Hi All, Thanks for your help. It occurred to me I should post the symptoms, attempts at resolution, and resolution for posterity.

Symptoms were the loss of fluid in MB reservoir. Bleeding the system only restored clutch function for a few minutes. Clutch failure involved a soft clutch pedal, and grinding in reverse.

1) Thinking I just let the fluid run low, I first had to learn to bleed the clutch, and had some frustrations there. Mostly, I did the caliper method, though I would emphasize that it does get gunk from the brake calipers in your clutch system (see below). I now think this is an issue in other respects, such as back bleeding the brakes would send the gunk into the Brake MC would it not? I now prefer the son on the pedal version on brake bleeding, then clutch bleeding from the caliper involves clean fluid. This method was never a one person job as my bleeder hose would drop off spontaneously when it was wet with slippery fluid. Anyway, at some point, as others predicted, I came to know the issue was mechanical and not just me being a bad brake bleeder.

2) The MB booster was moist, with trails of past brake fluid leaks down to the undercarriage with obvious corrosive effects (to my alarm!). I replaced the brake MC even suspecting it was not the problem, but figuring the brake fluid would eat my car. I cleaned the reservoir thoroughly with clean brake fluid. I made sure the inside of the booster was dry before the reinstall. I did not bench bleed because I had no plugs. Instead, I attached the new MC and loosened each brake line one at a time with a rag underneath to collect spills. My son helped me manually bleed the MC until fluid leaked from each brake line attachment. Then I went and I bled all the brakes at the calipers. I used blue fluid to be able to tell when new fluid had flushed the old. The old fluid was cloudy...this should have been done more often.

3) I figured the clutch fluid was crappy too. I bled from the right caliper, collecting the fluid from the clutch system into a jar next to the reservoir until the clutch system had been flushed with clean fluid. The problem persisted. The Brake MC was leaking but it was not causing the clutch failure.

4) I replaced the clutch MC, clutch slave, and the braided hose up to the reservoir. I was careful to let all the old fluid out of the lines. I did not bench bleed either one. I bled the system again from the right caliper using my newly cleaned brake fluid.

The clutch performance is remarkably better. I would now see the signs of failure much earlier.

I don't think I did anything that would prove unnecessary over the long haul, though I probably used more brake fluid than I needed to. The old MCs were both in pretty rough shape in terms of gunk and discolored fluid and deposits. I feel better having the arteries all flushed out.

Thanks for your help.

__________________
___________

1982 240D (4-speed)
1988 Volvo 240DL (5-speed wagon)
1999 Volvo V70
2002 Volvo XC70 (the grocery getter)

This not only works its very logical. GREAT Video !

Clutch Bleeding ,the best technique Ive seen yet.

__________________
1985 300D 198K sold
1982 300D 202K
1989 300E 125K
1992 940T

"If you dont have time to do it safely, you dont have time to do it"

"The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not."