Date:         Thu, 18 Nov 2004 07:52:44 -0800
Reply-To:     Craig Oda <craigoda@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Craig Oda <craigoda@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Brake bleeding tips
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII

Thanks for everyone that helped me to diagnose the leaking master
cylinder on my brake system.  I swapped a new one in and the brakes
are now hard.  Stops fine.  It was kind of fun zooming around an empty
parking lot last night testing the brakes.

Only problem is that I think there is still some air in my system and
I need to bleed it more tonight.  After a series of hard-braking tests
in the parking lot, the pedal will go down halfway before I feel
resistance.  The brake is not going to the floor, but I want it to
catch further up.

I did not bench-bleed the master cylinder.  I didn't really know how
to do this, so when I first put the MC in, a lot of air came up, some
into the brake fluid holder.  Right now, I have cleaned out the junk
in the front upper and lower calipers so that clear fluid comes out.
When the wife pumps the brakes, there is a nice solid stream of clear
fluid that comes out.

On the rear bleeder screws, one caliper kind of dribbles out the fluid
when she pumps.  Very little is coming out.  I'm also not sure if I
did this until the fluid was clear.  It was dark by the time I got to
the rear brakes and it was harder to get the flashlight on the rear
bleeder screw.  However, every time my wife pumped on the brakes, only
a trick of fluid would come out the left rear bleeder.

My current plan for tonight is to buy more brake fluid, DOT 3, and
really make sure the only clear fluid is coming out, then do the
pump-pump-hold-bleed process.

I don't have a pressure bleeder and don't really want to hassle with
making one this time. I'm hoping to use cheap labor at home to finish
this job.

My basic idea (looking for feedback) is that air is trapped in the
system between the new fluid and the old fluid in the brake line on
the left rear.  That is the only one I think may not be bleeding clear
fluid.

-- Craig