Technical Bleeding brakes and sore toe

just Incase someone finds this useful

We had one here that the guys could not get to bleed. It was being a royal PAIN. This was a collision with severed brake line and got repaired.

Now I was on the other side of the shop and had 2 guys bleeding the brakes. They know how but it’s fighting them. I was advising from a far. Hours of this go by. Finally I go over there.

First thing I see is no fluid delivery.
Did the master run dry??
IDK-IDK
Well did you look ?
No, no
Ok let’s see cause IDK either but it certainly could have right??
I Pulled the lines pushed the pedal and got dribbles.

Ok bench bleeding on the vehicle.
Put fingers over lightly the ports and helper push the pedal down. Fluid and air. Hold fingers tightly release pedal and repeat a few times
Got pressure and flow but still air. Humm

Did you pull the pedal back up with your toe?? No my toe hurts.

Ok let’s do this again and this time pull the pedal back up with your toe.
Ok ouch

Get the master flowing fluid now without air. Hook the lines back up. Then I bled the lines at the master a couple times.

Ok guys try it again it should bleed for you now.

Back I go to the other side.

They fart around and get fluid but no pedal.
From under my welding hood I said keep at it it will bleed.

I gotta go back and see there’s no pedal and very little fluid. I said pump them up again. I hear the pedal in rapid succession pumppumppumppump. Crack the bleeder and get nothing to speak of.

Ok this time push it down and pull it back up with your toe then push it down. EVERY TIME PULL IT BACK UP.
Then I hear pump ouch pump ouch pump ouch pump ouch.
Get a good squirt now and soon wound up with a perfectly bled system.

Lots of guys know how to bleed brakes. Sometimes the details kill the process.

Master cylinder MUST be bled independently FIRST.
The master cylinder plunger MUST be allowed to return fully and sometimes you need to pull the pedal up. The small but important detail brought to light by a seemingly insignificant sore toe.

 

I see steel toe work shoes in someones future...

 

You’re toe should be hurting now too.
After kicking them both in the ****.
Great and funny thread 31vick.
Thanks for all the reminders.

 

There is a position for supervisor, in every shop. You have proven ... sometimes, there is no room for advancement. Lol

 

My wife and girls are well versed in most of these procedures!

 

Vicky,
There is a video of this man at a graduation of MIT. MIT now....

He had a C cell battery a wire and a flash light bulb. Most of those kids ( MIT electrical engineers) could not light the bulb.

 

Did you remind him that he had 2 feet and that maybe 1 of them didn't have a sore toe?

 

Why did the pedal not return on it's own , no spring ?

 

Yeah, every pedal should return on its own. If you don't have a spring to pull the pedal off the master's plunger, then the plunger will always have a little pressure. Not good.

 

100% factory late model.
Ain’t the first one, or first time

 

Just did the panel truck yesterday, it has all new lines and a new master. Methods I’ve used are vacuum bleeder to just get fluid back there and manual pumping to finish, jar with brake fluid in it, clear line and an open bleeder while pumping. But always bleed the master first, I’ve had good luck with the vacuum bleeder and then the foot on empty systems.

 

Well written Vicky ! Quite the chuckle on a teachable moment.

 

Guess the story's more important ???

 

I guess operating on the ***umption that the pedal returns fully causes some trouble. And maybe just maybe some of these brake bleeding thread problems is that same cause.

I 100% agree the pedal should come up without ***istance. If I were building it then it would. I’m not going to redesign late model off topic GM truck. Them GM ingenious guys make more than I do.

 

The first thing I teach anyone helping me bleed brakes is to PUMP IT SLOWLY Rapid pumping of the pedal without letting it return to the top or helping it return to the top won't allow fluid to flow correctly from the reservoir to the cylinder.
Still refusing to follow your instructions to the letter seem to be the main issue here. You can't fix stubborn combined with stupid.

 

They learned something...
and it will stick now and I bet that I don’t have to say it again.
I’d bet that “Ohhhhh that’s why he says to do that “ went thru the mind.

 

Since my wife trained me not to ask her to help bleed brakes, I’ve had great success gravity bleeding. Just today I changed a caliper on a late model then just cracked the bleeder until I got a nice flow, the test drive proved hard pedal and good feel DONE

 

I don't care who you are, thats funny... ^^^^^^^^^

 

If the pedal doesn't return , how can the brakes operate properly when driving ?

 

I've never bench bled a master, that's a huge waste of time. A pedal return spring and the proper clearance between the pushrod and piston is key. I like to gravity bleed first if the master is above the wheel cylinders. I recently used speed bleeders on a dual circuit under floor setup and I had pedal in no time. Also, adjust all four wheels locked solid.

 

The future is not bright. Neither are:
1. These MIT Graduates
2. The light they were handed

 

If I were the guy with the sore toe, I would have asked to change spots with the guy opening the bleeder valve.

 

Some times, you have to **** it up and stop being a wuss and just do the job at hand. No matter what it takes. Weather you have a sore toe, lack of sleep or your belly is growling because of lack of food. Or 50 other reasons why.

 

You certainly aren't myopic !

 

Apparently you weren't brought up by lunatics. We'll be keeping our eye on you, pal.

 

Or changed feet. Or maybe he is one of those people who isn't happy unless he is *****ing about something.

 

Or it's like what the OSHA inspector said to me once regarding do***entation: "All you have to do is show us that you TOLD Gomer to wear his safety gl***es. We know that Gomer probably won't wear them."

Damned entertaining thread, I tell you.

 

You purposely used so many words. Now my head is sore.

 

The master needs to be bled independently.
Doesn’t need to be done off the vehicle on a bench but it damn sure needs to be bled first and independently

 

Could you explain why please? I've never bench bled a master cylinder and never had problem getting a good pedal. Thanks.