Clutch fluid change solo
 

Any big deal to do a clutch fluid drain\bleed by yourself?

I see the DYI's, videos, etc.....but they seem to always mention having the "buddy" pump the pedal, watch the reservoir....

Would it just be a matter of getting back and forth from pumping the clutch and watching the fluid.....?? Or would it be too much to do solo...?

The catch is you have to pump the clutch and then on the last pump you hold the clutch down while your helper shuts the bleeder valve below. You need to time these actions close enough together that it would be tough to accomplish solo.

There may be other alternatives? I'm not sure if you can put a vacuum on the bleeder valve or not. I don't see why not, but I can't say I've ever seen or heard of someone doing it.

Flushed mine solo last fall. I just took a chunk of 2x4 and wedged it between the pedal and seat while I went under the car to open, and then close the bleeder. Every couple cycles I'd add more fluid to the reservoir to keep it topped off.

Not the most efficient way to do it but it got the job done.

Thanks for chiming in gomer. I always wondered if you could just hold the clutch pedal down with an object - I guess you just have to watch the reservoir extra careful. Good info.

Doesn't someone make a gizmo like used for brakes (pressurizes the master cylinder reservoir)?

I’ve always used the Gravity Bleed method. Suck out the fluid in the master cylinder reservoir. Fill it with new fluid. Open the bleed valve underneath the car and let it drain by gravity until clean fluid comes out. Keep adding fluid in the master cylinder making sure it doesn’t go dry. This has always worked perfectly for me.


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At the office so I don't have the FSM in front of me, but as I recall, Nissan explicitly says not to use pressure or vacuum to bleed/flush the clutch system.

OK. Thanks for the info.

Has either of you used a bottle and plastic tube to catch the fluid coming out? For the life of me I couldn't get a plastic tube to stay on the clutch bleeder valve. Finally gave up and used a larger, shorter tube and just let it fall into a catch can on the ground. Otherwise, pretty easy with the wife holding down the pedal.

I've never had any troubles with that. I even have two bottles with very different types of plastic tubes (one is very soft and one is quite stiff) and both work just fine. The bottles have magnets and hang on metal undercarriage so the tube isn't having to support any weight. I find myself adjusting the location and angle of the bottle as well as the tube routing to help it stay on the bleeder valve. I doubt either tube would fit well enough on the bleeder valve to be able to support its own weight while connected and hanging off the bleeder valve.

Plastic tubing comes in many sizes. You can usually find inexpensive kits with a few feet of various sizes at most auto parts stores. Farm supply stores are another good source (although the selection of clear tubing may be limited).

If all else fails, a small zip tie will usually work and comes off with the twist of some pliers.