Bleeding Brakes

[Alive]

I've bled a few brakes before, but always seem to have problems getting air out.

Could someone please let me in on the secret???
How do you get air locks and bubbles out while bleeding brakes?

I have put about 300ml of brake fluid through the front brakes on an XJ550 and still they are soft.

P.S. Master and both slaves have had new kits put in them and do not leak.

Cheers

[dhunt]

I've bled a few brakes before, but always seem to have problems getting air out.

Could someone please let me in on the secret???
How do you get air locks and bubbles out while bleeding brakes?

I have put about 300ml of brake fluid through the front brakes on an XJ550 and still they are soft.

P.S. Master and both slaves have had new kits put in them and do not leak.

Cheers

Tap any joints with a spanner incase there is air there. Sometimes I also open the banjo bolts while squeesing the brakes to get air out there (You may want to do this is if you have just put in new kits). Other than that I don't no of any secrets.

[idb]

After finishing the bleeding - tie the lever back to the bar with the screw cap off and leave it overnight for any bubbles to rise up the lines.

[Alive]

Banjo bolts???

Are they the ones that screw in to the master and the slaves with two holes half way up them?

[Alive]

After finishing the bleeding - tie the lever back to the bar with the screw cap off and leave it overnight for any bubbles to rise up the lines.

I'll give that a go tonight... cheers

[nodrog:Me]

unbolt the calipers and hold them above the master cylinder, before bleeding. or reverse bleed them through the master cylinder.

[Alive]

unbolt the calipers and hold them above the master cylinder, before bleeding. or reverse bleed them through the master cylinder.

Reverse bleed them??? How does that work?

[dhunt]

Banjo bolts???

Are they the ones that screw in to the master and the slaves with two holes half way up them?

Yeah. I find air can get trapped there when I change the master kit.

[Alive]

Yeah. I find air can get trapped there when I change the master kit.

Sweet... I'll have a crack at that

[imdying]

If you've rebuilt the master, it has air in it. They're very simple, and can't self prime themselves.

Take the hose off of the top, hold down the lever. Put your finger over the outlet, release the lever. Pull the lever in, let your finger off briefly to let the air/fluid out. Let the lever out, and it'll suck fluid down, instead of drawing air back up the inlet. Repeat that action a few times, and you'll have a good fluid flow. Hook the line up again, and you'll have a much better chance!

What you're doing by that action, is essentially filling the guts of the master back up with fluid. Like an oil pump in the motor, it can't pump air, only fluid.

[T.W.R]

After finishing the bleeding - tie the lever back to the bar with the screw cap off and leave it overnight for any bubbles to rise up the lines.

Not really a good move, brake fluid absorbs moisture quite readily so leaving the reservior open & exposed to dampness or cold night air over night can be enough to contaminate the fluid.

Pressurizing the system properly during bleeding forces most air bubbles & crud out of the system.

[slimjim]

I've bled a few brakes before, but always seem to have problems getting air out.

Could someone please let me in on the secret???
How do you get air locks and bubbles out while bleeding brakes?

I have put about 300ml of brake fluid through the front brakes on an XJ550 and still they are soft.

P.S. Master and both slaves have had new kits put in them and do not leak.

Cheers

mate go to any car shop and buy a self bleeding kit ,, its bloody cheep as , and only you need to use it,, dont need two poeple is what i mean,to bleed the system does it for you

[Alive]

If you've rebuilt the master, it has air in it. They're very simple, and can't self prime themselves.

Take the hose off of the top, hold down the lever. Put your finger over the outlet, release the lever. Pull the lever in, let your finger off briefly to let the air/fluid out. Let the lever out, and it'll suck fluid down, instead of drawing air back up the inlet. Repeat that action a few times, and you'll have a good fluid flow. Hook the line up again, and you'll have a much better chance!

What you're doing by that action, is essentially filling the guts of the master back up with fluid. Like an oil pump in the motor, it can't pump air, only fluid.

Good stuff..... It did take a while to start pumping fluid out in the first place. I left the hose off until it had a good stream of fliud coming out of the master, then tightened the banjo bolt and started bleeding.

[Alive]

mate go to any car shop and buy a self bleeding kit ,, its bloody cheep as , and only you need to use it,, dont need two poeple is what i mean,to bleed the system does it for you

I'll go have a look in supercheap Cheers

[imdying]

Yeah, if there's air in the master, you can pump all you want One of those self bleeding kits might help, although nothing beats correct technique (I've bled heeeaps of bikes, never used anything but a hose off of the nipple).