Clutch will not disengage

[Artimas02]

Hello!

I have a 2010 and I just recently did all kinds of stuff to it. Once of the things that I did was replace the clutch and the slave cylinder/TOB. This is the clutch kit and I followed all the instructions, bled the slave cylinder as best I could, got it all back together, and I thought I bled the clutch lines cause no bubbles were coming out (I attached a hose to the bleeder, went in the car and jammed a broomstick between the clutch pedal and the seat, cracked the bleeder, closed the bleeder, repeat till no bubbles came out). When I went to start it it wouldn't go into gear and I thought that was weird cause it readily shifts into all the gears when it's off. Turns out the clutch isn't disengaging. I tried to bleed the clutch a bunch more and instead of holding the pedal down every time I would alternate between that and open valve, push clutch to floor, close valve, lift up clutch pedal, and once I started doing that it just kept pushing out bubbles no matter how many times I did it (I pushed more than a quart of brake fluid through the bleeder). So I thought I might be able to throw parts at it before I took the transmission off and got a new bleeder valve. After making some light modifications to make that fit in the groove the stock bleeder valve fits in due to its round shape, same thing. I made sure the fluid levels were high enough and there didn't seem to be leaks anywhere in the lines. I am going to take the new slave cylinder out today and take a look at it. I understand that these cars are particularly hard to bleed the clutch but I really think that I was doing it adequately. Is there some major thing that I am just missing? Thanks friends!

 

[torga]

Be absolutely certain that you're topping off the brake fluid as much as you should be. This reservoir is a bit weird; it can look like it's completely full, but it actually isn't and you're still drawing air into the system. The pickup for the clutch circuit is very high in the reservoir, so you need to ensure you're keeping enough fluid or else the level will dip below the pickup.
Place some rags or absorbent cloth underneath the reservoir and really fill it. When you think it's full, keep going. If you need to, let it overflow a bit so you learn when it's really full. It also helps a ton to have a friend pump the pedal for you so you can really pay attention to the fluid level. It drops below the pickup point very easily.

 

[Artimas02]

Yeah I was filling it up until the lip was full. I was topping it off every pump. I will make sure to keep that in mind cause you're right it is super finnicky. Thanks my man!

 

[ebuuz]

How confident are you that you installed the clutch disk in the proper orientation?

if it’s backwards, it won’t go into gear. So sorry if you have to pull the tranny a second time..but it’s possible.
Good luck

 

[Artimas02]

How confident are you that you installed the clutch disk in the proper orientation?

if it’s backwards, it won’t go into gear. So sorry if you have to pull the tranny a second time..but it’s possible.
Good luck

Oh a solid 50% haha

 

[quaalude]

Here is the bleed procedure for the slave cylinder:
1. Fill brake reservoir to the top of the opening
2. Get a container and partial fill with new brake fluid
3. Put a hose on the bleeder valve and submerge the other end into the partial filled container. Make sure the end of the hose stays submerged.
4. Open the bleeder valve a 1/4 turn and leave it open.
5. Go inside the car and actuate the clutch pedal. Push it to the floor and pull it back up. and repeat 8-10 times while making sure brake reservoir is always filled. You'll start to feel pressure from the pedal with each pump. Pump the pedal until it's really stiff. In the container with the hose, you'll start to see contaminated brake fluid with a blackish substance in it from when DKM lubricated it at the factory.
6. Close the bleeder valve, pull the hose off, and dump out the brake fluid from the container.
7. Top off the brake reservoir to the filled line and install the cap.
8. Go inside the car and pump the clutch pedal multiple times again. Then double check the fill level on the reservoir.
9. Enjoy your new clutch!

I recently installed a DKM Stage 2 clutch kit and had to bleed the slave cylinder this way. I tried bleeding the system with a Motive Power Bleeder but the slave cylinder wouldn't bleed for some reason.

