Am I missing a trick somewhere? I've done a fluid change on my 600ss clutch but can't bleed the bugger!! Fluid is rising up the drain tube but drops back down when the bleed nipple is closed. The fluid in the reservoir is dropping but very slowly. Been at it for over half an hour but not making much progress.
You don't want fluid rising up the drain tube..........any fluid in the jar is likely to be contaminated by what you are trying to squeeze out.....and if it was rising up the tube, then you wouldn't be draining out the old stuff anyway. Stick the tube on the bleed nipple and hang it in the jar......you don't need fluid in the jar........open the bleed nipple and take the top of the reservoir.......(cover up your fairing and tank etc etc etc) then gently squeeze the clutch lever several times until you have emptied the reservoir..... Then shut the bleed nipple, keep the tube on it........Fill the reservoir with fresh fluid........and open the bleed nipple.......gently squeeze the lever until you get fresh fluid coming through, then shut the bleed nipple..........then if you squeeze it a tiny amount real slowly, you will see air bubble in the fluid coming up into the reservoir. Fill the reservoir again....then put the top on and pump the lever several times......say four or five, maybe six.....It might get hard at this stage, but I doubt it. Top up the reservoir and pull the lever back and hold it back......while it is back, quickly open and shut the bleed nipple....you should get some fluid forced out. Do it several times..........topping up as necessary....... it doesn't get hard, then leave it a while say, an hour....with the cover on and the steering turned to the right. Then grab some rag and wrap it round the hose and reservoir, then with the steering still to the right, crack the hose union to the reservoir a small amount while at the same time gently squeezing the lever.......tighten the union while you are still squeezing the lever.......It should work OK after that........At least mine did, clutch and brakes. You could always fill a big syringe and fill it with new fluid, then slowly inject it back up via the bleed nipple. AL
'cos it allows all the tiny air bubbles that get in the fluid by squishing the lever when the system has not been fully bled / filled to rise to the reservoir.......or nearly into the reservoir ie at the top hose union, hence turning the steering to the right to get the reservoir as high as possible. AL
Thank you Al......again!! Right.....the reservoir is not emptying. If I open the hose union at the reservoir and squeeze, I'm getting fluid. So using my powers of deduction the problem is either the hose or the clutch end . The hose should be fine as it was taken working fine, from another bike.
Does your hose run vertically upwards from the clutch end and then along under the tank just inside the frame? If so, I reckon you may be getting air trapped in the horizontal run.......that's one reason why my hose doesn't take that route...see pics of mine with half fairing in the SS gallery. Try my destructions again.....when the reservoir is filled, try tiny little squeezes of the lever......can you see bubbles appearing in the reservoir? If you squeeze it hard, you should get a spurt which goes everywhere out of the reservoir .... if not get yourself some sort of clean squeezy bottle; add a suitable amount of new fluid (to the bottle), force a tube on the nozzle and on the bleed nipple; open the bleed nipple and upend the squeezy bottle, then squeeze the fluid into the system...... ......if you don't see bubbles at the reservoir, tie the lever back before you squeeze. Hope that helps..........but be bl**dy careful with all that fluid and don't blame me if you get it on your paintwork.:wink: AL
Frustration is getting the better of me now lol! I've done everything you have said Al but still nothing. I have fluid going through the system now but it's been over 2 hours and nearly a whole pot of dot4. I've had no air bubbles in the fluid whatsoever at the clutch end. One point to not is that I do get air from the reservoir union when I crack it open. Could be a master cylinder problem perhaps?? In addition the hose runs at a 45 degree angle from the clutch, across the front of the belt covers up to the lever and not the conventional way over the top of the rear cylinder.
I think you have said you have had fluid at the bleed nipple, correct? If so, I wouldn't expect to see air bubbles at that end if the hose and reservoir are full....the only time you would see air bubbles there is when you force them down from a reservoir which is nearly empty.....(particularly as your hose takes a similar route to mine). So unless it is a master cylinder/reservoir issue (or even a slave cylinder issue), I suggest you top the reservoir up, put the rubber bellows in, screw the lid on and then pump the lever full travel and hard several times (at least six). If that gets it a bit harder and starts to work, you may have to bleed air out at the top union again, but it won't be much. I had exactly the same trouble as you with my clutch when I flushed it all out and fitted a new hose. AL
That was all I needed to do. I continued to bleed the air from the master and sorted!!! Works an absolute treat now. Thank you for your help Al. While you are here ..... She was due for an MOT today but I had to cancel. I've just taken her for a quick run, barely got out of the village and she came to a spluttery stop. Managed to get her back base but and inspect but can't find anything obviously wrong. Turns over fine then the occasional earth shattering backfire. Any ideas?
How long has the fuel been in the tank? Doesn't it degrade pretty darn quick nowadays? Might just need some fresh fuel.
Hmmm. From my understanding quite a while! The previous owner didn't take her out much. Fuel filter and fuel change I think....
If you're going into the belly of the beast don't neglect to clean under the fuel pick-up!Brad The Bike Boy: Cleaning under the fuel pump, etc
Ummmm....run of out petrol?? Filter?? Pump / Pump wires connection under the tank?? Plugs?? Pick-ups?? Coils?? Igniter box connections (particularly where they can rub on the underside of the tank)?? Earth leads connections to engine and frame?? Have you fiddled with anything else????? Where do I stop? AL.
Check connection of plug caps to leads and coils......and change plugs maybe? Does it do it if you lift the tank up (clearing the tank away from the igniter boxes)? Check coil resistances and the pick-up resistances with a multi-meter if checking the connections doesn't work...... But definitely check the engine to frame earth strap.......clean them off........it should be just in front of the rear brake lever. Looks like you have a tracking down job to do and to go through everything........check the fuses in the fusebox for being loose etc etc etc AL
Have checked through and cleaned all contacts etc etc. I now have sparks. But still not starting. Not even backfiring now. I've opened up the tank and removed the filter and fuel ........ oh dear. Got some work to be done as there's a more rust and crap than I'd like there to be. I can only guess that having done the work on her since I bought her, I've dislodged all the crap etc. Then having ridden her for the first time, all the crap has been sucked straight into the carbs.
Hopefully if the fuel filter and mesh jobbie have done their jobs very little if anything would have made its way in to the injectors. Put a new filter in and clean the crap out from under the pick up. You'll best fit a new O ring to the fuel pump... If you've never had to fit one before it's whole new fresh hell...
