Brake Bleeding Gone Bad

[wecm31]

Took the bus to Quebec for the eclipse a few weeks back, noticed the passenger side front brake was dragging and the rotor was scored. Front brakes hadn't been touched for over ten years, so decided to do complete front brake job. [Turns out the brake hardware pins and spring plate had departed the caliper and the pads had sunk down to ride on the rotor hub]

New rotors, pads, and calipers. I'm by no means a pro wrench, but have done this sort of work a half dozen times over the years.

Started with driver side....no problem. After mounting the new gear, used my hand pump to pull out most of the old fluid, being careful to always keep the master topped up. Level never below the MIN mark. Even with the line detached, there was steady flow out of the open end.

Now I'm on the passenger side and can't get any brake fluid to pull, never mind flow out the open line. I had to rebend the short hard line to match the orientation of the new caliper....thought maybe I had kinked it internally. Have now removed the short hard line and on the bench it passes air freely. With the rubber hose end open, I barely get a drip out of it. And pulling with the hand pump gets hardly much more. Even pushing the brake pedal down a few inches won't generate flow out of the open line.

I am vaguely aware of a proportioning valve that separates the front from back, but is there anything between the two front brakes? I am baffled why i can't get fluid to flow out the passenger side. I even left both bleed nipples on the caliper open over night to try and gravity fill...nada.

Reservoir remains full, the brake pedal has normal travel and is high and hard. Driver side caliper appears to be working fine.

thoughts?
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Gerald P
1985 Vanagon (Betty) & 1985 BMW R80RT (Wilhelm)
vintage boxers!!

Gone are the days we stopped to decide
Where we should go, we just ride:)

[4Gears4Tires]

If you close everything and a friend pumps the brakes (or use your camera to record a video) does the caliper engage? There seems to be a blockage somewhere. You might have to keep moving back up the lines to find out which section is blocked.

I don't know about the RWD vans, but the junction for the front brakes actually really really sucks to access on 4WD. It's roughly below the drivers seat.
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'87 Syncro
Ferric Oxyhydroxide Superleggera Edition

[Silverghost500]

If you're not getting fluid out of the passenger side you might have an issue with the rubber supply line going to the caliper. Sometimes the interiors of them deteriorate and act like a check valve.
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1986 Volkswagen Vanagon Westfalia "Von Westy"
Honda K24A converversion-Road Testing Phase
3-Speed Automatic

Von Westy YouTube Channel
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbhyZYxJEQrUuLnMbLleeIA

[dobryan]

^^^^

This.

Replace the flexible line and I bet all will be well.
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Dave O
'87 Westy w/ 2002 Subaru EJ25 and Peloquin TBD

"To travel hopefully is a better thing than to arrive." Robert Louis Stevenson

MD>Canada>AK>WA>OR>CA>AZ>UT>WY>SD
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=620646

Building a bus for travel in Europe (euroBus)
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=695371

The Western Syncro build
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=746794

[wecm31]

Thanks for the input!

The rubber brake lines are original, thought had occurred to me that new ones would be a good idea!

Ordered from GW, will report back after changing them out👍
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Gerald P
1985 Vanagon (Betty) & 1985 BMW R80RT (Wilhelm)
vintage boxers!!

Gone are the days we stopped to decide
Where we should go, we just ride:)

[zerotofifty]

JBugs sells these hoses for considerably less money than GoWesty.
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Give peace a chance. No American war with Russia!