Issues bleeding clutch fluid, clutch no longer works!

Any tips on how to fill it from the bleed valve? I just tried using a hand pump siphon and tube. I filled the pump with fluid and forced it back out the tube into the bleeder. Only problem is the fluid sprays out around the valve as well. Not very effective.

 

Gravity bleeding didn't seem to do the trick either. I just filled the reservoir, opened the bleeder and let it flow till it was half gone. Closed the bleeder and refilled the reservoir. Clutch it just as loose as ever. I hate to say it, but I think I'm gonna have to bring it in. Too frustrated, just want to get back on the bike.

 

Just because you have gravity bled it you still have to pump it to bleed completely pull the lever in once, hold it, open the bleeder, close the bleeder then release the lever, do this three times and if that doesn't work you will have to get assistance because there is something wrong with the slave cylinder, you have already said you can get pressure at the master cylinder. It was all working before you pulled it off so it is something you have done or are not doing

 

I can't be sure, but I think your problem might be in the master cylinder.
Make sure that the seal on the master cylinder (the one the clutch lever pushes) is not blowing back.
Crap can get in there when you try to clean system, and will not build up pressure.
I would dismantle the whole assembly and inspect. Clean it thoroughly with disk brake cleaner and inspect the seals and bore for abrasions.
This is normally a very straight forward bit of maintenance that is fast and easy.

 

Hey guys, update on the bike. I finally broke down and brought it into the shop. They immediately called after looking at it and recommended replacing the master cylinder. If I had more time and patience I may have taken it home and inspected it to replace just the parts that were necessary. But I really wanted to get back out on the road and already had an appointment to get tires replaced.

I ended up having the shop replace the whole master cylinder and bleed it for me. Not the most economical solution, but It's up and running now.

Little did I know I'm also in dire need of new brake pads. I figure this is a good time to flush the brake fluid as well. Wish me luck, cuz I don't have much more expendable cash if all doesn't go as planned.

Thanks again for all your help, I hope this thread proves helpful to others in the future.

 

Glad you got the clutch fixed, sorry it was expensive and you had to take it to a shop. Very strange that somehow the mastery cylinder developed a sudden fault that coincided with the piston falling out of the slave cylinder. Good thing they caught the brake pads or you might have needed new rotors.

Brake pads are relatively cheap ($100 for all 3) and easy to replace (10 minutes per caliper). Flushing the brake fluid isn't as bad as it seems, despite the linked brakes. After watching the video of you bleeding the clutch, I suggest you get a tube that fits snugly over the caliper bleed screw and a waste container. No need to get a vacuum bleeder, does not help at all. Between the Honda manual and the guide on VFRD, there's plenty of info to help you through it.

 

Looked like you were "cracking" the banjo bolt>? A Mityvac air-assisted tool is tittz for this type of work, clutches especially. Don't even get me started on ABS/Linked brake stuff, I won't tawk. You can rebuild the master/clutch cylinder to new condition with a re-build kit from Honda or K&L btw. Cheers ; )

 

When I had this issue turned out to be the slave cylinder which got tweaked when changing the chain out. I spent what seemed like over an hour trying to bleed it. Pulled the assembly and locked it in a C-Clamp. Engaging the clutch lever slightly saw the tiniest amount of fluid bubble out past the seal. due to some pitting on the old piston I just changed out the whole slave cylinder assembly which is still available for the 86 from Honda (crazy)

 

For future readers of this thread I will add my recent experience. I hadn't heard about speed bleeders and my clutch was driving me nuts after putting a rebuild kit in the master cylinder, but I found a technique that works. To get every last bit of air out of the clutch hydraulics, after doing every bleeding trick in the book, you still have to do one more trick. You have to get the clutch reservoir leaning a little bit to the right of level, by turning the bars fully to the right and possibly leaning the bike to the right, then work the clutch lever a short distance many many times.
If at first you do this with the reservoir cap off, you will find a sweet spot where lots of air bubbles come out into the reservoir as you jiggle the lever a short distance. If a lot of air comes out you'll need to top up the fluid as you go. Get someone to help if you can and take precautions to catch dot4 spills.
After you finish and replace the reservoir cap you should do this tilt and jiggle routine a few more times over the next couple of rides, easy to do while waiting at traffic lights. It's amazing how stubborn those last air bubbles can be but you'll know it when they're finally gone.

 

Alternately, you could remove the handlebar to get the right angle, without opening the reservoir cap.

 

I replaced my clutch fluid when I got the bike, because it was black and gummy. I have a vacuum bleeder, so I did the following.

1.) Suck out all old fluid, wipe down and make sure the breather/return holes are clear.

2.) Remove clutch from the bar, turn reservoir sideways and use carb cleaner to spray out the reservoir. Cover bike to protect from spatter.

3.) Remove the hose from the slave cylinder and allow all funky fluid to bleed out.

4.) Reconnect everything and use the vacuum bleeder to get all the old fluid out of the slave and keep going until you see fresh fluid.

5.) Pump the clutch lever about 20 times to compress all air trapped in the system and use the traditional method to pump a whole reservoir's volume of fluid through the system.

Clutch worked awesome when I was done.

Jose

 

I also thought it was weird that the cylinder went bad coincidentally at the same time as the fluid leak, that's a big reason I had it done in the shop; I wasn't sure it was the cylinder. And it is a bummer it cost so much, but I'm glad to have it back. I think when they told me the pads were down to the medal they were trying to get me to say yes to them fixing it on the spot. I said no, ordered pads (and a new battery) and took the bike back to the garage. After the pads got in (today) I put them on after watching a quick youtube vid. I also tried my hand at bleeding the brake fluid despite my bad luck with the clutch. All went really well. When it works like its supposed to it's really quick and simple.

About 3 weeks and ~$1200 later, just took it out for a ride. After all the tune ups and tweaks, she's riding better than ever. Thanks again for all your help guys! I'll post my pics in the next few days...

 

Old thread, but it helped me this morning at 3am when I couldn't get my clutch bled after replacing the slave and rebuilding the master cylinder.

The solution for me was to crack the banjo bolt at the slave cylinder. Man, I was pulling my hair out!

 

I recently had a similar issue after rebuilding my clutch master cylinder. The problem was residual air in the system I couldn't bleed out. I solved the problem by pressing the slave cylinder inward by hand all the way to force all the air up the line and out through the reservoir. When I did this I saw a steady stream of bubbles rising to the surface in the reservoir (with the lid off, of course) I cycled like this a few times until no more bubbles appeared and that was the fix.

 

I have found that you can just twitch the lever in/out quickly and with a small movement and that can encourage bubbles to rise out of the master intake port until such time as you get enough fluid through the master for it to begin to pump properly. A vacuum bleeder does tend to overcome such problems very quickly too.