Do I need to bleed the clutch as well?

Hello! I have a 1st gen 4wd manual, and I am about to bleed / flush the brakes when I get off of work today.. my question is, do I need to bleed the clutch as well? And if so, where in the order do I do it? The beginning or the end ..? Apologies if this is a stupid question! Never had to bleed a manual before .. thanks in advance!

 

No need to bleed the clutch with the brakes.

Maybe save it for another day.

Unless you just want to get the bleeding all done today.

in the middle if your sliding around under the truck with a vacuum bleeder .

between back and front.

 

Hell ya @Bivouac , thanks for the reply!

 

don't know about 1998, but does it have ABS? if so I'm pretty sure you need a special tool to bleed the brake system. If no ABS, then your good to go.

 

Only if air is in the system. If the system is normal and only needs a flush, just bleed as any typical system. Just don't induce air or run out.

 

@Bishop84 thanks for the clarification, learn something new every day. Personally, I wish my truck didn't have ABS, I really hate the the pedal feels when braking.

 

The reason to flush your brake fluid is because brake fluid absorbs water, which reduces its boiling point. Wet vs dry boiling points are listed on a brake fluid bottle. Dry is new fluid with no water contamination, wet is 2 year old fluid which has absorbed water from the atmosphere causing the boiling point to drop. The recommended flush interval is 2 years, aka once you hit the wet spec. This is important because braking generates significant heat, if that heat exceeds your brake fluids boiling point, the brake fluid boils and turns to a gas and stops working, aka brake fade. The clutch does not have this problem, as the slave cylinder does not experience prolonged settings of high heat when engaging or disengaging the clutch. So changing the clutch fluid isn’t nearly as important. Certainly good to have fresh fluid, but it isn’t crucial like it is for the braking system.

 

Clutch and brake systems diff
Same fluid
Only time I bled clutch fluid was when I replaced clutch MC(on a Impreza)
Was so easy
System so small, took 4-5 pumps of clutch pedal
I thought bleeding clutch MC was going to be a royal pain…. I was so happy wasn’t like brake bleed

 

Not sure if your clutch hydraulic reservoir is connected to brake master cylinder or separate. Some cars it's all in one; some cars it's separate.

Anyway, when I do my 4th gen Camaro I use a turkey baster to suck the brake fluid from the clutch reservoir and then pour in fresh. A few pumps of the pedal and repeat the process. After 2-3 times it's good to go. I'd recommend doing that. I doubt you have any air in system.

For brakes, bleed the caliper farthest away from master cylinder first, then work your way forward to the closest caliper to the master cylinder.

 

1st gens have separate mc’s. Shared mc res started on 2nd gens.

 

I know what I would do, just open the front bleeder on the front calipers and let it drain while putting fresh fluid in. Once it comes out of the bleeder nice and clear. Tighten up the bleeder on the caliper, refill the reservoir
and drive happy.
Just one man's opinion.