Clutch Bleeding

[93 venture]

I Let My 93 Venture Sit For A Week And Went I Went To Get It Out The Clutch Lever Dont Feel Right,and Is Getting Harder To Get In And Out Of Gear.has Anyone Had Any Luck With Gravity Bleading? Or Should I Just Try To Pumping The Handle And Releasing The Bleader?

[Squidley]

You can try the gravity bleed first by tying the handle open overnight. If you get no results then do the standard bleed, I did the clutch on my '99 while we were in Vogel this year with Freebird and Eck in no time. Personally I would say to bleed it out and replace all the fluid as it's more than likely been years since it has been done. Another thing you might want to think about is replacing the clutch springs, not hard stuff, let me know if you need help.

[93 venture]

The fluid is in bad shape from and i was tring to wait untill winter to do this,im scared i might need to rebuild the cylinder or the clutch cylinder if i mess with the fluid change.

[93 venture]

OK I DID IT, HAD TO REMOVE LEFT SIDE COVER AND TAKE OFF THE LID FOR THE CLUTCH RESVOIR REMOVED THE BLEEDER,PUT MY FINGER OVER THE HOLE AND PULLED IN ON THE CLUTCH HANDLE TILL IT STOPED.LET BACK OFF OF THE HANDLE SLOW WHILE HOLDING FINGER OVER HOLE TIGHT SO NOT TO LET ANY AIR IN SYSTEM.DID THIS ABOUT FIVE TIMES HAD TO REFILL RESVOIR,AND IT BEGAN TO GRAVITY BLEED ON ITS OWN.JUST KEEP FILLING IT BACK UP UNTIL NEW FLUID STARTED FLOWING.USED A Q-TIP AND WIPED OUT ALL OF THE NASTY STUFF ON THE BOTTOM OF THE RESVOIR. SO FAR THE CLUTCH IS BACK TO NORMAL!

I USED A WHOLE PINT BOTTLE OF DOT 4 FLUID.

 

[CrazyHorse]

I was just talking to a mechnic friend today about this he likes to crack the clutch line to the master cylinder open to get any air out at the high point in the system also.

[MikeM8560]

I just found ou t,y fluid was low sucked air and the clutch was barly working. opend the resvoir to see it was empty. I check my yamaha service manuale but it dosent show where the bledder is. and i havnt looked yet. I figured ill try the gravity bleed opened the resevoir cap and tied the clutch handle in tight. too late to do any more tonight. is there a bleeder like on the brakes to be found

[bongobobny]

DOT 4?? Hmmm, seems to me mine said use nothing but DOT3 but you are newer than me. Anyway, I rebuilt master and slave, and replaced both rubber hoses. Just filled, pumped it up, and gravity bled and that was that. Used synthetic DOT3. Feels like a new clutch...

[hipshot]

mike , on a first gen, the clutch bleeder is on the lower left side.about 4 inches above where the shifter shaft comes out of the housing, there is a small(about 1 1/2") black rubber cover. pull the cover up, and the bleeder is right there.

just jt

[MikeM8560]

Thanks JT can it bee seen in this pic or is it behnd the chrome cover i have ? click to enlarge

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b22/MikeM8560/Venture%20XVZ12/th_1984YAMAHA1300r.jpg

[86er]

I believe it is behind the chrome cover, Mike.

 

I have switched my fluid to Valvoline Synthetic (compatible w/DOT 3 &4) and love it. no problems with hot fluid/soft clutch anymore.

 

[bongobobny]

Yes, Mike, take the 2 screws off and remove your chrome cover and you will find it towards the front of your middle engine cover. The top of the rubber cover goes across, not up/down. It sorta snapsm into place...

[MikeM8560]

thanks guys , I toped off the fluid last night and tied the clutch handle open a d left thew res cap loose and tried the grav ity way seemed to work. this morning the clutch felt normal. i will check out the bleeder too!

[MikeM8560]

Just got back from a ride tonight, the clutch was fine. that gravaty bleed was slick.

[Leeway]

DOT 4?? Hmmm, seems to me mine said use nothing but DOT3 but you are newer than me. Anyway, I rebuilt master and slave, and replaced both rubber hoses. Just filled, pumped it up, and gravity bled and that was that. Used synthetic DOT3. Feels like a new clutch...

