Another bleeder issue

[Hazenson]

Ive been trying to get my front brakes to bleed for the last couple weekends. usually I dont break a line but decided too this time, because I wanted to change that lil bracket that the reflecter is on and paint my calipers. K back to the bleeding- Im pretty handy with a wrench and actually work on semi's for a living. But hehe this has been a bear. I have bled them the old fashion way- I have bought a mity vac and tryed that - I have done everything I can think of and still no luck. So last weekend I rebuilt the master, thought that it had to be the problem. No Luck, got fustrated and took it to the local shop, after about 90 minutes the machanic comes out and says he cant get any more pressure then I had. Funny thing is I have no leaks, but im thinking now it must be the calipers. So waiting on parts and I will rebuild them. Any ideas? I have friends coming for a big ride soon and were headed to the dragon, gonna need them brakes hehe

[Guest]

The front brakes are a pain to bleed but it can be done. Traditional methods such as pump and bleed dont work well on the fronts. Since you already have the Mity Vac, which is what I use, make sure that the hoses that connect to the nipple and all related hoses on the Mity Vac are good and tight. I had an issue with mine the first time I used it and discovered that the suction was not so good because of a not so tight connection. How dirty was your fluid anyway? If it looked like Guinness Stout then a good flush is in order. A 2000 model is probably due for a caliper rebuild anyway. Make sure you keep the master filled with fluid when suctioning and never let it go too low. Another possibility could be the master cylinder itself. I also rebuilt both brake and clutch masters. Just a thought....

 

I also have Speed Bleeders on the fronts as well as the rear. But they wont in itself properly bleed the fronts without use of a Mity Vac first. Some may disagree but I know first hand from personal experience.

[Hazenson]

brake fluid wasnt real dark but i wanted to change it anyways, I know its at least 4 years old. The pistons in the calipers did have a little bit of gunk on them, so I cleaned them up nice and just waiting on the rebuilt kits. I had great pressure before so Im thinking that it may be due to the pistons in the calipers being sqeezed back in over the dirty part of the pistons ( the old brakes being very worn so the pistons were most of the way out-- now there most the way in with new pads)-- im hoping anyways.

[Hazenson]

Rebuilt both calipers and been bleeding now for a hour. Im getting very frustrated to say the least- If I had a stick of dynamite Id ................. . Now it started to rain on me- Maybe a strong mixed drink is in order and Ill retry. Just cant believe this is going so dam hard

[Condor]

Reverse bleed 'm.....

[M61A1MECH]

Have tried leaving the handle pulled back for a prolonged period? With the relatively long vertical run from the master cylinder to the calipers it is easy to get a bubble caught in the lines, and as you try to bleed the system you just move the bubble back and forth or up and down. The viscosity and surface tension of the brake fluid are such that bubbles do not always rise to the surface as quick as you think especially when they are caught in side the lines. I had trouble bleeding mine a while back after I removed and cleaned the piston in the master cylinder. Every time I slowly pulled the lever back and held it for a bit I could see bubbles come up slowly. So I tied the lever back and left it over night, next morning when I released it and exercised the system no more air bubbles and I was able to complete the bleeding in a very short time.

[Hazenson]

Yes I tried all of the above, I did much research on it, read all info I could find here and even watched some videos on utube. I tried every single thing that is known to mankind. Squidley even called me and we tried a couple other things. Thank you Squid, I appreciate the help. But nothing worked. Nothing. Ok here we go I have to tell ya all becuz even tho its a might bit embarrassing- I don't want anyone else to go thru this.

I had a little L bracket, mounted on the top bolt of the caliper- that held a little road light. One on each side that shines low on the pavement. I took these off, and low and behold, instantly the handle was back at full pressure. Put it back on and again instantly handle is very soft. Apparently the brakes were wore enough to work fine before but not with new pads. Weirdest dam thing. So lights are now moved to lower bolt and they and the front brakes are in perfect working order. :confused24:

[Guest]

Its always something......glad you fixed it.