A quick page detailing the steps of bleeding a Subaru hydraulic clutch system. Any questions or comments may be directed towards me here. I will answer any questions that I am able to.
In order to better access the clutch cable and master/slave cylinders, you have to remove the stock intake plenum from the throttle body. The yellow dot is the hose clamp holding the air box to the throttle body, and requires an 8mm socket (or a flat head screwdriver) to undo. The 2 red dots are simple bolts that can be removed with a 10mm socket. The 3 blue dots indicate the 3 breather lines attached to the stock airbox. Remove all these to gain access to the work area.
This is what you will see with the airbox out of the way- I've labelled a few points of interest that pertain to this little project.
This is another "road map" photo- the big red dot marks the slave clutch cylinder and the yellow dot marks the dust boot over the bleed nipple. For reference, this picture was taken from the driver's side of the engine bay.
This is where the bleed nipple comes into play. Attach a small piece of clear plastic tubing to the bleed nipple, and get your can to catch the fluid expelled from the slave cylinder. The tubing needs to be clear, so that you can see any air bubbles as they come out- you are not done bleeding until you get no more air out of the system.
You can start the bleed process yourself by hand. Fill the clutch master cylinder to the fill mark (using your favorite brand of DOT 3 or 4 brake fluid, be it synthetic or organic) and cap it back off. Turn the bleed screw to open it, grab the top of the clutch fork, pull on it AND HOLD IT, then close the bleed screw. You should get a squish of fluid out of the slave cylinder, into the plastic tube, and then into the can. Repeat the process: open, pull and hold, close. You will see alot of air come out on the first few tries- you are basically priming the system and filling all the lines back up with fluid. You will be able to do this a few times before things start to firm up, at which point you need someone to pump the clutch pedal for you. The same process will apply- you will open the bleed screw, they will push and hold the clutch pedal (it will probably go straight to the floor anyway), and then you will close the screw. Repeat until you see no more air in your plastic tubing. Keep an eye on the clutch master cylinder, and make certain to keep it topped off with fluid. After you are certain there is no more air, close the bleed screw down tight, and dispose of the spent fluid- it is no good to reuse. You will have to pump the clutch several times after bleeding to build the pressure back up in the system, at which point the clutch pedal should return to it's normal position on its own, not rest on the floor. Replace the air filter box, tighten down the two bolts to the mounts, tighten the hose clamp back onto the throttle body, and reattach the breather lines. You are done!
Standard Disclaimer: Modification of your car involves risks and may void your warranty. I can not be held responsible for the modifications you consciously decide to undertake nor for the results of doing so.
|
|
