AX-5 Not Bleeding - Any Troubleshooting Advice?

[aris_garage_builds]

Anybody have tips on bleeding a super stubborn AX-5? I’ve been fighting a losing battle after replacing the clutch on my 86’ MJ (external slave). I bought it non-running and the master and slave cylinders were both bad. I replaced both and the clutch while I was at it (and got it running again in the process), but it won’t go into gear and the clutch is crazy soft. There seems to be air I just can't get out of the system. When I bleed, I get air bubbles coming out but can’t seem to build any kind of clutch pressure.

 

I’ve tried literally everything I can think of - traditional bleeding method, power bleeder, vacuum bleeder, the c-clamp method that the Haynes manual recommends, but nothing seems to be cutting it. Is it worth pulling the whole thing out again and trying to bench bleed it? Willing to try just about anything at this point to get it driving again before the winter, I’ve never had a clutch give me this much trouble. Any other recommendations? Let me know if I can provide any additional info that would be helpful for troubleshooting, appreciate the help!

[eaglescout526]

Does the external slave rod have the extension cone on it?

[aris_garage_builds]

5 hours ago, eaglescout526 said:

Does the external slave rod have the extension cone on it?

Do you mean the rod / boot on the end? If so, yes. The only time I tried without it was when attempting the c-clamp / Haynes method (I removed the boot as directed to fully compress the rod). That seemed to be the most successful at moving air through the system, but I still couldn’t get the pedal to firm up.

 

 

[eaglescout526]

 

This cone. It goes on the end of the rod/boot 
 

If you don’t have this the clutch will barely engage enough to shift. If it’s still getting air into it, it could be the seals are shot and need a rebuild at both the master and slave. Or there’s a pinhole leak in the lines. 

[aris_garage_builds]

11 hours ago, eaglescout526 said:

 

This cone. It goes on the end of the rod/boot 
 

If you don’t have this the clutch will barely engage enough to shift. If it’s still getting air into it, it could be the seals are shot and need a rebuild at both the master and slave. Or there’s a pinhole leak in the lines. 

 

Ah I see, I bet that is exactly what is causing this problem! It looks like it this part: https://www.summitracing.com/parts/cwa-j3217479

I'll probably pull the system out and bench bleed it just to be safe (and ensure air isn't getting in somewhere) but given that the clutch won't fully disengage I think this is exactly what's needed. Thank you so much, I had no idea this little piece even existed!

[eaglescout526]

That looks like it’s it and no problem! I learned the hard way once what it’s like to shift without that cone and it gave a really interesting half disengagement and a audible clunk while forcing the clutch pedal to stop half way through travel. But that cone should give you the extra amount of travel you need to get back up and running. After a while they just disintegrate.