Remote Clutch Bleeder....which one???
Melting Slicks
Joined: Dec 2018
Posts: 2,651
Likes: 1,386
From: Orange County, CA
It has been awhile since I have been on this forum and came across this thread a few days ago which got me thinking about flushing my clutch fluid once again. I've tried the Ranger method but it's very limiting and is not a real flush. I've been wanting to install a remote bleeder and up until the Katech name came up in this thread, I thought that it would be impossible to do without removing the torque tube. The $180 price tag of the Katech makes me hesitant because I am a cheapskate. So I came across a long style bleeder screw made by Earl's, p/n LS642001ERL that should screw into the slave cylinder. It has M10x1.5 threads, -4AN fitting, and is about 4 1/2" long. Has anyone tried this? Is it too long? Are the threads correct? Does anybody know how long the OEM and Katech are? It has been awhile since I have been under my 2000 Vette and can't remember how tight it was but I do remember that bleeding the clutch was not going to be easy.
In order to use the Earl's bleeder screw with a remote bleeder, you would have to drill out the end to allow fluid to flow through it when it is tightened down. I have found this bleeder screw for about $42. If it was under $20, I would have just bought one and answered my own question. In the near future, I'm planning to put my vette up on my Quickjacks, do an oil change, flush the brake fluid, and hopefully flush the clutch also.
In order to use the Earl's bleeder screw with a remote bleeder, you would have to drill out the end to allow fluid to flow through it when it is tightened down. I have found this bleeder screw for about $42. If it was under $20, I would have just bought one and answered my own question. In the near future, I'm planning to put my vette up on my Quickjacks, do an oil change, flush the brake fluid, and hopefully flush the clutch also.
LS642001ERL doesn't quite work the same without modifications. Some reasons:
- It's definitely longer than the Katech fitting, and likely too long.
- I think the Katech fitting is 3AN, or at least that's what my memory is telling me (it seemed smaller than 4AN). 3AN will give more space for mating fittings/hoses and tools compared to 4AN.
- At the slave cylinder end, this fitting has a hole that's perpendicular to the length of the fitting, and the hole is after the tapered (sealing) end. This is how normal bleeders screws are made... meaning that it has to be unscrewed a little to use it as a bleeder. For reference, the Katech fitting has a hole that runs through the entire middle of it.
