Why won't the clutch spring back after bleeding on my 94 Mazda B2300?

Answer 1

Clutch bleeding can be tricky. It requires 2 people or some ingenuity to do it solo. for 2 people position yourself down at the bleed screw and helper at the pedal, hand pump the pedal 10 times or so and hold it down, while pedal is down crack the bleed screw just enough to let it pop out the pressure but not all of it then close it. repeat this procedure until no more air comes out. It is also recommended to have a tube on the bleeder leading into a small can of fluid so if there is a suction only fluid is sucked up and not air. Even after all the air has been bled out the pedal wont act right at first and will require some pumping to get a good feel. Keep bleeding until at least the pedal will rise back up after the bleed screw is shut but it may not, pump it and see what you have, eventually it will stay. It is not like brakes and since only a small amount of fluid is pushed each time you will need to pump it several times after a bleed is completed to see what your progress is. I made the mistake of thinking it was like brakes and tried to bleed mine 2 hours before I needed to be somewhere, I did what you did and let some air into the system and no matter how much I pumped I got no pedal, finally I hooked up a used fuel pump to a bottle of brake fluid and into the bleed screw and ran it until fluid came out of the reservoir, I shut the bleed screw and resumed conventional bleeding procedures but only letting out a quick burst of the pressure ( saving a little each time so as not to relieve it all and after about 10 cycles of pumping and releasing I got some pedal ( enough to engage the clutch ) the rest came back as I drove it.

To do it with only one person pump the pedal and wedge something between the seat and pedal to hold it down and go under and release the bleed screw ( I also had to do it in the dark ). I found the biggest trick is not to relieve all of the pressure. It took many times to get rid of all the air and I still believe some was left but it worked itself out later ( about the only help the dealers that I called would give is that unlike the brakes the bubbles can work their way out through the reservoir.

Good luck.