Vacuum pumps and bleeding - clutch fluid

I apologize for lingering on this topic but this site and my un sympathetic shop manual are all I have!

I figured bleeding the clutch with my new hand pump would be an easier task for a first timer than doing the breaks.

With a 10mm wrench in place, there is little room to get a 3/16" ID hose firmly seated on the clutch slave cylinder bleed nipple. Once I was able to wrestle the hose in place I decided to pump the vac a few times to see if it would hold a vacuum while the bleed screw was still tight. The gauge's needle went down, but slowly. Not an ideal situation but I decided to press on.

After removing the diaphram, set plate and cap I pumped the vacuum up to 20 before giving the bleed screw just an 1/8th of a turn.....nothing was coming out so I opened the screw a little bit more when fluid began to come out. Like a straw sucking the last drops at the bottom of a cup ( slurping ) was how the fluid came out. I kept the vacuum up while being mindful of the decreasing fluid level in the resevoir so as not to drain it completely. I tightened the bleed screw while under vacuum pressure, my forearm got a good work out from the whole process.

I continued this until I filled my pump's cup with 100 ml of fluid which was clearly more than the resevoir holds. The new Honda brake fluid was not much clearer than what I was replacing. My '06 bike's fluid had never been changed after 2,100 miles.

The whole time, the bike is on the center stand and bars are turned all the way to the right. There is a line inside the resevoir. I assumed I should fill up to this line. After replacing the diaphram, set plate and cap I turned the bars straight and a large bubble appeared in the resevoir window. Filled with self doubt, I placed more fluid in the resevoir leaving only a pinhead sized bubble visible in the resevoir window which I was not able to remove prior to putting the cap back on.

Engine turned off, the pressure on the clutch lever feels the same as it had before I started. If I had sucked air into the lines either past the bleed screw threads or through my less than perfect vacuum seal at the nipple, should I be able to feel a difference in the lever as I pull it to the grip?

Others on this forum suggested applying teflon tape to the bleed screw threads before proceeding. If I could not establish a non leaking vacuum when the bleed screw was still tightened, would applying tape to the threads make any difference?

Does it sound like I have to do this all again with a better seal?

The last thing I want to do is pay a dealer way too much to change my fluids.

Thank you in advance for weighing in.

Gunzer

 

hmmmmmmm......

Sent pm on how I deal with this as I dont want to start this again.

 

Cutter, will you mind forwarding me the PM as well, please? My bleeds are coming up very soon.

Much appreciated.

 

Man, very little love from the "how to" forum. Two replies is all I get, one of which was no help at all. Is there anybody out there...?

My bike seems to shift fine despite my imperfect vacuum situation. I tested my pump and it, the lines, and the cup all hold a vacuum. The connection at the nipple is one source for air leakage. I will see if a hose clamp / spring clamp will provide a better seal at the nipple before I attempt to bleed the break lines. Just removing the rear caliper posses a challenge. I can barely get a wrench on the inside 12mm bolt.

You know you're pathetic when you have to reply to your own posts! Good thing nobody else is watching!

 

Screw the pump! To hell with trying to get a perfect seal on the bleed screws; The only nipple that fit tight enough to hold a vacuum with a 3/16" ID hose was the proportioning valve nipple.

Kick it old school. Use a tight fitting hose over a bleed screw, throw a corbin style clamp over this for good measure and crack the bleed screws open a bit while pumping the hand brake all the way to the bar, keeping it down while re tightening the bleed screw before allowing the brake lever to return to its original position. Repeat as needed.

For the proportion valve and the two aft bleed screws, phone a friend! I did not have to remove the real caliper. I got a hose / corbin clamp firmly placed on each nipple with little effort. Had plenty of stroke to open the bleed screws with my small 8mm open end wrench in this tight spot.

The service department at MR Cycle in Asheville wanted $160 plus the cost of fluids to do the break lines and clutch. The guy I spoke to said I shouldn't consider attempting this on my own "with all those brake lines from that linked braking system..."

This was a good day.:thumbsup:

 

I bled the rear brake on my 5th gen"old school" style and it worked fine.Although i did flip the rear caliper upside down as per the manual.I don`t know if the manual says that on the 6th gen.
But....Hey if it works for you then great.!! You have saved yourself some money,and you have learnt a new skill to pass onto your VFR brothers!!!:biggrin::biggrin: