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plimthing Samba Member
Joined: March 29, 2014 Posts: 278 Location: West Midlands UK
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Posted: Sun Jan 28, 2018 6:24 am Post subject: Brake Bleeding |
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Hi all
Not a question, more of a finding I wanted to share with you all!
Whilst bleeding the brakes on my 72 all was going well until I got to the rear left hand brake. No matter how hard we pumped on the pedal or how full we kept the fluid reservoir got nothing from the bleed nipple.
Next I disconnected the flexi pipe from the solid pipe right before the brake, tried again and nothing....performed the same disconnect at the top of the left rear flexi pipe and got same result. Fluid was flowing and air free to the right hand rear brake.
so I removed the solid pipe that goes from the small brass 'T' piece and travels across the gearbox/transmission to the left hand flexi pipe. tried blowing air through it and nothing came out!
Looks like the pipe, with no obvious kinks or tight bends in it had become fully blocked and made the left hand brake useless.
Maybe you guys have experienced this before but for me a first time.
Just thought i'd share the experience with you!
Enjoy your Sunday. |
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pioneer1 Samba Member
Joined: February 11, 2008 Posts: 2068 Location: Ontario Canada
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Posted: Sun Jan 28, 2018 10:00 am Post subject: Re: Brake Bleeding |
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The same here. I was replacing all the flex hoses so I just cut them. One was solid with gunk. _________________ "Always waiting for tomorrow ruined everything"
'85 Porsche 911 Targa
'76 Westfalia project |
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aeromech Samba Member
Joined: January 24, 2006 Posts: 16926 Location: San Diego, California
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Posted: Sun Jan 28, 2018 10:36 pm Post subject: Re: Brake Bleeding |
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Good reason to change out your brake fluid every few years. It absorbs water and you know what happens after that. _________________ Lead Mechanic: San Diego Air and Space Museum
Licensed Airframe and Powerplant Mechanic
Licensed Pilot (Single engine Land)
Boeing 727,737-200-300-400,757,767
Airbus A319,320,321
DC9/MD80
BAe146
Fokker F28/F100
VW type 1 1962,63,65,69,72
VW Type 2 1971 (3 ea.) 1978, 1969
VW Jetta
VW Passat
Capable of leaping tall buildings in a single bound |
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Abscate Samba Member
Joined: October 05, 2014 Posts: 22568 Location: NYC/Upstate/ROW
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Posted: Mon Jan 29, 2018 5:25 am Post subject: Re: Brake Bleeding |
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aeromech wrote: |
Good reason to change out your brake fluid every few years. It absorbs water and you know what happens after that. |
This has to be one of the most ignored service intervals ever. I guess people mitigate the safety issue if brakes by real using that the effects usually aren't acute, you just end up with a major brake bill at some pint from a seized caliper.
The number of threads on troublesome brake bleeding invariably caused by contamination is enough to keep me honest _________________ .ssS! |
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raygreenwood Samba Member
Joined: November 24, 2008 Posts: 21474 Location: Oklahoma City
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Posted: Mon Jan 29, 2018 8:32 am Post subject: Re: Brake Bleeding |
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I have been ranting for years that people need to change brake fluid like clockwork.....every two years even if it has not driven a single mile.....and that is even worse for the parts....disuse.
If you drive a lot and live in humid environments....change it every 1.5 years or less. Before symthetic fluids and modern brake systems.....this used to be the interval used by virtually every European car manufacturer.
And....if your brakes are functioning perfectly.....this is not even a difficult bleeding ritual. Its a brake "FLUSH".....if nothing else. Run some fluid through each wheel and poor in new fluid at the top.
Too many people over the years have been figuring that its just as easy to buy cheap cheap FLAPS calipers and MC's than do any work. Then....when they see the fit and quality issues they have to put up with....they panic and start asking about rebuilding what they have....only to find to at their cores are rusted junk. And its getting harder to find good German rebuildable caliper and MC cores.
A couple of flushes over the past decade could have prevented this. I keep saying conserve your brake parts. Maintain them. A master cylinder or caliper core will last forever if you simply change the fluid often enough to prevent rust. Ray |
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ToolBox Samba Member
Joined: January 27, 2004 Posts: 3439 Location: Detroit, where they don't jack parts off my ride in the parking lot of the 7-11
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Posted: Mon Jan 29, 2018 11:02 am Post subject: Re: Brake Bleeding |
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raygreenwood wrote: |
I have been ranting for years that people need to change brake fluid like clockwork.....every two years even if it has not driven a single mile.....and that is even worse for the parts....disuse.
If you drive a lot and live in humid environments....change it every 1.5 years or less. Before symthetic fluids and modern brake systems.....this used to be the interval used by virtually every European car manufacturer.
And....if your brakes are functioning perfectly.....this is not even a difficult bleeding ritual. Its a brake "FLUSH".....if nothing else. Run some fluid through each wheel and poor in new fluid at the top.
Too many people over the years have been figuring that its just as easy to buy cheap cheap FLAPS calipers and MC's than do any work. Then....when they see the fit and quality issues they have to put up with....they panic and start asking about rebuilding what they have....only to find to at their cores are rusted junk. And its getting harder to find good German rebuildable caliper and MC cores.
A couple of flushes over the past decade could have prevented this. I keep saying conserve your brake parts. Maintain them. A master cylinder or caliper core will last forever if you simply change the fluid often enough to prevent rust. Ray |
And you can be lazy and let gravity do it, just keep an eye on the fluid level. |
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