Brake bleeding

[Nick Bradshaw]

What do you think of this?


"Appendix 2 Brake Bleeding by Padraic Smyth, Ireland

I have been using a easy and clean way of bleeding the brakes on my Series III which works really well and does away with a helper having to pump the pedal like mad.
All you need is a short tube about 12" long and a syringe with a capacity of 20 to 30mls. Firstly drain most of the brake fluid from the resevoir. Fill the syringe with brake fluid, open the bleeder nipple, connect the syringe/tube to the nipple and inject its contents into the brake line. Next close of the nipple and hey presto! your brake will be rock hard as all the air has nowhere to go but out through the reservoir. Repeat for each drum as per your workshop manual (remember to reduce the fluid content in the reservoir after each brake is bled).


There is sufficient fluid in the syringe to fill the brake line and partly fill the resevoir. A quick and easy solution to an awkward job."

[ian_s]

i dont see how that would work
the bleed nipples are at the highest point in the cylinder (ish) so that the air has nowhere else to go. if all you do is push fluid in through there, it wont necessarily force the air along the brake lines :?
i'm not explaining that well i know.

on the other hand, if you used the syringe to suck the air out of the system, that should work!

[carbore]

I agree with Ian_S that it wont work same reasons and as the pipes branch out there is nothing to stop air passing into the other lines you are not working on.

You need to bleed from the master cylinder to the bleed nipple.

I have been using a £12 EZ bleed from Hal fords for years, but recently purchased a MAC bleeder form a garage auction, yet to try it, but it draws the fluid out under suction but to be honest the EZ bleed was fine.

[ian_s]

i use an EZ bleed kit, it rocks!
the only problem i had was when i tried to use a tyre that was at 50psi for some reason, it blew the seal between the reservoir and the cylinder

[carbore]

Mine is the one you stick on the bleed nipple and press the pedal as per normal. The problem is that the hose has gone opaque so I now have my new fancy job, still no use if I cant undo one of my bleeding bleeding nipples

[Bowie]

I use washer hosing a lot of the time, stretch it up high, then turn the end into a jar/pot.

It needs to be high so you can see the level and air it while you are pumping the brake pedal from inside the car ;)

[Devon-Rover]

Sorry but i still prefere the good old method of two person's and going round the system three times in succession. So far i have never failed to get a good pedal and remove all the air from the system. Even to the point where i can brag and say that i probably have the best series drum brake system in the SW. She always Stops straight and true and the pedal is hard with no spongeiness.

Can't beat 20mins of on..off.on..off.on..off hold it..off.  8)

[Nick Bradshaw]

I think the theory is that as hydraulic pressure is equal at the same level, and as air can be compressed easily but fluid less so, as the pressure is applied at the slave cylinder, air is driven out and it will seek the highest point...in this case the open master reservoir. I suppose if an air pocket in a slave cylinder was already there, at a lower pint, it could be compressed and stay there, but I think it means you have to inject fluid into each slave in turn, which would get rid of all four pockets of air that might exist.  I haven't tried it, but I'll have a go this weekend. Otherwise it's back to the jamjar.

On another subject, has anyone a good tip for removing brake fluid from contaminated brake shoes? I have heard that if you boil them in biological soap powder they can be re-used.

[Bowie]

On another subject, has anyone a good tip for removing brake fluid from contaminated brake shoes? I have heard that if you boil them in biological soap powder they can be re-used.

Just renew them, thay are cheap, and the brake fluid reduces efficiency and can cause the lining to break up prematurely.

[ian_s]

its just not worth the risk trying to re use old brake shoes.
i dropped a brand new one in a tub of oil a few weeks back :( straight in the bin!