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What is this foreign material in my clutch line?

Slack

New member
Location
AR
So I finally got around to doing the Clutch Delay Valve Removal last weekend. Thanks to all of the various DIY’s and discussion around this topic, I thought I could get out of this job clean and enjoy proper clutch engagement in an hour or so. Not so fast, my friends. When I removed the bleeder crew assembly, I discovered some whitish-grayish, slightly gritty residue inside the top of the plastic tee. Not cool. I wiped, washed, and dried it, naively thinking this wasn’t too far out of the ordinary. Just a little residue. Probably all the chirping gears and pulling Brodie’s I do. I reinstalled all the parts and hooked up a mityvac to bleed. Lots of air and a bit of fluid. I took the bleeder block on and off a couple of times to try to see if i put it on wrong. I hadn’t. The clips all installed smoothly and the bleeder nipple assembly was flush like in the pics, but it had some play in it. Kind of rocked a bit front and back when I wiggled it. Trip to the auto parts store and a new o-ring. It looked good but maybe it was degrading and the cause of the residue and the play. Dude behind the counter helped me find something that looked really close to the right size. Still wiggled, but I started to think maybe static pressure in the line is what holds it in place. Re-install and and drug the wife out in the garage to try a traditional bleed. I still had a vinyl hose attached to observe bubbles. This is what came out. Chunks of white stuff. Milky brake fluid. I sucked it into a catch can to keep. I ordered the ECS bleeder block and the exact-fit braided hose. All-metal parts seemed like a good idea, and as long as I’m going to be bleeding the hell out of it why not do the line too? Throw in an adjustable clutch stop please, ECS Tuning, but don’t tell the wife about that one. Parts came today, installing soon. I guess the thing I’m most worried about is getting all the gunk out. Any ideas about what that stuff might be? Where it came from? Why it’s there? How much fluid is still in the slave cylinder side? If I run a couple of liters of DOT 4 through am I apt to get it all out? I talked to a VW tech who thought that this might be my best option. Warranty considerations? Fire away and thanks for your consideration.
 

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Supermoto

Autocross Champion
Location
San Diego
Car(s)
2019 Autobahn DSG
Just flush it out with some fresh fluid. If its just DOT4 then get some cheap ass walmart fluid for 2 bucks and flush it with that, then put in the good stuff once you know its all cleared out.
 
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