88 S10 bleeding the f##$%(#$ clutch

Blaze

Blaze

The Jeeper Reaper
Joined
Aug 9, 2005
Location
Wake Forest, NC
OK, losing our minds here. Something is off and it is driving us crazy. This stupid truck just doesn't want to be a YouTube star.

This is on our $500 S10. 4cyl, 5-spd, 2wd.

We're done with the truck except for the clutch system. New clutch, throwout, clutch fork, slave and master cylinder. We bled the shit out of it and still barely have pedal pressure and no clutch engagement (or disengagement, I guess).

We're at $495 of our $500 budget so I'm hoping this shit is something easy. Our only option left is to hook up the vacuum pump to the slave bleeder and pull a vacuum that way and hope for the best. Unless anyone else has any insight.
 
Trust me when I say it’s all about the angle of the truck!!!!!!!!! I went through like 3 slave cylinders thinking they were bad. 1989 2.8 5spd 2wd I had it up on jack stands to I could get under it. NO BUENO!! Jacked the rear end up to put it at “ride height” boom!! Problem solved.
 
Not sure if the truck works for that application but I bled the piss out of my t56. Then took a mighty vac hand pump with the small pointed tip. Stuck it into the reservoir where the hose comes off of it. Pumped it up to a decent vacuum left it sitting for 5 mins. Pulled vacuum hose off and it sucked the fluid back in and was 100 percent perfect.
 
Pic for example
IMG_6816.jpeg
 
I've had Rangers that you have to raise the nose of the truck to the sky, and about drag the back bumper, to get to bleed out.

I really like the new pre-filled/pre-bled stuff that they offer now!
 
Wasn't there some stupid tool that was required like the F-body? Or something about forcing fluid in through the bleeder and pushing the air out the master?
 
skyhighZJ said:
Trust me when I say it’s all about the angle of the truck!!!!!!!!! I went through like 3 slave cylinders thinking they were bad. 1989 2.8 5spd 2wd I had it up on jack stands to I could get under it. NO BUENO!! Jacked the rear end up to put it at “ride height” boom!! Problem solved.
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That's our thought, we tried bleeding it with the front in the air and with it flat on the ground. I'm thinking there might be air trapped in the front of the slave so going to try and raise the back of the truck way up and see if that works.
Noel said:
Not sure if the truck works for that application but I bled the piss out of my t56. Then took a mighty vac hand pump with the small pointed tip. Stuck it into the reservoir where the hose comes off of it. Pumped it up to a decent vacuum left it sitting for 5 mins. Pulled vacuum hose off and it sucked the fluid back in and was 100 percent perfect.
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That's the way I bleed my T56s that I don't have remote bleeders on, but didn't work for this one.
LT1JEEP said:
Pump the pedal a hundred time without stopping and let it rest for a few mins and it should work then.
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I pumped it probably 400 times. :lol:
 
I had an XJ that would not bleed once. Finally found that the piece on the peddle that the master attaches to was bent. It wasn't allowing the master to travel enough. If you have a soft peddle though it's probably not the issue.
 
The internal salve on a YJ is just as much of a pain. I ran 3 bottles of fluid through it with a vacuum bleeder. Had no bubbles after one bottle, but lost clutch pedal feel fast. Just keep going and 3 bottles later it has held.

I will say I went through 3 slave cylinders as well. Napa and O'Reilly's parts have gone to shit. Finally bought a LUK and have had no issues other than the initial bleeding.
 
Man you need a you tube pit crew that comes in and does all of this hard work haha :beer: :laughing:
 
Did you bench bleed the master before you put it on the truck? Doing brake masters I always bench bleed with plugs in the ports first before installing. If you get a bubble in the master you will never get it to bleed right.
 
Every few years i have to replace the slave cylinder on my 89 s10. I use the pump-hold-bleed method and it works pretty good. The trick we use is to only pump it once and hold, no idea why it works but it does.
 
I've probably replaced the master/slave on my 85 S10 three times each between the previous owner and myself. I pump the pedal with one hand while halfway under the truck and open the bleeder with the other hand. It's never put up much of a fight. Usually a 20 minute process.
 
Croatan_Kid said:
I've probably replaced the master/slave on my 85 S10 three times each between the previous owner and myself. I pump the pedal with one hand while halfway under the truck and open the bleeder with the other hand. It's never put up much of a fight. Usually a 20 minute process.
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I'm sitting here at work trying to figure out if my arms are long enough to be able to do that.... Mainly because I've never thought about even trying to do it that way
 
I'm only 5'8, so you probably can!
 
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