service information

Date: October/04 Distribution: II Substitues: Gr.: 25 Nr.: 01/04

if
Failure diagnosis in clutch drive master cylinders
Commercial vehicles

This circular letter has the scope to emphasize the importance of the correct bleeding of the hydraulic system in
order to obtain correct diagnoses, avoiding unnecessary replacement of clutch system components. Example:
master cylinders.

IMPORTANT: Before starting any job in the vehicle, be sure all required safety measures are followed as stated in
the “S.I. - Service and Safety - Gr.: 00 - Number: 01/91”.

PROCEDURES

The bleeding of the clutch hydraulic system consists in purging the air contained inside the clutch drive system
(cylinder and piping) replacing the air with brake fluid.

Procedures with the bleeding apparatus.

Follow the manufacturer’s instructions.

1 - Remove the fluid reservoir cap and attach the connecting piece of the
bleeding apparatus (1).

Example

DAIMLERCHRYSLER DO BRASIL LTDA. IN WHOLE OR PARTIAL REPRODUCTION

PROHIBITED WITHOUT PREVIOUS
WRITTEN AGREEMENT
S.I. 25 - 01/04
Page 02

2 - Adjust bleeding apparatus pressure to 1 bar.

3 - Lift off the protective cover and attach a transparent hose to the bleed-
ing bolt (arrow) to the slave cylinder.

• Remark: The brake fluid is not to be reused. Catch the fluid in a

suitable container and dispose it in an environmental way accord-
ing to the rules in force.

4 - Operate the bleeding apparatus until the brake fluid reaches the mini- Aparelho de sangria
mum level in the reservoir.

5 - Loosen the bleeding bolt and keep it loose until the brake fluid coming
off the transparent hose no longer contains air bubbles.

6 - Shut the bleeding bolt and depress the clutch pedal 3 to 5 times, keep-
ing it depressed in the last operation.

7 - Loosen the bleeding valve once again and check if there are any air in
the system. Example

8 - If air is detected coming off the hose after a few seconds, repeat procedures 5, 6 and 7.

9 - After confirming that there is no air in the system, tighten the bleeding bolt and detach the transparent hose,
relieve the pressure in the machine and detach the hose at the expansion reservoir.

Remarks:

• Check the brake fluid level in reservoir. Replenish if necessary.

• Use specified brake fluid.

Procedures without the bleeding apparatus.

1 - Check if the brake fluid in reservoir is at maximum level. Replenish if necessary.

Remarks:

• During the bleeding procedure the brake fluid level should not be allowed to get below the minimum level.

• Use specified brake fluid.

2 - The compressed air tanks in vehicle must be charged.

3 - Lift off the protective cover and attach a transparent hose to the bleed-
ing bolt (arrow) to the slave cylinder.

• Remark: The brake fluid is not to be reused. Catch the fluid in a

suitable container and dispose it in an environmental way accord-
ing to the rules in force.

4 - Depress the clutch pedal from 7 to 10 times holding it depressed in the

last operation.
Exemplo
5 - Loosen and tighten the bleeding bolt quickly checking at the transparent
 S.I. 25 - 01/04
Page 02

hose if there is air in the system.

6 - If air bubbles are detected, repeat procedures 4 and 5 until its elimination.

Post bleeding procedures in case the results in the clutch system are not satisfactory.

1 - Check the positioning and conditions of the hydraulic master cylinder:

• The piston, when at rest, must be positioned at the snap-ring close to the face of the cylinder, and it should
not contain debris nor grease.

1 - Cylinder; 5 - Retaining ring;

2 - Snap-ring; 6 - Bellows;
3 - Spring; 7 - Rod;
4 - Piston with packings; A - Correct piston facing

NOTE: The cylinder piston in rest position must not be positioned along its stroke, as it is pushed by spring force
to its rest position.
• For the eventual cleaning of the master cylinder we recommend the use of ethyl alcohol, do not use gasoline,
solvents or paint thinner.
NOTE: Do not use the alcohol for more than 30 minutes to avoid drying out the packings.
• If there are traces of oxidation in the cylinder, use a fine sponge. Should the oxidation persist, replace the cyl-
inder.

2 - After carrying out the above steps, the clutch system should operate correctly. Should the fault persist, check
the connections, lines, slave cylinder and consequently the clutch disc and the clutch press plate. To obtain more
information refer to instructions in the SELiT (Electronic System of Technical Literature).

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