Date: Fri, 19 Nov 2004 07:59:20 -0500
Reply-To: Pascal Giasson <pascal.giasson@GNB.CA>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Pascal Giasson <pascal.giasson@GNB.CA>
Subject: Re: Brake bleeding tips
Craig,
To get the air out of the lines/brake components you need to bleed brakes
in a sequence starting from a point furthest away from the master cylinder,
and progressing to the the point closest to the master cylinder. Proper
sequence for the vanagon is in Bently and Haynes, and likelly in the
archives. If my memory serves me right you should first bleed the Pasenger
rear first, then the drivers rear, then the passenger front, and finaly the
driver front. Would also be a good idea to bleed the clutch slave cylinder
located just above the transmission while your at it to get any air that
might have gotten when you opened the brake system, as they share the same
fluid reservoire(also good to get fresh brake fluid in clutch hydrolic
system too). By the way I think the specs for the brake fluid calls for
DOT 4 and not DOT 3. Good luck.
Pascal
'84 Westy
On Thu, 18 Nov 2004 07:52:44 -0800, Craig Oda <craigoda@GMAIL.COM> wrote:
>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
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