Folks, I just returned from my Vanagon Guru's place where we purged and bled all the hydraulics. We ended up flushing a full quart through in search of clean fluid at the bleeders. The color of the brake fluid was darker than coffee at first... and took many pumps to run clear. Despite the fresh fluid, the brakes feel pretty much the same. The clutch, however, is a different story. I got into the van and pressed the clutch pedal as i always do prior to starting the engine. It fell to the floor like it was not attached to anything. "Whoa, is this supposed to feel like that?" "Start her up, see if it's disengaging." Sure enough it worked perfectly... the clutch pedal in my van has always put up a bit of resistance, which i thought was normal. But after the bleed, although the pedal feels loose and sloppy at first, the point where the clutch begins to grab is much clearer and exact. What's even better there is NO SHUDDER at all when i start off in first gear. GREAT, i thought. Well, it didn't last. By the time i finished the 54 mile drive home the clutch seems to have "degenerated" back to it's pre-bleed state. The pedal provides more resistance, but the exact point of engagement seems more approximate... and if i'm not careful it shudders terribly when starting from zero. Air creeping in somewhere? Failing master/slave cylinder? The slave was replaced just about one year ago, but not by my Vangon Guru, so it might be suspect. Anybody experience this sort of behavior? Thanks, -jspeer '89 Westy GL, "Mystery Machine" |
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