clutch fluid, what interval ?

Joined
May 18, 2021
Messages
1,588
Location
central europe
2017 car, with fluid actuated clutch. (i guess bowden on clutches does not exist anymore.)
the question is how often to drain? cylinder is right behind engine radiator, being blasted with heat.
does this matter ?
 
Clutches don’t see as much abuse as brakes, the slave cylinder sits outside the bell housing. I’d change it every few years - unless you race or off road.
 
Short of testing, I would use the same interval as the brakes.

The clutch fluid on my TR and old Rovers tends to pick up moisture quicker then the brake circuits; the TR6 was at 3% per a friends tester after 2 years...brake circuit was sub 1%. I flush both every three years w/ DoT 4.

My theory is the clutch cylinders, master and slave, have longer strokes and may pick up more moisture then brakes. Then again, these are old vehicles with ancient technology, rebuilt/sleeved cylinders, etc. so YMMV. I don't have comparable results for the other standard vehicles as they have shared reservoirs.
 
I change mine at the same interval as the brakes. It might be able to go a longer (or shorter) interval but there are only so many things I care to keep track of.

I keep a record on a spreadsheet of all the maintenance done on each vehicle (date, mileage, comments) along with the recommended interval and the planned next date or mileage. I highlight upcoming maintenance in red so it's obvious at a glance what needs to be done in the upcoming year. I guess I'm a bit obsessive.

With the Tesla I'm planning to test (the brake fluid) for water content and base the replacement interval on that. That's a new process for me but it seems like a good idea.
 
Brake fluid and clutch fluid is changed every two years in my book. Absorbs moisture thus decreasing performance.
 
Corvette owners often do the ranger method every six months or so. They take a turkey baster and suck out the old clutch fluid and fill it up with new fluid.
 
When I had my 2013 Camaro, I put a seperate reservoir for the clutch so it didn't share the brakes. It stayed clean and this was an upgrade that most did on the Camaro forum
 
Back
Top