It worked perfectly and there was no leakage or spill. I figured it'd be a little easier to do it this way rather than hunt down all the parts. Time was a little more important in this case. The Motive bleeder is real high quality and should last. I believe the connection is the same for the brake fluid reservoir and clutch reservoir, too.
It worked great; my brakes felt exactly the same after replacing the fluid. The Motive is a tight system.
Alex Abdalla
6575
Late 1981, Grey 5-speed, 75k miles. Built 11/11/81
Yeah the HELP brand cap should have come with a seal that fits into the cap. I had to cut the center of the seal out to clear the brass fittings I screwed onto the cap. A big o-ring would work too.
There is also a tiny hole in the HELP cap that allows air to vent in and out as the fluid level changes. I plugged it with a little screw.
I have recently rebuilt my front brakes with new pads, hardware kit, pistons, bore seal, dust shield and shield clips. I reused the original calipers after cleaning them thoroughly (as well as the bolts holding them together).
I have both fronts all back together and ready to be bled. I did not touch anything on the rear brakes throughout the front rebuild. I also kept a close eye on the reservoir and it never fell more than a millimeter or two and to my knowledge, and never exposed the master cylinder below to any air. I used the suggestion to wrap a latex glove/rubber band around the end of the open brake line while the caliper was removed and that worked pretty well. I don't think very much leaked out below based on what I saw in the catch pan I had underneath there.
I have what I believe I will need to bleed the fronts myself and manually using the brake pedal. I have some clear tubing, a bottle to place the end of the tubing in and submerged with extra DOT4 brake fluid.
My question is: is there a requirement for the car to be on with engine running in order to adequately bleed the brakes? I ask this not because of the electrical or the reservoir sensor or something, but to do with the vacuum system and brake booster. If the engine is not on and there is no vacuum, then the brake booster isn't in effect. I was wondering if this in any way affects how effective the brake bleeding is?
My car has the front in the air still and has not been started in about one month. I could start it as is if necessary, but would prefer to get the wheels back on and off the jack stands before I do that.
I have recently rebuilt my front brakes with new pads, hardware kit, pistons, bore seal, dust shield and shield clips. I reused the original calipers after cleaning them thoroughly (as well as the bolts holding them together).
I have both fronts all back together and ready to be bled. I did not touch anything on the rear brakes throughout the front rebuild. I also kept a close eye on the reservoir and it never fell more than a millimeter or two and to my knowledge, and never exposed the master cylinder below to any air. I used the suggestion to wrap a latex glove/rubber band around the end of the open brake line while the caliper was removed and that worked pretty well. I don't think very much leaked out below based on what I saw in the catch pan I had underneath there.
I have what I believe I will need to bleed the fronts myself and manually using the brake pedal. I have some clear tubing, a bottle to place the end of the tubing in and submerged with extra DOT4 brake fluid.
My question is: is there a requirement for the car to be on with engine running in order to adequately bleed the brakes? I ask this not because of the electrical or the reservoir sensor or something, but to do with the vacuum system and brake booster. If the engine is not on and there is no vacuum, then the brake booster isn't in effect. I was wondering if this in any way affects how effective the brake bleeding is?
My car has the front in the air still and has not been started in about one month. I could start it as is if necessary, but would prefer to get the wheels back on and off the jack stands before I do that.
The motor doesn't need to be running. The pedal is just a little harder but not all that much. If you find it necessssary you can use both feet. You should bleed all 4 calipers enough to flush all of the old fluid out. Takes about 4 of those little bottles. Figure another one for the clutch. Get a "One Man Brake Bleeder". It is inexpensive. It is 2 pieces of tubing and a plastic check valve. You can do it yourself but just keep checking the reservoir so you NEVER let it get so low as to draw in air during the procedure. If you do you must start all over again from the beginning. If the pedal is spongy or soft when you are done it means you still have air in the system and you must do it again till you have ALL of the air out.
...With the car on, when I push the brakes they go almost to the floor, and it's not too terribly hard to press down.
If I pump the brake very quickly, it becomes hard as a rock instantly. If I let off the brake for a few seconds then push again though, it feels softer again and goes to the floor.
With the car off, after pumping them a few times (like the manual says in the bleeding procedures), they feel pretty hard.
Is this a sign that there is just some air in the lines still somewhere I need to bleed out? Hoping so!
Originally Posted by David T
The motor doesn't need to be running. The pedal is just a little harder but not all that much. If you find it necessssary you can use both feet.
Thanks for the reply David. I was just about to write something along the lines of "yea, I figured as much, but I wasn't sure what was going on inside the brake booster." Well, never hurts to keep learning and I stumbled upon this great video explaining the vacuum assisted braking principle. It might explain part of what the OP mentioned too.
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Originally Posted by Minkman
