Ok, to preface this I spent the time and researched how to bleed the clutch slave cylinder. I read every article and forum post I could find on the subject before I tackled the project. As suggested I made a clamp that kept the piston fully compressed to remove the large air pocket that gets created inside etc. I didn't have the luxury of any help but I have a one man bleeder and I have a really good vacuum bleeder.....and I'm sorry but if the pressurized method works so should the vacuum approach. BUT, alas....none of them worked, I kept getting a spongy clutch pedal with only a little movement on the clutch lever.....Until I did one of the most shade tree things I think I've ever done.

This is simple...BUT MESSY.

The first thing I did was bench bleed the clutch master cylinder because I believed this was the source of my trouble and the trapped air. I just hooked a hose to the end of the hydraulic line that goes into the slave cylinder. I took off the rubber grommet first and set it aside. I used a short section of "5/16 fuel hose to go over the plastic connector on the end of the line and then stuck a piece of small vacuum line inside that hose with the latter being long enough to reach the master cylinder reservoir. I used a kitchen chip clip to allow it to stand on top of the opening with the hose going inside. I filled the master about "1/4 shy of overflowing and then by hand pumped the clutch pedal listening to the sound. I could hear a change as more fluid filled the master cylinder itself. I checked the reservoir and as the level dropped I refilled it. I kept repeating this process until there was no change in the level of the reservoir. I then filled it almost to the top once again.

Next, with the slave cylinder off the car I put the piston (end that engages the clutch lever) in the palm of my hand and put my index and middle fingers over the bolt hole flanges and compressed the piston completely. Then positioned over a drain pan I started slowly pouring brake fluid into the hole the hydraulic line goes into on the top of the slave cylinder as I slowly let the piston out by relaxing my grip. After a short distance I stopped and reversed and pushed the piston back in slowly as fluid percolated out of the opening to verify there was no air. Once satisfied I finished the process of slowly letting out the piston as I poured brake fluid in.....making sure to pour faster than the cylinder could accept to make sure I got no air in there. This is the messy part as the fluid is running over your hand.

Once this was done I went back to the car and positioned myself to comfortably reach everything. I used a hose clamping pliers to clamp the rubber hose I used to bench bleed so I did not get as big a mess. I then took the hose off the hydraulic line and as fluid gravity bled itself from the line I replaced the rubber grommet and let it gravity bleed another couple seconds then slipped the line into the slave cylinder as the fluid continued to bleed out and snapped it in place and put the retaining clip back into place to secure the hydraulic line. I feel the gravity bleeding is important to not only check to make sure there is no more air but to keep any air from entering as you reattach the line to the slave.

Now it was time to reinstall the slave cylinder into the bell housing. I positioned the piston end into the cupped end of the clutch lever and as I slowly pushed it in so I could get it back into the bellhousing opening I cracked the bleeder and let a little fluid come out and closed the bleeder right before I reached the correct position and then snapped the slave cylinder into place and reinstalled the bolts. Then I cleaned up the fluid I had everywhere. Luckily most was in the drain pan.

I went into the car and VOILA!! I now had a hard clutch pedal with no more trapped air. I almost ordered that pressure bleeder from Amazon because I was running out of time but let it go one more day and I'm glad I did.....as always YOUR MILEAGE MAY VARY....but it worked for me and I didn't have to wait for an expensive tool I don't have space to store that would just sit there for years without use.