how to replace clutch & brake fluid for dummys (like me)

[charlesj]

1.) 60,000 mile service calls for it... i'm a clueless dufus when it comes to mechanical stuff & car maintenance. what is procedure for doing above & what fluids are used? pls withhold wise cracks if you can until someone actually posts useful info. picked up mobile 1 at walmart & purolator micro filter at autozone along w/ pcv valve. anything else i should have them do when she's up in air? of course i can ask "service" people but i know you all know best.

since this is already a ******** newb post, i might as well dig deeper & ask my next idiotic question...

2.) 6-gear transmission - sometimes feels like i'm swimming around in that gearbox looking for a gear. biggest fear is one day i will think i have 7 gears or something and slap it into reverse at 120 mph. of course the car would blow up but i'm sure there is some lockout preventing this. rather than attempting this to confirm, wanted to verify w/ viper bros...

no such thing as a stupid question, only stupid people. help me.

 

[Steve-Indy]

I would suggest that you get a 1997 Service Manual AND find a VCA member/Viper owner in your area and ask them to walk you through the various procedures...then, decide which ones you wish to do yourself...and HAVE FUN. The Viper is a very easy car to work on given the correct info on procedures and tools. Though I am NOT a mechanic, friendly owners and a couple of sharp, cool Viper Techs have coached me through of the maintenance procedures to the point that I do (if not overdo !!!) all of the routine stuff here at home on our Vipers. I enjoy fooling with them, and try to stay within MY limits...and really have a blast!!

You can do your own fluids changes.... (brake, clutch, PS, tranny, diff, oil, and COOLANT) with a little advice...MUCH of which can be downloaded here.

 

[Vintage Racer]

Wish you had posted last week, my son was in town for the Lehigh U. graduation. He's done numeous brake and clutch system flushes with me on my race cars and would have been a big help. He was bored and lookiing for something to do-you could have provided the diversion he needed.

As a new Vipe owner, I haven't gotten into tis kind of work on the car just yet. But, a trick I used on my race cars is to vary the brand of brake fluid(as long as it met spec.) and alternate between clear fuid and blue fluid. It makes it very easy to tell when you have a complete flush on either brakes or clutch.

Remember, when you get into this, brake fluid will take the paint off of anything it touches, so invest in a brake bleeder rig( plastic tubing running into a container), or make one yourself to keep it all contained. When finished, dowse the area around the bleeder ****** in brake cleaner just to make sure you hve not left any behind.

Dan

 

[95Viper]

Use the Motive Bleeder...a pressure bleeder like the Service Manual recommends...it rocks...cheap too, something like $50. Call Eric 877-592-7253...they make a specific cap for non-ABS Vipers too, it's the Ford 3 prong cap.

 

[prodiver]

Definitely get a year specific service manual. They are frequently available on e-bay or go here: https://techauthority.gltghosting.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CustomerHome?storeId=10051&langId=-1&catalogId=10051. They are well worth the investment. Don't worry about getting it into reverse at any speed. You can't do that. Good luck with your car and welcome to the Viper world.

 

[Steve-Indy]

Charles, while the above mentioned brake bleeder is a fine tool...one just starting out can generally get into less trouble and do more work on other systems using a high quality vacuum bleeder (Vacula). Just a thought...not meant as an argument.

 

[charlesj]

thx dudes. so if i take car to garage and ask them to perform a clutch & brake fluid change, it's pretty much straight forward w/ regular old fluids? i want to ensure that my baby is taken care of, but i prefer not to go to a dodge dealer & get bent over for simple fluid changes... previous owner was paying $120 - $140 for a stinken oil change.

ps: thx for withholding wise cracks. i guess you can let them fly now.

 

[Ulysses]

No, it's not completely straight forward.

 

[charlesj]

ulysses, was that supposed to be a wise crack? pls let me know, i can't tell.

 

[Ulysses]

No wise cracks.

http://vca2.viperclub.org/forums/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=UBB14&Number=472539&Forum=UBB14&Words=brake%20bleed&Match=And&Searchpage=0&Limit=25&Old=allposts&Main=472530&Search=true#Post472539

http://vca2.viperclub.org/forums/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=UBB14&Number=433920&Forum=UBB14&Words=clutch%20bleed&Match=And&Searchpage=0&Limit=25&Old=allposts&Main=433821&Search=true#Post433920

Search is a terrible thing to waste. (OK, that one WAS a wise crack)

 

[charlesj]

lol... i did search but i'm a dummy and didn't find those threads. thx for posting.

ps: carrie underwood is our american idol.

 

[IEATVETS]

I thought "dufus" was spelled with 2 f's?

 

[VIPORXXX]

Charles, I live in Langhorne, PA
I've done this a number of times on my Viper.
If you want you can come to Langhorne and use my
garage, I'll put your car on my lift and show you
how easy this stuff is to do.

Fast Eddie

 

[95Viper]

Whatever you do, don't pay to have the clutch fluid changed. You do this with remaining brake fluid after you bleed the brakes. Turkey baster out old fluid in reservoir, take a drive, do it again.

 

[slaughterj]

For info on fluids to use, see my Viper Fluids Maintenance Chart:

www.yandros.com/Viper/ViperFluids.htm

 

[slaughterj]

Whatever you do, don't pay to have the clutch fluid changed. You do this with remaining brake fluid after you bleed the brakes. Turkey baster out old fluid in reservoir, take a drive, do it again.

I did it this way for quite some time, then got around to having Viper Tech Tom Sessions bleed it out from underneath, and he was very impressed with how good the clutch fluid looked from doing just reservoir bleeds.

 

[Tiepilot]

Slaughter,

That is a GREAT table you put together there, Thanks for the post. Helps me a lot!!

 

[thebigsnake]

I thought I was the only one doing reservoir bleeds on the clutch master cylinder. The fluid color became much lighter than the black it was when I got the car.
I read my thick orange shop manual to bleed the system. I couldn't figure it out. When I looked underneath the car everything looked like next generation design, unlike the E-Types and Triumph TR's I used to have. Now I just make sure I depress the clutch pedal a full proper stroke each time and everything is fine.

 

[charlesj]

fast eddie - thx dude. i may take you up on that offer. i just looked at my owner's manual & realized that 60,000 mile service does NOT call for clutch & brake fluid to be changed (that's what i get for calling the wife while i wuz at autozone & asking her to look up what is needed for 60,000 mile service - bloody hell.) when it does need changin', i may hoof over to langhorne. your only like 75-80 miles away. always lookin' for a good excuse to get her out on the road - "honey, i'll be right back, going to change the clutch & brake fluid."

 

[VIPORXXX]

Charles, ,my garage door is always open if you need it.

 

[slaughterj]

Slaughter,

That is a GREAT table you put together there, Thanks for the post. Helps me a lot!!

Sure, but I'm surprised you hadn't seen it before, I've had it a couple of years and post it from time to time...