Clutch Bleeding Problem Please Help
Elder User
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 855
Likes: 5
Another option would be to drill in your own bleeder. Its not out of possibility if you have a drill press with a good vise for it. If i were to go that route, i would also use a power bleeder tool and force in from the bleed screw for a bit to purge out any of the air in the line upwards and relieve it at the mount screw. prior to trying to bleed downwards the old fashioned way.
Posting Guru
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 1,166
Likes: 1
From: Phill Mo
dude i fought myn as well when i did my trany swap! tryed to use the new slave off the donner truck but after pumping and waithing and nothing! i went to the oreillys in town and i think it was like 160.00 but it was every thing new... slave, switch,lines and bench blead!! only way to go in my opinon! good luck bud!
More Turbo
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 723
Likes: 13
NAPA has the slave with bleeder check the pic in link, bleeder is the shiny part just behind the inlet port,
https://www.napaonline.com/Catalog/C...+50028+2028036
https://www.napaonline.com/Catalog/C...+50028+2028036
Hotshot
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 17,799
Likes: 104
From: Ashland City, TN
The autozone one is just pure junk.
Make sure to buy a good one or you'll be sorry.
To bleed a non bled master/slave combo, you need to compress the slave cylinder and fill the master.
Then release the slave slowly to pull fluid down the line.
I'd then install it and stab the **** outa the clutch pedal for 15 mins.
That should bleed it.
They are designed to force air out of the systems.
Make sure to buy a good one or you'll be sorry.
To bleed a non bled master/slave combo, you need to compress the slave cylinder and fill the master.
Then release the slave slowly to pull fluid down the line.
I'd then install it and stab the **** outa the clutch pedal for 15 mins.
That should bleed it.
They are designed to force air out of the systems.
Hotshot
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 17,799
Likes: 104
From: Ashland City, TN
See my previous post on the issue. The lack of a bleeder has nothing to do with the source of your parts. OEM ford ones are the same way. The only way to do this effectively is to bench bleed the complete assy(master, line, slave). Problem is when you do this, there is NO way to effectively reinstall the equipment once it is put together due to clearance issues.
I would think possibly if one were to drop the tranny crossmember you could lower the rear of the transmission enough to get the clearance needed to slide the slave down with the line already attached.
If your not willing to do that, my advice is to send it to a stealership and get a price BEFORE you send it in and hold em to it. I do everything myself engine rebuilds, the works, and that is the only thing that ever had me licked.
I would think possibly if one were to drop the tranny crossmember you could lower the rear of the transmission enough to get the clearance needed to slide the slave down with the line already attached.
If your not willing to do that, my advice is to send it to a stealership and get a price BEFORE you send it in and hold em to it. I do everything myself engine rebuilds, the works, and that is the only thing that ever had me licked.
Posts like this are the main reason SD guys get a bad rep.
Go play with them.
Laughing Gas
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 871
Likes: 5
From: Near Shenandoah Valley
Have to agree and disagree with a LOT on here. Never go to the dealer ship around here. Also AZ sells a lot of junk. Never saw one without a bleeder. I will watch for that. Anyway, after bench bleeding all you can, I park them with the front up hill and do like Talyn says, and pump em. Walk away, and pump them a few more cycles, sit over night and air seems to work itself out. The truck uphill. The rear in the air would seem to force the air to remain at the slave which you say has no bleeder. They are not easy sometimes just be patient.
Elder User
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 782
Likes: 1
From: Olympia, WA
I fought mine for days, must have pumped the pedal 10,000 times to no avail. I finally found an old post here that suggested pumping the slave by hand. That worked. Gently compress the slave which forces the air up into the master reservoir. When it retracts it will pull fluid down. Repeat until the slave firms up, but be patient and make sure the reservior stays full or you'll suck air again. I went too far and had to use a bar clamp to compress the slave far enough to reinstall it. It didn't take long at all after I started pumping the slave by hand.
Elder User
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 855
Likes: 5
I guess Ford sells wrong parts too then. Next time someone has trouble with a badly designed part or install proceedure, (which does happen) i'll be sure to send them to you for a quick tongue lashing before someone else comes along to provide advice that is actually of substance to their problem.
