Auris 09 Clutch Bleeding

[afropelican]

Hi,

Does anyone know how to do a fluid change and bleed the clutch for an 09 Toyota Auris 1.33 VVTI 6 Speed Manual?

Or are there manuals available to purchase for this?

It is my understanding that this gear box uses a concentric slave cylinder so just wondering if there are any accessible bleed nipples.

[furtula]

Bleeding instructon at top of page, just select correct model, but procedure should be more or less same for all.

I recommend tubing, have it slightly point towards, then go down, so when you bleed, there will always be some oil in the tubing sitting on top of the nipple preventing air getting in.

http://www.autocats.ws/manual/toyota/auris_corolla_zze-zr-nde-ade/rm04f0e/index2.html

1. Remove the bleeder plug cap.

2. Connect a vinyl tube to the bleeder plug.

3. Depress the clutch pedal several times, and then loosen the bleeder plug while the pedal is depressed.

4. When fluid no longer comes out, tighten the bleeder plug, and then release the clutch pedal.

5. Repeat the previous 2 steps until all the air in the fluid is completely bled.

6. Tighten the bleeder plug. 

[afropelican]

Thanks,  for the manuals. It looks like a very useful website. Is there a way I could download the manuals for offline use?

Oddly enough my ISP doesnt let me access that link, but going through a VPN, and it works fine!

I know generally how to perform this procedure - was more wondering where the bleed nipples are located on this vehicle? Or if there was any special steps required given the internal slave cylinder?

Currently I have to press the clutch pedal down further than normal to release the clutch so I am trying to rule out brake fluid by changing it to new stuff (never been changed in this vehicle looking at the service history). Only done 44k miles though  and this fault developed gradually. If fluid change and bleeding does not solve this, next step would be to replace master cylinder. Hopefully the slave cylinders good as it will be expensive to replace, and not a job I'd like to tackle at home given it is inside the bell housing!!

[eygo]

i feel you are on the right course fluid then master cylinder as

you normally find the clutch will wear out before you need to change the slave cylinder

so at clutch time you have the slave changed aswell.

[furtula]

Check the fluid in the reservoir, try to inspect master cylinder for leaks. As it appears, you car has the internal slave cylinder which at least from what i saw, cant be bled, so maybe try vacuum bleeding of the system, if possible.

[afropelican]

Thanks for the suggestions.

I will not be physically working on the car until early may, hopefully the Scottish weather gets a bit better then!

But, I've done a quick inspection @furtula: Brake and Clutch Resevoir is one in this car from what I can tell - the fluid level in the resevoir has not dropped significantly. No significant leaking behind clutch pedal.

@eygoI've got a master cylinder (as I found a new one cheapish) and dot 4 brake fluid on its way.

Additional Info:

Clutch doesnt slip when its engaged, even if I do some harsh acceleration uphill - so I'm guessing it is a hydraulic problem somewhere in the system. Hopefully master cylinder swap and fluid change fixes it.

If not, and I need to pay someone to get the slave cylinder replaced - I'll get the clutch and pressure plate replaced aswell given the labour costs will be the same. Fingers crossed its not this.

I've noticed some cars - mondeo for example has an external bleeder for the concentric slave cylinder, is the case for the auris?

Also what do yous think about bleeding the master cylinder using the hydraulic lines as in this video given that it has no dedicated bleeder (at least from what I can tell):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqN-7xWSzDA

[furtula]

I dont have the part number, but based on what i found, i did not see a bleeding nipple, or anything similar on that slave cylinder. Slight drop in fluid can also be down to brake calipers, as they are used up, a bit more oil is pushed into the system x4 wheels, and there's your oil. 

Regarding the actual issue, are you pressing the pedal all the way down, or your problem is that before you had to press the pedal 1/2 of the way down to disengage, and now it's let's say 3/4?

It's quite possible that there's actually no issue with your clutch,  as it's being slowly used up, it self adjusts itself to correct this, but that does not mean that your pedal travel will remain the same for the duration of the clutch's life.

[afropelican]

Yeah - accounting for the brake fluid usage - there appears to be no missing fluid in the resevoir.

We always press the clutch fully down when changing gears.

Upon releasing the pedal the clutch bites closer to the floor than normal, and the clutch control range i.e. the range of pedal travel from the clutch biting point to it being fully engaged is less.

I also feel some excess free play at the start of the pedal travel and the pedal feels more 'spongy' (than I think it should).

Could very well just be wear and tear.

I am basing this assessment on what the owner has told me and when personally comparing it on a test drive to the clutch feel in my VW which has covered similar mileage.

I personally only use this vehicle a few times a year - fixing for a non-technical family member.

Was also told that a bit more pedal travel is required than usual for the car to acknowledge the clutch is down when starting the car. Is the clutch switch/sensor pressure based or mechanical?

When replacing the clutch master cylinder, is using the lines adequate to bleed as in the video? I don't want to leave the car with no clutch - if I can't remove the air when replacing the cylinder!!

[furtula]

Excess free play at the start/top of the pedal is normal. It means that there's no pressure  being exerted on the slave cylinder, and that's how it should be. Freeplay in clutch pedal even upto 1.5cm, or maybe 2 in some cars is ok. 

I havent driven newer VW's, but from other people i got the impression they have a bitting point higher up on the pedal play.

Personally, if it works, i would not touch it, you said there's no slip, grinding, etc.

Here you can find instructions on replacing the master slave cylinder, and also according to the documents there, the  clutch start switch is on the inside,  as mentioned in last 2 steps here

http://www.autocats.ws/manual/toyota/auris_corolla_zze-zr-nde-ade/rm04f0e/repair2/html/frame_rm000002415005x.html

I hope someone else can answer the rest of your questions.

[afropelican]

Yeah can see what you mean about leaving it alone - (but I tend to adopt the mindset of 'if it aint broke fix it some more' as opposed to 'if aint broke dont fixit!' .. to an extent) - no point in messing with the system if we can't figure out a suitable way to bleed it after first!! Although from a logical standpoint the concern is whether leaving this issue can cause the slave cylinder or clutch to fail prematurely and lead to more costly work required further down the line?

I've ordered the master cylinder from a company with easy returns so its no problem to send it back within 30 days (bought Blue Print ADT334130 new for around £50 elsewhere it goes for more than £70 so I ordered it pre-emptively). DOT4 brake fluid will be used regardless for a brake job.

Ill check again when the vehicle comes back in a fortnight to see just how bad it really is.

- Definitely no grinding / slipping

- According to the driver - the biting point is definitely significantly lower than normal.

- From my memory, the play is definitely more than 2cm - if I'm remembering right more like 1/5 to 1/4 of the travel.

Its due a brake job, so I'll get rid of most of the old fluid in the hydraulic system by doing a brake flush while I am changing the pads (although this wont get rid of fluid from the clutch lines).

Access to the master cylinder seems viable for replacement from the link but just want to make sure that I can actually bleed the air from the system after!

Yeah, hopefully someone can help with respect to how to bleed the system - as regardless of whether the problem is bad fluid or faulty components - this is needed to do the job!