Bleeding brakes!

[alanscottj]

I have just put an hydraulic front brake on my series 2. I can't seem to get the brake fluid to move through the pipe, I am pumping the brake lever like mad and the level in the reservoir isn't moving at all. When I put one on my GP the reservoir was on the headset and I was able to bleed it really easy. Do I need to do something different this time given that the reservoir is far away from the hidden cylinder which is under the legshield opposite the brake.

[mick1]

Try disconnecting the reservoir (temporary) and lifting it as high as possible, then try bleeding it.....might help.

Also leaving it overnight sometimes allows the air to "float" to the highest point and escape.

[alanscottj]

Try disconnecting the reservoir (temporary) and lifting it as high as possible, then try bleeding it.....might help.

Also leaving it overnight sometimes allows the air to "float" to the highest point and escape.

Yeah, I have done that, the fluid filled the pipe between the reservoir and the master cylinder, I filled the reservoir again and refitted the pipe to the master cylinder. I thought that with the main pipe full it might start coming through when I pump the brake but no such joy, nothing

[Chris in Margate]

Are you sure you're opening the bleed valve enough ?

[alanscottj]

Are you sure you're opening the bleed valve enough ?

Yeah, it's fully open

[Monty]

I got a length of fish tank air pipe about 5 foot long, on the nipple and suck. As it starts to flow you can see the air and if you are stood up you can stop before you get a mouthful of fluid..

[alanscottj]

I got a length of fish tank air pipe about 5 foot long, on the nipple and suck. As it starts to flow you can see the air and if you are stood up you can stop before you get a mouthful of fluid..

Might give that a try once I get the fluid past the master cylinder

[Jazzy]

That set up looks an absolute nightmare to bleed.
is it possible to temporarily move the master to a position directly above the slave. If so cable tie the lever down, leave it alone for 24hrs and it should bleed itself.

[phil23fair]

Buy a decent sized syringe, fill it with brake fluid and using a short length of rubber hose wire the syringe to the hose and then onto the brake bleed nipple (get as much brake fluid in the rubber hose before you wire it onto th bleed nipple). Then depress the syringe and fill the system from the bottom up. All the air then gets pushed out from the bottom. I spent three evenings trying to bleed a hydraulic disc brake the conventional way with no success. With a syringe it was done in under 5 minutes.

[dave411]

Thats what I was going to say