Clutch bleeding

[Viper GTS-R]

Just posting this in case anybody else has a bleeding issue.
Went to drive the Viper the other day and clutch went real soft. Could go into first gear but not reverse. Checked the clutch reservoir and it was empty. Assumed the slave crapped out but no fluid anywhere. I stupidly have not checked it since I got the car a couple years ago - my bad. Thought I would try bleeding it first so I hooked up the Mighty Vac but no go. Unscrewed the bleeding tube out of the slave cylinder to inspect it. The bleed hole was completely plugged. I ran a drill bit through it and then pressurized air and some crap shot out. Because the open end is exposed to the elements under the car I think it became plugged over the years. Not sure if it was supposed to have a rubber cap over it but it should.

Went to reinstall the fitting into the slave and dropped it into the tranny! Lol. Luckily you can remove the lower inspection plate and retrieve it. Got it back in, bled the system and all is good now. Make sure you keep an eye on clutch fluid level as it doesn’t hold much and is positioned right above the manifold (header in my case) and gets cooked over the years.

[Steve-Indy]

Good save !!

Admittedly, I beat on this issue regularly in our local region. Sadly, few folks actually do it themselves...and, more than one tech has been known to skip this procedure over the past many years.

[dave6666]

*only applies to cars that are actually driven that encounter "dirt." Driveway queens are safe.

[Steve-Indy]

Periodically, I like to get all of the black particles from the rubber diaphragm out of the system rather than keep pumping them into the bleeder...along with the old hydrophilic brake/clutch fluid.