canews@telus.net wrote:
> Okay, we are almost there. This 58A that I found runs excellent, all the
> electronics are working. Now just the hydraulics.
>
> When I first got the car it had clutch but no brake. Okay, so logical place
>to
> start is with the duel master, rebuilt that.
>
> Now I need help, how do I bleed a system that is totally dry? Lets assume all
> of the wheel cylinders are okay. When I fill the reservoir, how does the
>fluid
> get down to the cylinder with the line full of air. Should I just open all
>the
> bleed screws and let it work its way down? Or should I bleed it like it had
> fluid and have an assistant pump while I watch for bubbles?
>
> I know this may sound elementry, but I'm very anxious to get this thing
> running and this is my last hurdle (I hope).
>
> I'm not worried about bleeding the clutch slave, that line has fluid in it,
>so
> a simple bleed should work.
>
> So please can someone explain this to me like I'm six years old so I can get
> it done tomorrow and maybe start driving this car.
It has been a long time since I worked on an A (just acquired a 58 A, so
will be doing it again soon). When I start with a dry MC, I use spare
brake line(s) coming from the MC outlet(s), feeding directly into the
top of the reservoir, making an effective loop for the fluid (with the
MC in a vise on the bench). I bend the lines so that when the MC
reservoir is topped up, the line-ends are about 1/2" below the surface.
I pump until there's a good solid flow with each pump-action and the
air-bubbles have mostly been eliminated from the flow (they float to the
top of the reservoir and pop). Then I mount the MC in the car and
replace the short lines with the proper ones on the car, doing it as
quickly as possible, so as to minimize loss of fluid.
This leaves enough fluid in the MC to start it working. My favorite
quick and dirty system-bleeding method is to have somebody else work the
pedal and use my finger over each loosened bleed-screw to work as a
one-way valve until I don't feel any more air-bubbles coming out the
bleed-screw, then close it up. A better method is the use a clear
plastic tube from the bleed screw into an old Coke bottle, where there
is some fluid in the bottle and the tube-end is below the surface of the
fluid. You pump the pedal and watch for the air-bubbles to stop (while
keeping the MC reservoir topped up so it can't go dry).
Now -- my best method, which has proven to be controversial in the past:
I run a long clear plastic tube from the bleed screw into the reservoir
and pump until all air-bubbles are eliminated. This is only done after
all old, discolored fluid has been discarded and the system is full of
new, clean fluid. I start at the wheel cylinder that is furthest from
the MC and work my way in from there. It's a very good idea to tap
gently on the brake lines and wheel cylinders with a wrench or small
hammer just before completing the bleeding of each wheel, to knock any
small bubbles loose so they can be eliminated. When each section is
clear of bubbles, tighten its bleeder screw carefully (they are easy to
break off).
-Rock http://www.rocky-frisco.com
--
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