I had a extreme case, i wached this video and I used good old lung power to suck through the air, being careful to close the bleed valve everytime i needed to take a breath. Got a few mouthfuls but now I'm up and running
Good video. I know it was done a long time ago but I just picked up a well used, but seemingly pretty decent shape '88 Suzuki Katana 1100 yesterday and find the clutch not fully disengaging.. I'm now wondering if there may be just a tiny bit of air in the line.
Well I have the exact same bike in the video except clutch is on the handlebar. I'm also having the same problem. Clutch reservoir went empty even though I had topped it off recently and it was okay when I parked it. I have been bleeding this all day with no success. My question is how do I know the master cylinder is good?. I don't have a shop vac
In a perfect work where the repair budget is unlimited sure thing. I'd have all the tools I want. In the real world however, men have to find ways to make things work with unconventional tools. The nut was loosened with a socket prior to shooting the video btw. I'm not about to open the valve all the way, let air in, and then bleed it. Counterproductive us know? Or were you too busy being a smart ass?
I am having a similar issue with my GPZ900R clutch. I replaced the seals in the slave cylinder and bled it the conventional way until I get no air bubbles. However when I ride it the clutch lever ends up with no play at all in it and my clutch slips a bit when I accelerate hard. I am pretty sure I got all the air out as the lever isn't spongey at all. I will try your method to bleed it and see if it helps.
God glad I found this video. My magna v65 is giving me really bad issues. Forums weren't helping either. If I disconnected line out of master cylinder after 3 pumps it would try to put fluid out of master cylinder but lost pressure soon as I held clutch in to connect line again. And couldn't get any more fluid to come out of slave cylinder after I push all the old nasty fluid out. Thanks a million!!
FFS grow up!!:) I read in a service manual that you should grease any nipples during routine maintenance and consequently ruined over a dozen football tops as the grease spots irreversibly and to my annoyance marked my shirts:) I guess I will never follow a service manual again!
Wish mine was that simple. I've replaced every seal, filled it, bled it, burped the banjos, burped the master cylinder, used a syringe to inject fluid upwards through the line, checked every seal/mating surface/joint with dish soap and water, most recently I took the slave cylinder off, loosened the bleed valve, attached a hose, and pumped the cup with my thumbs while the hose was submerged in brake fluid to force all the air out. Still no luck, no pressure and just tiny air bubbled creeping in to the master and I have no idea where they're coming from.
same problem with my shadow vt800 rebuilt master and slave and CAN NOT get pressure on clutch lever ! Two weeks now and I have tried everything , oilcan pumping brake fluid up thru slave until over flowing out master and still no pressure. WTF! sorry but i'm about to blow it up . Where did you get that valve or whatever you were putting vacuum end on? AND , were you holding the lever in the whole time? Cause you said" and hold lever in" and never said or showed anything else while sucking it out. any help would be much appreciated . thanks
I was rapidly pumpin the clutch handle and then holding it in for 5-10 seconds. It sounds to me like you need to rebuild the valve assembly that is housed just under the upper reservoir. There are O-rings that can wear out over time and lead to a loss of pressure.
Matthew Brodersen I did , I rebuilt and replaced the master (upper reservoir) with all new parts and rings, spring , etc. and the same with the slave . What is that blue thing valve thing you used?
The blue thing was a one way valve pump. I bought it at auto zone for maybe $7. Any one way valve system will work provided it keeps the brake fluid from entering your shop vacuum. The shop vacuum provided the suction to draw fluid from the entire system. Until the system is fully voided of air I reused the fluid by throwing it in a brake fluid container and topping off as I went
Matthew Brodersen Well I finally got it . Went to advance auto and got a bleeder pump and instead of bleeding the whole system , I started first by bleeding the master by unscrewing the cable and putting the bleeder pump hose on it and pumped the master with the lever in and out . That was the whole problem , a little air in the master that wouldnt come out after all those other things I tried , amazing . Thanks for your help and safe riding to ya.
Brake fluid is highly flammable, toxic and corrosive, using an electric vacuum to evacuate the line containing liquid and vapors is a BAD idea. The media drawn into the vacuum aids in cooling the electric motor on the vacuum. Of secondary concern is the static electricity produced when air flows into the canister. I also agree with comments about using vise grips on a hex nut, there is no excuse. Shortcuts are dangerous and produce a substandard outcome.
Mountain Biker at 400-500 degrees a plastic shop vac would be a puddle on the ground. Also if you pay attention to the setup itself I am not connecting the vacuum directly to the hose itself and no fluid enters the vacuum. However, it is possible for vapors to enter the vacuum. Aside from this video which was taken after more than 2+ hours of me doing this the vacuum was undamaged. It still operates to this day. Years later. ($20 shop vac) So I would say the risk of damaging the vacuum to be minimal. As to the concerns about the vice grips....my God I'm dying with laughter. I'm not using a wrench for a finger tight fitting. It was pre-loosed with a wrench. As to the paint job, it already had severe damage. Although I do love all the hate coming from people riding pristine expensive rides. If you have the money for a shop, go pay for a shop. This video is for those of us who don't. Nobody, and I mean nobody had a solution video posted at the time I made this. If you have a better, workable solution, by all means post a video and watch the ninnies wring their hands. 55k+ views means somebody got some help out of this. That's what it's about for me.
Yes, it's always a great idea for your first vehicle to learn on to be brand new. Sorry but I don't do mommy/daddy bought. Besides, a mid-sized bike with a shaft drive is a great riding experience. I primarily commute with it to college and take the occasional road trip. Magnas are nimble, responsive, with a fair amount of torque. Top speed to date is 110 mph @8k RPM. (Slight downhill grade) So meh, I'd rather have this over a shiny, over-complicated bike that I can't work on myself.
