how to bleed a clutch on vauxhall zafira?

ive never worked on your model but i have worked on a fiat bravo so i can only assume the principles are the same. firstly you will need tools such as spanners and sockets, an assistant,some clear tube about a metre or two in length.(windscreen wiper tube is excellent) a milk bottle and a couple of bottles of brake and clutch fluid. open your bonnet and see if you can get to the master cylinder. sometimes you have to remove the battery or air filter assembly to get better access.loosen the pipe to the cyl very slowly and unscrew completly.(some fluid will leak but dont worry) remove the bolts holding the cyl to the gearbox and the whole unit should come off. compare the new cyl to the old one and make sure that everything is the same such as bolt holes in the same place etc. fit the new cyl using existing bolts loosely. then fit the pipe to the cyl finger tight.MAKE SURE YOU DONT CROSS THREAD THE PIPE AS DAMAGE WILL BE COSTLY!!!. once you are satisfied tighten everything up making sure you don,t overtighten especially with the PIPE!!. now that all is tight and fitted, loosen the nipple on the cyl a few turns then attach the clear tube to the nipple end. fill the milk bottle with 3/4 full of brake fluid. make sure that the brake/clutch reservoir is topped up to the max mark at all times. put the other end of the tube into the bottle making sure that the end is completly submerged into the fluid. get your assistant to pump the clutch pedal up and down.you should now see air bubbles in the bottle.keep pumping the pedal till all the bubbles have gone then get your assistant to keep the pedal down while you tighten the nipple.DONT OVERTIGHTEN THE NIPPLE AS IT WILL SNAP!!. remove the tube and discard the fluid in the bottle. try your pedal and see if you can select the gears.check the level on the brake/clutch reservoir and refit anything that you may have removed and road test the vehicle.for an in depth guide for your car invest in a haynes manual or visit your local library and photo copy the relevant section for yourself. i hope this helps as it has taken me over half an hour to write!!!

shaffick
December 2008