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help for us dummys

jmr122848

jmr122848

Member
Help!
My pal John and I have been building his ride for years and the end is in sight. but now the _____ brakes wont bleed. bubble and foam, bubble and foam. 2 quarts of dot 3 later bubble and foam!
Front brakes econoline drums
Rear brakes 8" ford drums
Master cylinder Maveric drum/drum
Residual valves Speedway
Pipe, fittings, braded hoses, Speedway
no fluid leaking
brake adjustment seems right on
Help
Mike in ep
 
I've read about a nifty bleeder that is sold to make the job easier but haven't tried one yet. I do it the old fashioned way of putting a tight fitting hose onto the bleeder valve and inserting the other end submerged into some fluid in a jar. I start at the furthest wheel and have the other person pump the pedal gently as I watch bubbles come out in the brake fluid in the bottom of the jar. When I see the bubbles stop and the fluid level beginning to rise, I move to the next furthest wheel and repeat. I keep doing that all the way around and then go back and do it all over again.

You sound like you have very basic workable components there, just make sure your shoes are adjusted as tight as possible to start on each wheel and that your fluid in the m/c never gets too low so it sucks more air. There is no magic to it, all you are doing is introducing only fluid into the lines and wheel cylinders while you expel all the air. But sometimes these things bleed right up and sometimes they are a real pain.

Are you getting any pedal at all? Is the throw on your pushrod far enough? Are your shoes adjusted up tight? Are the residual valves 10 pounders and aimed the right way?

If you have run that much fluid through the lines they should have bled by now. I have seen out of the box failures on master cylinders too.

Don
 
We are doing it just like you discribed. I forgot the Russell speed Bleeders. Could the R valves (10#) be backward? gosh I hope not. They are stone inaccessable now that the body is bolted on. Would they have been marked? when I put the thing together I don't remember. That was way way over a year ago (or 2). I'm fried at this point. we do get some pedel and the through would be plenty if the _____ would come back all the way. fluid is moving (quarts of it) but air is ubiquitus.
Mike in ep
 
Just thinkin' out loud here.......but seems to me it has to sucking air from somewhere. sounds like you have put enough fluid thru it to fill 5-6 brake systems.

any body else have an opinion??

Vance
 
I do it the way described most of the time, but if I have a problem I get my pressure bleeder. If you have any leaks you will know it real quick. Sounds like you have some leaks sucking air. You would not believe how easy brake fluid will leak. Sometimes the double flares have to be pretty dam tight to seat the first time. You can get the pressure bleeders in many sizes. Try E-Bay or Eastwood.com.
 
Like a dummy, no we did not bench the MC. but.. we have no leaks that we can find anywhere in the system (can air get in without any fluid getting in?) any more Ideas guys? I lost my Mightyvac, but will get another if that would solve this mess
Mike in ep
 
I got done typing the stuff below, then realized it will not work with a T, due to mc placement. Only thing I can recommend it start from scratch. disco the mc, bench bleed and start from there.




"When I had my camero I switched the rubber lines out for braided. I could not for the life of me bleed the things. So an old mech gave me a tip.

Use gravity, he had me completely fill the MC, then crack all four bleeders until they just started to allow fluid out and let it sit. Check/fill the MC every couple hours, do this in the morning, by evening its all done. Just make sure you put something under the hubs to catch the fluid"
 
no fluid is sneeking out. I guess we'll start dissasembling the beast sat and start over.
Mike in ep
 
Do yourself a favor and bench bleed the M/C before you undo what you've done. Also, make sure your master cylinder is good. If it's a rebuilt one from the auto parts store, you may have gotten a bad one. Bench bleeding will let you know.
 
I might sound stupid but what is the process to bench bleed the M/C.:eek:
 
That really is a good question. I have heard of different ways, But here is the way I do it. I plug the outlets on the MC, Fill with fluid, push the peddle down and hold. Watch inside the MC and you should see some very small bubbles coming up. Hold peddle down about a minute or so, let up and repeat tell you get a hard peddle. When you get a hard pedal unplug the outlets and reconect your lines and bleed. Not saying this the best way, just my way :)
 
The auto parts store sells fittings to bench bleed.Put the fittings in and put some 1/4 inch aquarium tubing over the fittings and then pump the shaft on the master cylinder in and out till no more bubbles in stall cyl.hook up lines then bleed as usual.Farthest wheel away from cyl first and work to the closest.
 
don't need fittings to bench bleed. Just plug the outlet ports. A fine thread bolt has the same thread (3/8", 7/16", or 1/2"). Plug the ports, fill the reservoir with brake fluid, push the plunger, wait 15 seconds, push again, etc.... until you get a hard plunger. Your done. Can't get any easier than that. And it's even easier if the m/c is bolted to the frame bracket and the pedal and pushrod is hooked up. Just push on the pedal. Once it is bleed, remove one plug, hook up the brake line. Then remove the other plug and hook up the other brake line. Then bleed to system.
 
Thanks everybody for the info that sounds very easy.I will be doing that this weekend.
 
Well, Us dummys have struck again. New MC bleed in the vice, install bleed the backs, JOY rear brakes, bleed the fronts , pedel dosn't bottom most of the time, quart of dot3 three brakes stop the wheels I can still turn the forth aganst the brake. bummer.
next week more dot 3.
Mike in ep
 
sounds like you did not get all the air out. Bleeding the brakes can be a major pain. I have discovered if you bench bleed the m/c CORRECTLY and have a firm pedal with the ports plugged, it makes bleeding the system a piece of cake.
 
1/8 in travel in the MC with the ports closed. rears bled ok
Mike in ep
 
I like what I call flooding the system .Open bleeder have person push pedal to floor intil fluid comes out and tighten bleeder then let up pedal do this on farthest wheel from master first do all bleeders this way then try and bleed by pumping until pressure and cracking bleeders to release air bubbles.Always starting farthest from master.
 
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