Bleed Clutch - Without lowering gearbox?

[lugars4]

Manual doesnt suggest box needs to be lowered, but have read people found it easier.

The manual advises removing the drive shaft shield. See attached.

Anyone have experience either way?

Bleed Clutch.pdf

(112.93 KiB) Downloaded 68 times

[JamesBaby]

Yes it can be done without lowering gearbox.

The heatshield is unbolted, 3 bolts to gain access to the bleeder from underneath. I watched my local specialist doing it with the car on the ramp in the air.

The third bolt for the shield is a pig to undo but can be done.

In all it took them around an hour, and boy was it worth it.

[lugars4]

Thanks, will give it a go at the weekend!

Interesting, you think it made a difference?

[r8wut]

Thanks, will give it a go at the weekend!

Interesting, you think it made a difference?

Hey, how did you get on with this?

Was also looking into this procedure, (as part of the on-going saga) when I finally get around to doing the brakes overhaul.

Looking at the heat-shield hex bolts, either side looks easy enough .. the top bolt looks awfully difficult (near impossible without dropping the gearbox) to reach..

i'm going to purchase a Long Ball End Hex Allen socket - and give it a try..

[lugars4]

Having a go tomorrow!

[r8wut]

hah - Good luck!

quickly learning with that V8 shoe-horned in there.. helps if you're bendy like a Contortionist.

admittedly.
my beer-belly doesn't help

[JamesBaby]

Bleeding the clutch will make a big difference. The clutch is supposed to be bled first then the brakes when ever a fluid change is done. Most people don’t do it due to the effort required.

This leads to really old fluid in that section which cause high pedal, and in my opinion is the cause of the sticky clutch issues folk experience.

They go to the process of replacing the clutch hose to fix it, but note at the same time that bit of fluid gets renewed in the process. So was it the hose or fluid?. Do the fluid first.


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[lugars4]

Not too bad so far, stopped for coffee.

Side bolts easy, with extension.

Rear:

Front:

Top bolt, put your arm up fron the front to feel for it, dont bothewr trying to see it!, its a way back when your arm is uo there, then this extension arrangement from this arch position did it.
Position of the UJ on the extensions way key to success.

Took 15 mins without knowing where to start...

Can feel the bleed nipple. see how bleeding goes....

[lugars4]

Not easy to access the bleed screw with a spanner. My only tip to anyone trying, use a small (slim) 9mm ring spanner.
Get your and in and feel for it, put spanner on from above to achieve swing.
Not easy at all, but possible. Too 90 mins to fliddle about and bleed it.

Example of spanner set i used. Its 9mm.

And worth it: Clutch fluid vs old brake fluid, certain Audi never bothered when asked to do a fluid change!!

[JamesBaby]

That's a superb effort and great write up on how to access that bolt with the angle on the sockets.

[lugars4]

Unfortunately getting that bolt back in is a lot harder than removing it (or i had had enough at the point of the day!)

Glad i bled it for sure!

Will put the bolt back in when im feeling like a challenge.

[JamesBaby]

Yes I recall when the car was on the ramp that to get the bolt back in you had to reach in from below, blind, to start it.

[r8wut]

wow, superb effort there mate.

I'm planning on tackling this also in the coming weeks... agree it could certainly be a contributing, if not the main, factor to the sticky clutch issue..

and probably a job that never get the attention it requires - certainly one that gets overlooked by Dealerships... can clearly see now why

Probably use my Gunson Eezibleed / pressure bleeder to do the calipers at the same time.. with usual consensus starting with the "caliper" furthest from the reservoir ..

So. is it advisable to start bleeding the Clutch first, or the calipers - or does it even matter?

[JamesBaby]

Brake_Fluid.pdf

(868.21 KiB) Downloaded 66 times

Follow the factory instructions. Clutch first, then brakes.


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[r8wut]

Brake_Fluid.pdf
Follow the factory instructions. Clutch first, then brakes.


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alright, cheers.

Amusing instructions ..

wonder just how many Audi Trained Techs follow their own advice - "The clutch system should be bled at the same intervals as the brake system"

huh.

yeah, right.