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I have done a clutch bleed on my Toyota Corolla e120 2006 because I had some difficulties shifting out of 1st gear, I bled it through the slave cylinder and I noticed the fluid was dark black, I was checking the fluid level of course, after clear fluid was coming without air I closed the valve and now my pedal is soft and doesn't push the slave cylinder at all ... after a lot of searching for the problem I have noticed this on the other side of the master cylinder reservoir

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the fluid doesnt flow into the compartment that goes to the clutch master cylinder (the brake fluid reservoir is common for the brakes and clutch) This is how it looks on the left side were I was looking when I was bleeding the valve.

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So now I have air in the clutch system, and a blocked master cylinder reservoir, what is the best way to fix this?

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  • If fluid was coming out of the slave cylinder then i doubt that the master cylinder is blocked. Very precisely how did you bleed the clutch circuit? You may have inadvertently induced air during the bleed.
    – vini_i
    Feb 8, 2016 at 10:32
  • someone in the car pressed the clutch i opened the slave bleed valve, let some fluid go out then i close the valve and the person in the car lets go of the clutch pedal, but the problem is that i don't have any fluid in the reservoir that is connected to the hose that goes in the clutch master cylinder as you can see in the picture.
    – user924941
    Feb 8, 2016 at 10:46
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    This is a pure guess, but i would assume there is an internal divider between the clutch side and the brake side to prevent a leak in the clutch from draining all the brake fluid. I bet you have to keep adding fluid after it looks like it's at the MAX mark so fluid can "waterfall" in the clutch side.
    – JPhi1618
    Feb 10, 2016 at 19:53
  • @JPhi1618, google tells me that is correct, if you want to go ahead and make your comment an answer.
    – Tim B
    Mar 24, 2016 at 20:36
  • I figured an answer would be forthcoming on such a popular car, and lost track of the question. I will make an answer.
    – JPhi1618
    Mar 24, 2016 at 20:38

1 Answer 1

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There is an internal divider between the clutch side and the brake side, even though that might not be visible from the front. You will have to keep adding fluid after it looks like it's at the MAX mark so fluid can "waterfall" in the clutch side. If you fill too fast and go way past the max mark, suck out some of the excess fluid and dispose of it - there does need to be some empty space in the reservoir.

The reason for the two chambers is so that a leak in the clutch system won't drain all the fluid out of the reservoir and lead to brake failure. You can imagine how a small leak in the clutch would empty all the brake fluid if there was just one large chamber. I think you can even see this division on your top picture. Notice how the color is different to the right of the "X" in Max?

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