Art, may I respectfully disagree? Allowing brake fluid to trickle all over
the back of your brake backing plates is unnecessarily messy, plus your
technique does not allow you to see when the bubbles stop flowing in the
expelled fluid.
We find the simplest way is to take an old glass jar (complete with its
metal lid) and an old metal coat hanger. Wrap the hanger around the neck of
the jar so as to make a hook that will enable the jar to be hung from a
nearby brake hose of piece of the suspension. Then fit a piece of clear
plastic tubing from the brake bleeder nipple through a hole you punch into
the metal lid of the jar.
This way, when you bleed the brakes (one person builds pressure on the brake
pedal, the other then opens the nipple while the pedal is held down, then
closes the nipple before the pedal is released) you can watch the expelled
fluid to see when the old, dirty stuff is replaced by nice, clear, new
fluid, and when the air bubbles stop flowing.
And, with the jar hanging safely, there's no risk of either knocking it over
or even knicking it..............
Lawrie
British Sportscar Center
-----Original Message-----
From: Art Pfenninger <ch155@freenet.buffalo.edu>
To: Tom McLaughlin <tmcl98@YAHOO.COM>
Cc: MG list <mgs@autox.team.net>
Date: Thursday, June 24, 1999 12:03 AM
Subject: Re: Bleeding Brakes, 77B
>You need to bleed them again, sometimes once is not enough. If you had
>luck with the EZ tool use it , but I have never had luck with any of them.
>It's only necessary to open the nipple a little. If you have a helper to
>push the pedal down then just put your finger over the bleeder, don't open
>and close it. When the pedal is pushed down release your finger, then put
>it back on before the pedal is released. It's a little messy but no worse
>than knicking over the jar of fluid with a hose in it.
>...Art
>
>On Mon, 24 May 1999, Tom McLaughlin wrote:
>
>> Well, another one of my firsts over the weekend. I've done some brake
>> work, but never had to bleed any before. The pedal was getting way to
>> "squishy" so I decided to try it. I used the EZ-bleed tool and Castrol
>> LMA fluid. A few questions:
>>
>> 1) Haynes says that the "later Bs", 76 and up, should have the pressure
>> warning switch on the master cylinder. Mine did not...should it as it
>> is a 77? The proceedure for bleeding was a little different meaning
>> which wheel you should start with. I proceeded with the furthest from
>> the MC, the right rear, which I hope is correct, then the left rear,
>> right front and finally left front. This was the proceedure w/o the
>> pressure warning switch described in Haynes.
>>
>> 2) The rear went fine. In fact, I adjusted the rear brakes while I was
>> there also. I pumped until I had all fluid and no bubbles in the
>> EZ-bleed. I continually topped off the MC fluid level. The fronts
>> were more difficult. It seemed once I opened the bleed screw "a half a
>> turn" and then pumped the brakes, fluid would seap out the side of the
>> bleed nipple which means to me that air is getting back in when I let
>> the pedal up. I could never get all of the air bubbles out of the
>> line. I finally got the bleed screw to a point where I could pump the
>> brakes and not much fluid would seap out the side, but it was hard to
>> get the fluid to come out at all. Both front sides had this problem.
>> As a result, I still have air in the lines. The brakes functions, but
>> I have to "pump them up sometimes". Is there a trick to doing this?
>>
>> 3) Can I take the bleed screws all the way out and clean them and their
>> recepticle? Perhaps this would create a better seal and I wouldn't
>> have the seaping problem above. If I take the bleed nipple all the way
>> out am I going to get a stream of fluid??? Should I not do this???
>>
>> I spent considerable time reading, learning, trying, reading, learning,
>> and trying. The brakes are about where they were when I started. I
>> guess the best part of this is that I have new fluid in the lines. As
>> I have had the car for 3 years I'm guessing this is a good thing. Any
>> suggestions on getting the squish out of my squishy pedals?
>>
>> Tom
>> 77B (no plate on the front so I could not help...sorry Andrew)
>>
>>
>>
>> Free instant messaging and more at http://messenger.yahoo.com
>>
>
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