Similar to F1/E gear clutches, this topic will come up from time to time because it’s essential to many aspects of the health and well-being of the F1 and E gear high pressure Hydraulic Oil System. Whether bleeding the hydraulic system is necessary or essential and if an OEM level scan tool is necessary are commonly asked questions and/or debates.
BRIEF OVERVIEW OF THE PURPOSE OF THE HYDRAULIC SYSTEM
The F1 and E gear system is really ahead of it’s time. In my professional opinion, it is one of the most complex shifting systems ever placed inside of an automobile. Normal transmission shops are not equipped to handle or even understand it’s complexity and this is why most will turn down the opportunity to work on them.
Please understand first and foremost, the cars that have this hydraulic system installed is NOT part of the transmission or gear box of the cars. They are entirely separate and it’s own entity apart from the gearbox itself. These vehicles have gearboxes that are controlled by high pressure hydraulics (system maintains pressure between 580-725psi or 40-50 bar), so much so that you can remove the entire F1/E gear system and convert them over to three pedal cars (stick shift). This has been done on numerous occasions solely because the Technician could not fix the F1/E gear system in the vehicle, because of this, they sell the Client on the “Conversion” as a better option.
Let’s cover the basic mechanics of E/F1 cars as you are selecting a gear through the paddle shifter or reverse button. When you select a gear, the hydraulic system is doing the same work you would do in a “three” pedal car, except on a hyper-level. It depresses the clutch pedal, moves the shift fork over to the desired gear, then releases the clutch in order to engage the gear. It happens in milliseconds and this system is more designed for track environments than daily driving situations. It keeps your hands always on the steering wheel so as not to be distracted by shifting through gears. The Driver needs to be focused on what is coming at him/her at high speeds, remember the faster you drive the less response time you have. Reach down shifting and clutching is taken out of the equation this way.
MAINTAINING THE HIGH PRESSURE HYDRAULIC SYSTEM
There are a few key components of the hydraulic system that should be maintained but the one that we are going to discuss here is the hydraulic fluid itself. The life blood of the system. The hydraulic fluid used in these systems like many hydraulic systems isn’t really all that special. Some have used ATF, Power steering fluid, or even just basic hydraulic fluid. As long as it meets the criteria or specifications of what’s supposed to be in it and doesn’t have abrasives or friction modifiers that damage the system, that’s your prerogative. Just please make sure that whatever is already in there doesn’t have a bad synergist effect with what you are going to put in it.
The reason why flushing or bleeding these systems on a normal scheduled basis is important is because there are no filters or oil water separators in these systems. For example, as condensation builds in these systems and congeal you’ll have issues. This is very similar to brake fluid or braking systems in normal automobiles. Those flushes are crucial to proper braking or you’ll get that spongy braking response the longer the brake fluid is in there. Even worse than this, is by leaving it in there too long and white calcium like deposits that eventually clog the caliper lines and only part of your braking system works and locks up some of the wheels.
Another issue I’ve experienced from condensation building in the hydraulic system is pitting within the actuator itself causing the actuator to not shift correctly and losing system pressure hanging up the actuator from proper engagement.
Dirt/debris within this system also can build up and cause the seals to fail over time and eventually cause pressure loss and shifting issues as well. My recommendation is to follow a once a year flush, or at least the manufacture’s recommendation of every two years.
IS A SCAN TOOL NECESSARY FOR THE BLEEDING PROCEDURE?
The short answer is actually no. There is a way to do so without one. This way will be more time consuming but it is possible to bleed the hydraulic system out without a complex scan tool. What you can NOT do is run self learn, set PIS, or change the clutch parameters without a scan tool.
The most basic way to bleed the system through this method is to merely keep building up the system pressure, and open the bleeder valve by the gear box or by the bell housing where the clutch sits at. I would suggest you have two people because one will need to shift the car back and forth from say neutral to first gear in order to trigger the EVF valve also known as the clutch solenoid valve. There is no other way to push hydraulic fluid to the clutch slave cylinder unless you have a scan tool that will hold it open.
You have to make sure that you have the system reservoir full and it doesn’t run dry. If you run the reservoir dry it could damage the F1 or E gear pump, and that will cost you hundreds of dollars for the mistake. The system has a pressure switch on the power unit, it will cut the F1 pump off at it’s max pressure, so it is impossible for you to over-pressurize the system. This is also why if you open the vehicle door in the morning you’ll hear it cycle for a long time. If you open the door a few times in a row it will stop cycling because the system is already up to pressure and is cutting out the E gear pump.
The opposite of this though, is you can run the system dry, and if you do so the system will continue to cycle until either it meets system pressure or it taxes the pump to failure. If this happens to you, immediately cut the power to the vehicle via battery cut off switch, pulling the ground cable from the battery, or unplug the F1/E gear pump plug, relay or fuse.
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"Self-Learning" Procedure for E-Gear and F1 Systems.