Katech Remote Bleeder
Thread Starter
Former Vendor
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 2,572
Likes: 1
From: Austin Texas
Katech Remote Bleeder
We had a customer with a Z06 and it was towed to us for no clutch pedal. The master was completely empty and leaking under the car.
Put the Z06 on a lift and the remote bleeder was loose. Apparently, this has been a ongoing issue for quite some time. Time to find out why the bleeder loosens over time.
Removed the drivetrain and the LS9 slave cylinder was trashed. The boot was completely swelled up with clutch fluid. The Z06 already has the Katech LS9x Clutch.
The problem was the incorrect remote bleeder was used during the initial installation of the clutch. The current remote bleeder was hitting the bottom if the car when the engine was torqued over. Here is a pic of the original bleeder and the Katech Bleeder.
The Katech Bleeder hugs the bellhousing much better and is a slick design. The original bleeder was bent due to the numerous attempts to tighten it and the contact with the body of the car. The new bleeder is install and works like a champ.
Put the Z06 on a lift and the remote bleeder was loose. Apparently, this has been a ongoing issue for quite some time. Time to find out why the bleeder loosens over time.
Removed the drivetrain and the LS9 slave cylinder was trashed. The boot was completely swelled up with clutch fluid. The Z06 already has the Katech LS9x Clutch.
The problem was the incorrect remote bleeder was used during the initial installation of the clutch. The current remote bleeder was hitting the bottom if the car when the engine was torqued over. Here is a pic of the original bleeder and the Katech Bleeder.
The Katech Bleeder hugs the bellhousing much better and is a slick design. The original bleeder was bent due to the numerous attempts to tighten it and the contact with the body of the car. The new bleeder is install and works like a champ.
Le Mans Master
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 5,022
Likes: 18
From: Tampa FL (formerly Justinjor)
Tech Contributor
St. Jude Donor '11-'12-'13-'14
Oh and which is which in that comparison picture? Is the katech the bigger or smaller one? It looks like the bigger one is showing some wear.
Safety Car
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 4,347
Likes: 25
From: Apache Junction AZ
Drifting
Joined: Jan 2000
Posts: 1,407
Likes: 170
From: Austin, TX, U.S.A.
Judging by his description and the picture on Katech's web site, I would guess the small bleeder on the right is Katech. The smaller construction gives more clearance. Also, if you look at the outside radius of the big bleeder on the left I believe you can see the damage caused by interference.
Thread Starter
Former Vendor
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 2,572
Likes: 1
From: Austin Texas
The larger one was the "off the shelf" bleeder and does not tuck up at tight as the Katech Bleeder. The old bleeder was hitting the bottom of the car and already cut the insulation.
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Racer
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 332
Likes: 0
From: Round Rock Texas
Brian @ RPT Austin
I personally witnessed this job pretty much start to finish.
Brian makes these types of problems look easy to fix.
As many of you know, they are not.
If you want work done on your corvette the right way,
go see Brian.
Brian makes these types of problems look easy to fix.
As many of you know, they are not.
If you want work done on your corvette the right way,
go see Brian.
Thread Starter
Former Vendor
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 2,572
Likes: 1
From: Austin Texas
Removing the drivetrain was not too bad on a lift. With my training in the semiconductor industry for the last 17 years, I like to find the root cause to problems and provide resolution.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 899
Likes: 18
From: Austin Texas
Great job Brian. I've heard of bleeders coming loose or leaking but didn't know what actually caused it. Props to you for actually taking the time to figure out the cause of the proble rather than doing a temporary fix or "bandaid" if you will. Thats what makes happy customers and this is the reason so many people get referred to you.
This also explains why the katech bleeder is a little more expensive. It will save you a lot of money in the long run... Nobody likes pulling the drivetrain out of these cars.
This also explains why the katech bleeder is a little more expensive. It will save you a lot of money in the long run... Nobody likes pulling the drivetrain out of these cars.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 2,694
Likes: 106
Hey, do you happen to have a picture of the stock bleeding valve? Since you have to torque the top nut against the lower one once installed, that's why it's a job that has to be done with the drivetrain off. Yes, it can be installed from underneath, but no way in hell it'd be torqued properly with the space available.
I ask about the stock valve because I could swear it felt round, so the hex base is most likely below the bellhousing level. I've been replacing reservoir fluid since day 1, to maximize chances of no clutch hydraulic issues if I can't ever bleed the darn clutch properly. But prefer to do just that one of these years
. Car has only 1K miles, but fluid was already dark (brown) when I got it with 10 miles on the clock. Thanks man.
I ask about the stock valve because I could swear it felt round, so the hex base is most likely below the bellhousing level. I've been replacing reservoir fluid since day 1, to maximize chances of no clutch hydraulic issues if I can't ever bleed the darn clutch properly. But prefer to do just that one of these years
. Car has only 1K miles, but fluid was already dark (brown) when I got it with 10 miles on the clock. Thanks man.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 2,694
Likes: 106
Thanks a million for that pic Brian. Looks like you can't engage the 'hex' with an open-end wrench from the top of the bellhousing, right? If not, like I suspect, then inserting a socket (or maybe even a deep socket) up there seems almost impossible. And I wouldn't even attempt it. Why the hell couldn't GM put something better and charge us $10 more is beyond me 
. Wish it was an easy way to do this, but the risk of not torquing the male-male coupler properly with the drivetrain in place is just not worth it to me. If I ever do, I know who to call . But thanks again for your great help.
. Wish it was an easy way to do this, but the risk of not torquing the male-male coupler properly with the drivetrain in place is just not worth it to me. If I ever do, I know who to call . But thanks again for your great help.
Last edited by JCtx; Jun 11, 2012 at 06:50 PM.
Instructor
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 1,484
Likes: 69
From: Raleigh NC
My story
I spent so much time on my project, I thought I'd post my story.
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c6-t...-pictures.html
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c6-t...-pictures.html
Melting Slicks
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 2,277
Likes: 550
From: Pittsburgh PA
St. Jude Donor '10-'11-'12-'13-'14
As I recall, GM didn't even mention changing the fluid as part of regular maintenance until around 2008, when they added a recommendation to flush it every 2 years. So I suppose they didn't make it easy because they didn't think of doing it. After all, it's not like the hydraulic clutch system is similar to the hydraulic brake system or anything. Oh, wait…
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 21,502
Likes: 461
From: Southern Utah
I spent so much time on my project, I thought I'd post my story.
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c6-t...-pictures.html
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c6-t...-pictures.html
Instructor
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 1,484
Likes: 69
From: Raleigh NC
Thanks! I spent sooooo much time on this I wanted to get the word out. Not to bash any vendors but this part is impossible to install w/engine in place. Then I question if it will hold up due to clearance issues.
Instructor
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 157
Likes: 2
From: Santa Ana California
Thanks for the information it really helped me see what is going on in my car. It looks like I have this same issue, is the fix still working? I'll be on my third slave and second clutch and don't want to put it together again until I know.
I have pictures of mine (which is much worse) on this thread:
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/auto...t-bearing.html
If you could verify what I'm seeing I would really appreciate it!
I have pictures of mine (which is much worse) on this thread:
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/auto...t-bearing.html
If you could verify what I'm seeing I would really appreciate it!