It's my understanding that Dot 3 & dot 4 Are completly compatible. But beware of mixing either with the Dot 5. that's a no no! WT

[Guest scott_3fan]

Just thought I'd add a comment, I just had to rebuild my "Clutch Release" (Yamaha had a strange way of naming a slave cylinder). The kit from Yamaha is only around $15 and is orderable, but it only includes the piston seal and the dust seal. It doesn't exactly come apart like the Yamaha Service Manual states, but it does come out with some work. I also bought the gasket on the "Middle Gear Case Cover" because you have to take that off to get to the cylinder. And be aware that the fluid line is a banjo fitting and you really need to replace both inner and outer brass washers, but they are available at any auto parts store.

You will need a 5 mm Allen socket to remove the "Middle Gear Case Cover" and the clutch release. Grab a can of Brakeclean while your at the parts store too, it makes cleanup a whole lot nicer!

 

The trick to getting the cylinder out of the trans case is, once you remove the two mounting bolts, lower the cylinder straight down as far as it will go, then tilt the bleeder extension toward the bike so that the dust seal is pointing at the ground. That is the only way it will clear the shift rod beneath the cylinder. Installation, as they say, is the reverse order. Just remember to tilt the cylinder so it clears that %$*@ shift rod, and you will save yourself the raised blood pressure and slightly off color words that will surely come forth.

Yamaha, by the way, recommended replacing those seals every two years, the hoses every 4, and the fluid only when the clutch is disassembled. I don't fix things before they break, so got got it when it started leaking.

 

Oh, and the only real difference between DOT3 and DOT4 fluid is the boiling point. They are both silicone formulas and will cause contact dermititus to those who are suceptable (like me).

[Gearhead]

"Oh, and the only real difference between DOT3 and DOT4 fluid is the boiling point. They are both silicone formulas and will cause contact dermititus to those who are suceptable (like me)."

 

 

 

From HowStuffWorks:

DOT3 and DOT4 are glycol-based fluids, and DOT5 is silicon-based. The main difference is that DOT3 and DOT4 absorb water, while DOT5 doesn't.

 

One of the important characteristics of brake fluid is its boiling point. Hydraulic systems rely on an incompressible fluid to transmit force. Liquids are generally incompressible while gases are compressible. If the brake fluid boils (becomes a gas), it will lose most of its ability to transmit force. This may partially or completely disable the brakes. To make matters worse, the only time you are likely to boil your brake fluid is during a period of prolonged braking, such a drive down a mountain -- certainly not the best time for brake failure!

As a DOT3 or DOT4 brake fluid absorbs water, its boiling point decreases. It can absorb water from the air, which is why you should avoid opening your car's brake fluid reservoir. For the same reason, you should always keep containers of brake fluid tightly sealed.

DOT5 fluid does not absorb water. This means the boiling point will remain relatively stable, but it also means that any water that does get into your brake system will tend to form pure water pockets, which could cause brake corrosion. Two other important things about brake fluid: DOT3 and DOT4 eat paint, so don't spill it on your car. Also, none of the different types of brake fluid should be mixed. They can react badly with each other and corrode your brake system.

 

Regarding the last line, I too am under the impression that DOT3 and DOT4 mix OK.

 

Jeremy

[Squeeze]

... I too am under the impression that DOT3 and DOT4 mix OK.

 

Jeremy

 

 

You're right, i'm not only under the Impression, i say so ...

 

Glykol-Ether based Fluids are mixable.

[Guest scott_3fan]

"DOT5 fluid does not absorb water. This means the boiling point will remain relatively stable, but it also means that any water that does get into your brake system will tend to form pure water pockets, which could cause brake corrosion."

Well, thanks for the correction on what I said. Regarding DOT5, it seems to me like it's just as bad as all these new wonder drugs you see on TV, that have worse side effects than the malady they are supposed to help you endure. Like I said before, if it aint broke, don't fix it. I've never had problems with DOT 3 or 4, be they glycol or whatever, other than my hands itching from exposure to them. (Funny, Antifreeze has no effect on them.) DOT 5 will never be found in my car or my bike.

[Dexx]

just my 2 cents.......replace the bleeder screw with a Speedbleeder, made things a whole lot easier when I dealt with a similar problem a few weeks ago.