[Healeys] Bleeding brakes!

[Peter Linn]

G'day all - I use the above title in both the mechanical and Aussie sense! The
brakes on the Ward Special (BN1) have always been very good and have given no
trouble in my 6 years of ownership. However (and this is going against my
principle of "if it ain't broke, don't fix it) after a discussion with my
local brake man, I was moved to flush the brake system on the car (which I
hadn't done for more years that I care to admit) I syphoned the fluid from the
reservoir, refilled it with fresh fluid and proceeded to bleed the brakes as
normal (I usually do this solo with a one-way valve bleed tube, and have no
trouble) This time, I got a pedal of sorts, enough to drive round the block,
but thought it should be better, so proceeded to bleed the system again. This
time, I had trouble getting a pedal at all, and there seemed to be little
resistance at the pedal. I tried again next day, with my wife operating the
pedal, again with little effect. Some fluid, but not as much as I would
expect, came out of the bleed screws, but appeared to get sucked back in when
the pedal was released - more so than is normal in my experience. On the final
screw (front right), I got nothing from the bleed screw. The reservoir was
kept full throughout.

OK, I thought, master cylinder seals have gone over crud or corrosion. I had a
spare rebuilt master cylinder (brass sleeve and piston, never used) I put new
seals in this just to be sure, and installed it, having primed it with fluid
before putting on the end cap. Result: no change: still no resistance at the
pedal when pumping, and not much fluid from the bleed screws. Worse still, at
one point the pedal went solid (metallic solid, not hydraulic solid) part way
through its travel.

I am totally stumped. Is there somewhere in the system that can trap air and
cause an air lock that can give these symptoms? Any advice from listers will
be much appreciated

Cheers


Peter Linn
Brisbane Oz
BN1 Ward Special coupe
BN1 Holden V6