 

[Artimas02]

Here is the bleed procedure for the slave cylinder:
1. Fill brake reservoir to the top of the opening
2. Get a container and partial fill with new brake fluid
3. Put a hose on the bleeder valve and submerge the other end into the partial filled container. Make sure the end of the hose stays submerged.
4. Open the bleeder valve a 1/4 turn and leave it open.
5. Go inside the car and actuate the clutch pedal. Push it to the floor and pull it back up. and repeat 8-10 times while making sure brake reservoir is always filled. You'll start to feel pressure from the pedal with each pump. Pump the pedal until it's really stiff. In the container with the hose, you'll start to see contaminated brake fluid with a blackish substance in it from when DKM lubricated it at the factory.
6. Close the bleeder valve, pull the hose off, and dump out the brake fluid from the container.
7. Top off the brake reservoir to the filled line and install the cap.
8. Go inside the car and pump the clutch pedal multiple times again. Then double check the fill level on the reservoir.
9. Enjoy your new clutch!

I recently installed a DKM Stage 2 clutch kit and had to bleed the slave cylinder this way. I tried bleeding the system with a Motive Power Bleeder but the slave cylinder wouldn't bleed for some reason.

Holy shit, thank you so much. I tried asking DKM what they thought and they just said to make sure the shifter was aligned properly... I will certainly give this a try before taking the transmission off again. Thankfully I have another car.

 

[Joe_Mama]

I think you have a bigger issue than how you bled the clutch. Willing to bet you put the clutch disk on backwards.

 

[Artimas02]

I think you have a bigger issue than how you bled the clutch. Willing to bet you put the clutch disk on backwards.

Yeah I think you're right. It is a twin disk clutch, so while I was sure I was doing it right at the time... I may have gotten confused haha.

 

[Joe_Mama]

I mean it could be something else but it seems like you did at least a half decent job bleeding already, and even doing a half decent job would get you some engagement. It is a hydraulic system so you it isnt like an on/off switch, even if you had 90% air in your line you still would see something.

Hate to see you have to pull the trans again, but hey you just did it so it will be quick right? Good luck

 

[Allchokedup]

How confident are you that you installed the clutch disk in the proper orientation?

if it’s backwards, it won’t go into gear. So sorry if you have to pull the tranny a second time..but it’s possible.
Good luck

Absolutely this, don't ask me how I know..
Went through all bleeding steps and exhausted all external factors.
That clutch disk looked like it could go either way was 50/50. Horrible luck

 

[Artimas02]

Absolutely this, don't ask me how I know..
Went through all bleeding steps and exhausted all external factors.
That clutch disk looked like it could go either way was 50/50. Horrible luck

Lol. Well, time to invest in a transmission jack then... I had the whole engine and transmission assembly out of the engine bay for other reasons when I did the clutch...

 

[Allchokedup]

Lol. Well, time to invest in a transmission jack then... I had the whole engine and transmission assembly out of the engine bay for other reasons when I did the clutch...

Yea, rough lesson lol. And my driveway was a big hill so doing this job alone was difficult. I cracked heater core fittings when putting engine back in because it took of down the hill on the cherry picker lol

 

[quaalude]

On the DKM stage 2 clutch, it's labeled gearbox side on the disc so hopefully the twin disk was labelled too and you paid attention to which side is which. I would try bleeding the slave cylinder first before you drop the tranny again. If you do drop the tranny, buy this transmission jack from Harbor Freight: https://www.harborfreight.com/450-l...jack-61232.html?_br_psugg_q=transmission+jack.

 

[jay745]

On the DKM stage 2 clutch, it's labeled gearbox side on the disc so hopefully the twin disk was labelled too and you paid attention to which side is which. I would try bleeding the slave cylinder first before you drop the tranny again. If you do drop the tranny, buy this transmission jack from Harbor Freight: https://www.harborfreight.com/450-l...jack-61232.html?_br_psugg_q=transmission+jack.

Thing is garbage. I tried using that for the first few clutch jobs I did on this platform years ago and always ended up frustrated and not using it because it doesn't adjust to the angles you need to get the trans splined. I returned it, the trans on these cars don't weigh a ton, it's easier to just bench press it up.