Brake bleeding help

[Simon]

Just had the front calipers off and need to bleed the front brakes. Topped up the master cylinder and doing the down-open, up-closed thing but no fluid is coming out. If I put the end of the tube from the bleed nipple into a jar of brake fluid and open the nipple, it sucks about 4 inches up the tube, pumping up and down just pushes the fluid down then up. If I close the bleed nipple after having just pushed down, even with the pedal on it's way down, fluid is sucked up the tube. I have an ezi-bleed but no top that fits the reservoir!
Any advice?
Thanks
Simon

 

[Anthony]

I bet you have the same reservoir as me then. Today I finished the hydraulic plumbing but not ventured to fill with fluid. Turns out my EZ-bleed hasn't got a cap that fits either. The triple outlet model from CBS, has 2 tongues under the cap like a radiator cap. Think i am going to have fabricate something if i want to use the EZ Bleed.

If i had one to fit, i could have taken it to Stoneleigh if you were going. If I get round to it before you do I can stick it in the post.

 

[Phil]

Simon:
You could try using a MityVac, it attaches to the bleeder and pulls fluid down the line. I use it as a last resort. If you had your calipers off you may have lost brake fluid up to the master. Maybe bleeding the master cyl(s) first would be in order as you may be air bound.
Just a few thoughts
Cheers
Phil

 

[DaveM]

Are you bleeding a rear caliper at the same time as front? If you only bleed the fronts you're not getting full travel in the master cylinder to expel all the air there first.

 

[Alan]

Simon

Save yourself a lot of time an effort and do a bleed using air pressure ! Get a cap that fits your reservoir connect a suitable tube to this and apply air at pressure at 5 to 10 PSI you can then open the nipples and fluid will flow without pumping you just need to keep the reservoir full as fluid flows.

If you look on the net you will find many examples of such DIY systems if you do not have a compressor using garden spray bottles to generate the required pressure.

Alan

 

[RichardH]

alan - i think that this is that very thing - but no correct top.

I have an ezi-bleed but no top that fits the reservoir!

 

[Ron Earp]

Throw that crap away and bleed them with a helper. Only open the valve while your helper has the pedal headed down. Bleed all the air out or until you get new fluid coming out, then close the bleed valve on the pedal down stroke.

Those vacuum pumps, speed bleeders and whatnot never seem to do as good of a job as two people working together who know what they're doing.

 

[Frank Catt]

I agree with Ron, and also add that it sometimes helps to lightly tap the caliper with , say, a wooden hammer handle or similar which can dislodge any trapped air in the caliper. Frank

 

[Simon]

"Throw that crap away and bleed them with a helper. Only open the valve while your helper has the pedal headed down. Bleed all the air out or until you get new fluid coming out, then close the bleed valve on the pedal down stroke.

Those vacuum pumps, speed bleeders and whatnot never seem to do as good of a job as two people working together who know what they're doing."

What do you do when you've pumped the pedal 200 times then still with no luck?

 

[Ron Earp]

What do you do when you've pumped the pedal 200 times then still with no luck?

Re-evaluate what you're doing because whatever it is, you're doing something wrong? :lipsrsealed:

Seriously:

• Verify you have fluid squirting out of the master by undoing the fittings at the master.
• Verify said fluid is making it to the caliper by undoing the line at the caliper.
• Verify caliper is in working order.

Fill up the reservoirs and pump the pedal a bunch to push as much fluid as you can in into the system. Re-fill the reservoir to replace what you took in, then start the bleeding procedure.

 

[Jac Mac]

Check you have pedal freeboard & that M/Cyl piston is returning hard back against circlip or retainer.