Brakes issues

[Alexc1984]

I'm trying to bleed my front calipers with no joy. I took the old off as part of a winter project and left them with the calipers off and master cylinder shut for a few weeks until I got braided hoses. Now I've fitted them I can't seem to bleed them with a vacuum bleeder from the calipers. Lots of bubbles and after a while a load of bubbles come through and I lose the fluid and hear a inhalation sound from the master cylinder. Has the master cylinder got air in or are the seals wrecked? Or maybe a duff caliper? I tried opening the bleeder on the master cylinder but would need to be a wizard to get a pipe on that!
Brake pedal feels squidgy and goes to the mechanical stop. Just want to know how to diagnose the fault or am I the fault. If I can't fix it this week I'll need to try and organise a trailer as it's supposed to be going to Neil garner on Friday for chassis work :-(

[sapper]

I had a similar issue a few years ago and it was cured with an eazi bleed kit forcing fluid in

[QBee]

Trailer hire around £60. Need suitable tow vehicle and licence.

Or, ask Neil G if he can collect it, and add fixing the brakes to his list.

[Duke Thrust]

Vacuum bleeders are never as good as you'd think - try putting a spot of grease around the base of the bleed nipple as it's probably sucking in air there.

I've got a variety of different bleed devices and the best way is always someone else on the brake pedal.

[Aussie John]

Helped a bloke years ago with a non-bleeding brake problem, turned out to be calipers were on the wrong sides with bleed nipples facing down; anyway, just a long shot!

[Alexc1984]

Thanks for the comments, I must admit I had put the calipers upside down a while back but had spotted mistake before bleeding them. I've tried the grease on the threads of the bleed nipple but something's still not right. For the price of an Eezibleed I will get one after work and give that I try as I can believe that I have an air pocket in the master cylinder.

[Duke Thrust]

Get ready for fluid pissing everywhere and make sure you only use a tyre with a low pressure.

Lots of paper towels to hand.

[Alexc1984]

Sounds like fun! Cheers for the heads up.

[chrispitman]

Did mine with an ezi bleed, had abit of a problem sealing the cap, and over did the psi. So read the instructions don't just use a pumped up tyre it way to much psi lol

[QBee]

Look, I do respect your enthusiasm for learning how to do the job yourself, and I appreciate I am a dissenting voice alone in the wilderness.
Your car, you do exactly what you like. Just know your limitations is all I ask. If you are having problems getting the brakes bled correctly, just stop and think and make sure that you are happy to trust the results.

It's your brakes we're talking about here, its a safety issue.

I changed my front pads, with a friend's help, last year. Great fun, we spent a happy hour doing the job on a lovely spring evening between two consecutive track days.
I thought I had done it correctly, my friend checked my work, but I managed not to tighten the bolts enough on my side, and my friend managed to kink the brake pipe his side.
I discovered my error when I investigated the clonk coming from the front of the car and found one calliper bolt missing and the other half out.
The TVR guy who kindly replaced the bolts (with the correct high tensile steel bolts - standard bolts will not do, which i did not know) suggested he check the other side to be safe, and found the kinked pipe.

So my philosophy now is I will do the jobs that have no serious consequences, safety or financial, but I will take my car to an expert for jobs I cannot do myself, or where safety or financial risk is involved. He knows what he is doing, and I can wander around under the car and learn where things go and how they work.

[Alexc1984]

I appreciate the concern and I do know where you are coming from as I am learning the mechanics as I go and have learned a lot of things the hard way! Being an engineer I can't help but want to do things myself. Had some bad experiences paying professionals to do jobs on my TVR and it's driven me to learn. I've bled brakes on my mountain bikes for years which is also a pain but at least you can get to everything! That probably lead me into a false sense of security. I've had the safety culture beaten into me from the oil industry so everything will be checked several times and if it doesn't pass a test on my lane it won't make public roads. Plus Neil garner will be taking it to pieces when it gets there anyway!

[QBee]

Thanks for listening

Neal Garner is excellent, you should be at the end of your woes there.

Edited by QBee on Wednesday 4th June 19:11

[Classichims]

If a vacum type doesn't work I'd suspect an easy bleed won't do it!
Have you bled the rears first!
If it doesn't work you must have a leak or yes the master Cyl still has air trapped, I filled my cylinder a number of times and just pumped it through, you will always introduce air by the bleed valve so it looks like loads of air.
Do the brakes until you think enough fluid has come down the line and close off, when finished pump the pedal until hopefully it goes hard, fire the engine up and pump again.
That should be it, so if you can't get a hard pedal, something's loose bringing air back in or the master cylinder really has got air in.
Bleed master Cyl the same way and start again on the brakes.
Vacum pump is the business, and very easy to use.
Stay logical it's not really rocket science.
I've learnt to do this work myself because I don't trust anyone else!!!!

[Alexc1984]

Eezibleed did the trick! It made a mess as predicted, until I got it sealed properly and used less pressure. Brake pedal feeling solid and performing well. Thanks for all the advice guys.