about ordering it and delaying putting the car back together, but the drop-ship delivery time was going to be about five days unless I wanted to pay a hefty shipping up-charge (didn't want to since interior heat hasn't been a comfort issue for me even during summer months in northwest Nevada).

Test drive results: slight improvement in clutch pedal feel and gear engagement but not huge improvement; no evidence of leaks (from the bottom of the flywheel inspection cover or the garage floor).

The project was manageable and quite do-able thanks to the R&D of other CF members. It was a PITA but worthwhile for ongoing maintenance purposes...especially after seeing the condition of the old clutch fluid that bled out. While this is a simple project from a technical standpoint, a certain amount of mechanical experience and creativity is required for a project like this where at times you have to wing-it to problem solve installation issues such as having necessary clearance to a use tool or finding a tool work-around.

This week I installed a set of Goodridge braided stainless steel brake lines (Goodridge part no. 12206) to replace the OEM lines on my car that were likely 20+ years old. Installation was easy. The Goodridge lines are DOT approved for street use (as some of the other brands also are).

After price shopping around for OEM lines as well as SS brake lines, I discovered that the SS brake lines would cost about the same as OEM replacements, making this a no-brainer upgrade especially for a Z06 that gets spends time on mountain roads. Installation tips: use a crowfoot wrench to torque the brake line connectors; use a bottle-fed supply of brake fluid on the reservoir to keep it topped off and air out of the ABS module while each brake line gravity bleeds during the change-over. Test drive results: nice firm pedal feel...score!

 

As the title says, and after months of waiting and research, this thread was the most valuable asset. IT CAN BE DONE WITH DRIVETRAIN IN PLACE!!👍🏻

I started by buying a this set of socket adapters from Summit Racing.

Proform Socket Assist Adapter Sets 67575

The 1/4” drive adapter takes a 1/4” box end and made removal of the OE bleeder and installation of the Katech bleeder MUCH EASIER. I was also able to use it on a 7/16” long socket for final tightening of the Katech nipple.

From there on it was just a game of extreme patience as the wrench would slip and fall and the socket would slip off and fall and both would hit me in the face several times.

The point is it’s not rocket science but takes a strong will to survive lol

Here are some pics.




Looking up at OE bleeder from removed inspection cover

 

I admire those that have installed the remote bleeder with drivetrain in place. I have bought the Tic bleeder instead of Katech due in part to the bleed end being problematic. At 71 years of age and a hand that was crushed years ago, I don’t know that my capabilities will permit me to tackle this project.

Shop rates vary widely, but from a budgeting standpoint, is this a half day project, full day, or multi day project?

And thanks to all that have contributed to this thread.

 

Tick bleeder installation requires the torque tube to come down so you can directly access the slave cylinder. Might as well do a clutch job at that point! Definitely a multi-day project for most DIY'ers. For a shop, they would basically charge whatever it costs for a clutch replacement, so probably $1500+.

 

As said above, the Tick bleeder is a different animal than the Katech as it has a washer and extremely more difficult to do with TT in place by far (as I’ve read), so the TT needs to come out.

That, in of itself, would probably take a shop several days to do with dropping the rear cradle.

And if the clutch and slave haven’t been done, it would be a reasonable preventative measure to do them at the same time, which would obviously add cost to the job.

 

flyboyslc1: only, make that ONLY the Katech can be done with the torque tube in place. This is due to the component/part/adapter that screws into the slave, only the Katech adapter can be tighten-down with a wrench on the end, all others are tighten-down at the base that goes against the slave. Easy to do with the TT gone; impossible with the TT in place.

I just installed the Katech in my '04 about three weeks ago. Yes the price is 4x that of the others, but is still far, far cheaper than dropping the TT out just to install a slave bleeder.
Now if a clutch is needed....get any remote slave bleeder other than Katech.

Getting the Katech adapter piece into the slave is easy. Getting the right angle connector onto the adapter requires every bit of patience a person has....small hands, small wrench, not bothered by laying under the Corvette that is about six inches above your chest.....has to be close as your hands are almost above the TT.
Some hints....go under from the passenger side.....have a small light that can sit on top of the TT to illuminate what you are trying to tighten.....and of course remove the clutch inspection plate.....this way you can actually see where the adapter screws into the slave.

Good Luck!