Date:         23 Dec 96 05:58:11 PST
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         CARVER_JEFFREY@aphub.aerojetpd.com (Jeff Carver)
Subject:      Bleeding Bloody Brakes

My record on bleeding brakes remains intact.

I STILL have yet to do a bleed job without leaving bubbles in there.

I HATE BRAKES!!!.  Well, actually I hate WORKING on brakes, as a 
function I need them.

I would choose electrical over brakes anyday (clara? wanna barter?)

During my reading up on master cylinders I found the cautionary 
statement to be sure to do a bench bleed of the master cylinder.  
Never found out what to do to accomplish this task.

Filled up all the openings in the masters, played with it, dripped it 
all over (into paper towels, even though IHB!!!, I still try to keep 
things clean).

How do you do a "bench bleed" of the master?

What are the symptoms of air in the master?
and how is it different than air in one of the lines?

I bought a MityVac unit to assist in draining/bleeding brakes.

It pulled a mity vacuum, but all it did was to to pull air into the 
bleed line due to the leak of the threaded bleed fitting.  Of limited 
use.  Nice to be able to pull a vacuum, open bleeder valve, provide 
time to get to driver's seat and then push on brakes to bleed (with 
check valve in bleed line to jar) works sorta.

Anbody do a PRESSURE bleed, by applying pressure to the resevoir?
If so how much pressure? before things get ugly, and messy?

It's also nice that my kids are finally old enough to help.  My 9 
year olds took turns pushing brake while I open/closed valve.  Still 
not strong enough to push when MOST of the air is out.

Bummer in that after the cleanup of the brake master slow leaks, 
found that the clutch is also leaking.

Also found that one brake light switch was burned.  Replaced 
with one from parts bus.  Took connector apart, since it had melted, 
cleaned up spade connectors and re-assembled connector.

(I can take an electrical connector apart, clean, and re-assemble, 
but can't bleed brakes, IHB!!!)

Never got any replies on how to remove a handbrake cable, so cobbled 
something together.  Managed to get brake cable stuck, with no way to 
PUSH on the floppy cable.  Found a piece of plastic pipe that was 
just big enough to go over the handbrake side.  Slid it over the 
cable to butt against the rubber grommet stopper.  This restricted 
the bending of the cable and allowed me to push against it to free it up.

Bought a short length of vinyl covered 1/8 inch cable & cable thimble 
(for you non-nautical types, this is the loop around which the cable 
is fit into to re-inforce the end)  a couple of cable clamps and a 
eye bolt.  Fit it all together to effectively replace the end of the 
cable bolt.  Used anit-sieze of course.

Nice to live out in the boonies at times.  I can yell at the top of 
my lungs, I HATE BRAKES, over and over, and no one hears me, but 
family, and they are inside, knowing I need to release!

- Jeff
'80 Westi, there's sorta stopping me now!