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Brake bleeding woes/leaky master cylinder

Posted: Sun Feb 21, 2010 5:25 pm
by cbrjack
'Ullo hope someone can help, i went to bleed my brake system (from dry) but couldnt get any fluid down the lines at all, ie nothing going into my clear pipe from the bleed nipple on the caliper. I did notice some fluid escaping from the master cylinder around where the pipe connects to the maid body. Could this be the cause of my troubles?? any help would be brilliant

cheers all, jack

Re: Brake bleeding woes/leaky master cylinder

Posted: Sun Feb 21, 2010 5:34 pm
by rccaulfield
Uv a one man brake bleeding kit? Shouldn't be leaking there-is it at the banjo bolt? If so tighten up! If by dry you mean system is empty then from my experience it can take literally hundreds of pumps of the brake lever to get the fluid from the master cylinder to the caliper- just be patient!

Re: Brake bleeding woes/leaky master cylinder

Posted: Sun Feb 21, 2010 6:01 pm
by justmartyn
It's a bastard of a job from dry, I ended up drawing it through the system with a big syringe and a rubber tube on the bleed nipples.

Re: Brake bleeding woes/leaky master cylinder

Posted: Sun Feb 21, 2010 6:25 pm
by racesupplies
Or reverse filling it up to the banjos with a cheap oil can filled with brake fluid.

Re: Brake bleeding woes/leaky master cylinder

Posted: Sun Feb 21, 2010 6:27 pm
by w00dzy
Would recommend using a syringe and plugging it into the hole in the brake res then pumping fluid down.. works a treat mate.. use non return valves and hoses on the bleeding nipples and leave them open until all the bubbles stop!

good luck ;)

Re: Brake bleeding woes/leaky master cylinder

Posted: Sun Feb 21, 2010 9:16 pm
by cbr400rrn
An absolute arse of a job doing it the traditional squeeze brake lever, loosen bleed nipple, tighten nipple, release lever x1000 and you should be ready to go (1000 times is a rough guess as i lost count when i had to do mine after fitting goodridge hoses.)

Re: Brake bleeding woes/leaky master cylinder

Posted: Sun Feb 21, 2010 10:40 pm
by cress87
Yup, it is a pain in the arse.

I fitted braided lines to my bike last weekend and it took quite a bit or arsing around to bleed them. The lever was totally dead for ages and then it suddenly went very quickly to a rock solid lever. Just keep at it. ;)

Re: Brake bleeding woes/leaky master cylinder

Posted: Mon Feb 22, 2010 12:29 am
by GF Racing
10 minute workshop job with a Mity Vac - bought this in the early 80s to check vac advance on race MGAs we were building then - still going strong today.

We stock and sell a domestic workshop grade equivalent @ £65.

Two tools every biker should have - a good quality chain splitter / rivetter and a power bleeder.

OK the syringe method works as well just not as easy.