Post's like "this is trash" or "that is trash" are the problem and do little to help anyone. Maybe this some places have changed thier parts to inlcude the mentioned bleeder, and that may make them better, but the lack of one does not make them "trash". Being made of modeling clay and pigeon poop would make them "trash".
If one is to make a statement like that, it should be this is trash because.............and then proceed to explain why, not just make derogatory comments about multimillion dollar businesses (that have gotten rich selling trash to the masses), and about other posters that have a LOT of experience maintaining and modifying FORDs for a living.
SD guys get a bad rep because ford did some really dumb stuff over the years with its design. Sometimes some stuff is just a PITA to deal with. You can hate the message all you want, but don't shoot the messenger please.
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Hotshot
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 17,799
Likes: 104
From: Ashland City, TN
I guess Ford sells wrong parts too then. Next time someone has trouble with a badly designed part or install proceedure, (which does happen) i'll be sure to send them to you for a quick tongue lashing before someone else comes along to provide advice that is actually of substance to their problem.
Post's like "this is trash" or "that is trash" are the problem and do little to help anyone. Maybe this some places have changed thier parts to inlcude the mentioned bleeder, and that may make them better, but the lack of one does not make them "trash". Being made of modeling clay and pigeon poop would make them "trash".
If one is to make a statement like that, it should be this is trash because.............and then proceed to explain why, not just make derogatory comments about multimillion dollar businesses (that have gotten rich selling trash to the masses), and about other posters that have a LOT of experience maintaining and modifying FORDs for a living.
SD guys get a bad rep because ford did some really dumb stuff over the years with its design. Sometimes some stuff is just a PITA to deal with. You can hate the message all you want, but don't shoot the messenger please.
Post's like "this is trash" or "that is trash" are the problem and do little to help anyone. Maybe this some places have changed thier parts to inlcude the mentioned bleeder, and that may make them better, but the lack of one does not make them "trash". Being made of modeling clay and pigeon poop would make them "trash".
If one is to make a statement like that, it should be this is trash because.............and then proceed to explain why, not just make derogatory comments about multimillion dollar businesses (that have gotten rich selling trash to the masses), and about other posters that have a LOT of experience maintaining and modifying FORDs for a living.
SD guys get a bad rep because ford did some really dumb stuff over the years with its design. Sometimes some stuff is just a PITA to deal with. You can hate the message all you want, but don't shoot the messenger please.
The ford master is just fine, but it has a bleeder.
And the SD guys get a bad rep from their attitude, not their information or their trucks.
Posts just like the one you made.
You, just like almost everyone here, has had ford products for a long time.
Hotshot
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 17,799
Likes: 104
From: Ashland City, TN
I fought mine for days, must have pumped the pedal 10,000 times to no avail. I finally found an old post here that suggested pumping the slave by hand. That worked. Gently compress the slave which forces the air up into the master reservoir. When it retracts it will pull fluid down. Repeat until the slave firms up, but be patient and make sure the reservior stays full or you'll suck air again. I went too far and had to use a bar clamp to compress the slave far enough to reinstall it. It didn't take long at all after I started pumping the slave by hand.
Yeah, thats why I said compress it one time on the bench first and do a bench bleed, after the slave is full, it will bleed the rest of the line free of air, but if there is air in the slave, you cannot pull enough fluid into the line to bleed out the air.
Whatever ya-hoo decided that taking the bleeder off the slave was a moron.
More Turbo
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 723
Likes: 13
Happy happy 
,,, I bought a NAPA slave cylinder 53 dollars it has a bleeder
bench bled master installed then installed slave and presto we got a working clutch 
.
btw the AZ slave is 1/3 smaller in size in comparison to the NAPA slave and oddly enough they both say" TP" made in Mexico....
,,, I bought a NAPA slave cylinder 53 dollars it has a bleeder bench bled master installed then installed slave and presto we got a working clutch .btw the AZ slave is 1/3 smaller in size in comparison to the NAPA slave and oddly enough they both say" TP" made in Mexico....
