Bleedin Brakes

[Neil Clark]

I had bled them on my own using an easy bleed and hadn't moved the car for a few weeks.  I started on the furthest away brake, o/s rear and worked my way back via n/s rear, o/s front and n/s front (which looked closest to the master cylinder).  Today the master cylinder is completely empty and I can't see any drainage marks on the drive nor damage to paint etc.  I had tried to check every union when I did it and looked for seepage, they  certainly seemed firm and dry enough.  

Does brake fluid evaporate easily?

Is there a way for me, on my own, to bleed and check for seepages simultaneously?  

Can anyone advise how much brake fluid should go into a Spitfire Mk1 system?  Can't be that much can it?

Thanks 

[Colin Lindsay]

Silly question but you did refill the master cylinder as you went along? Bleeding can use a lot of fluid and it needs constantly topped up as you go.

Sometimes a large airbubble in the system can rise to the cylinder even after they've been bled, if the air was not all removed - for that reason I never liked the Eezibleed and always just used pedal pressure. Refill the master cylinder and monitor for a while; it may not drop any further but if it's completely empty you'll have to rebleed the system anyway.

The fluid doesn't evaporate. If you press the pedal hard whilst stationary see if it sinks to the floor; if it does you'll have a considerable leak that should be easily spotted. Leaks from wheel cylinders will unfortunately be behind the drums and in around the shoes so not so easily spotted.

[Pete Lewis]

any problems before you decided to bleed them ??

its easy to use over half a litre 

as Colin says wheel cyls are not easy to spot , unless you get a drip on the backplate ,   the other hiding area is at the pushrod , and its running down the pedal onto the floor  easy to spot if you lift the push rod boot .

pete

[Neil Clark]

Oh!  I hadn't used anything like half a litre.  I'll do it again and see where we go.

[Pete Lewis]

be sure to top up after each nipple bleed  ,keep the catch jar high above the nipple 

if you can get help  , bleed with a fast push down , nip up , back slow, reopen,   down fast ,   nip up  ,   back slow    top up the reservoir  frequently 

doesnt really matter what order or where yu start , the basic process will work where ever.

Pete

[Neil Clark]

Pete why does the catch jar have to be above the nipple?

[Pete Lewis]

its a simple way to ensure  air rises and this keeps the tube and nipple threads submerged so no air gets sucked back into the tube through the threads 

try not to knock it over  ha !

Pete

[yorkshire_spam]

I've had a 0% success rate with Eezibleed, all it seemed to do was presurise things and then p155 fluid everywhere.

On the other hand I really rate the 1-way valve solo-bleed things like these:

Although I find I get 2 or 3 sessions (over a period of months/years) out of them before they clog up, but at about 4 quid each I'm not that fussed.

Cheers,

Sam

 

[DerekS]

I use the same, Sam, very effective but as you say they dont last. I tried using one of the vacuum kits off ebay and found it a complete waste of time and money, pulling air in round the bleed nipple threads. Yet another good tip about the jar, Pete, when are you going to write your book with all these in?

[Mjit]

I've probably spent more on brake bleeding tools than anything else for my cars...and I still find myself coming back to the Visibleed!

Never had one clog, but the plastic retaining strip will split on the very first bleed nipple and after a couple of years the tubing starts to split - but costs almost nothing (one on eBay for £3.47/free deliver) and unlike Eezibleed it works on every system (could never find a correclty sized cap for either me brake of clutch m/c) and never randomly blows off the m/c in a shower of brake fluid, or as derekskill found just sucked air around the nipple like the DIY vacuum ones.

 

Attach to nipple, open nipple, pump pedal 4 times, check bleeder pipe for air bubbles and either nip up nipple or top up m/c and repeat.

[Neil Clark]

I've got a solo bleed.  I'll try again.

[Clive]

I have given up entirely and just use a bit of clear tube. Possibly washer tube? push onto bleed nipple, and you can just let gravity do the work if you are patient. But a glamorous assistant is helpful, and easy to train. (both daughters knew the system from about 9 years old)

Still occasionally stumble across an awkward one, but never a Triumph.

[NonMember]

12 minutes ago, clive said:

But a glamorous assistant is helpful, and easy to train. (both daughters knew the system from about 9 years old)

I'm quite sure a 9-year-old girl would be a LOT more help than an 18-year-old gamer-boy!

[Pete Lewis]

if you do need some assistance , plug the end of your bleed tube and slice with a stanley blade a short slit in the tube wall this acts as a valve 

cheap and works 

less complicated than finding a blonde or glamorous  assistant ...no strings   Ha!

[dougbgt6]

You don’t need a glamorous assistant. Ring spanner and plain plastic tube on the nipple, other end of tube into jam jar. Open nipple, frantic pumping of brake pedal, run round car, close nipple. 

As long as the end of the tube is below the level of fluid in the jam jar, there will be fluid between nipple and pipe. Gravity slows the fluid trying to climb back up the pipe, you have perhaps 5 seconds to get to nipple and close it. Simples!

Doug

[Pete Lewis]

Doug,    in your slippers and a gammy leg     whos' rushing 

its raining thats another day you havnt got the robot lawn mower working 

it will soon be a Classic  Ha!!!

Pete

 

[thescrapman]

1 hour ago, clive said:

 

Still occasionally stumble across an awkward one, but never a Triumph.

Says a man who has clearly never had a big saloon.

The Lockheed  brake master has a built in airlock facility. 

 

 

[dougbgt6]

Ha! I had a son-in-law round yesterday to mow the grass and cut back the undergrowth. Computerised lawn mowing will soon be reality.

Doug

[68vitesse]

If worried about getting air in around bleed nipple threads put a bit of grease on to seal also helps prevent nipple from rusting and seizing.

Regards

Paul

[Clive]

55 minutes ago, thescrapman said:

Says a man who has clearly never had a big saloon.

The Lockheed  brake master has a built in airlock facility. 

 

 

Indeed not. I guess we can't blame that on Spen King?

[Adrian]

On 07/07/2020 at 09:36, yorkshire_spam said:

I've had a 0% success rate with Eezibleed, all it seemed to do was presurise things and then p155 fluid everywhere.

On the other hand I really rate the 1-way valve solo-bleed things like these:

Although I find I get 2 or 3 sessions (over a period of months/years) out of them before they clog up, but at about 4 quid each I'm not that fussed.

Cheers,

Sam

 

I’ve had reasonable success (eventually) with the ezibleed but because the gt6 needs the ‘strap on’ adaptor on both occasions I’ve had fluid leaking everywhere because of not getting it sealed well enough. I might look into the solo bleed.  Now before it starts I am aware of the wording of this post regarding strap on and fluid everywhere!

[Mjit]

You're not Rishi Sunak's speech writer are you?  "Eat out to help out" didn't lead some of the dirtier minds on the Internet in to thinking about restaurants 😐

[Neil Clark]

I read the box instead of guessing.  Mines a solo bleed, not an easybleed.  

Changing the subject, if the rear wheel brake cylinders are leaking I've a dilemma.  Were the drums interchangeable between the early and later cars?  There are two cylinder sizes listed in the Moss catalogue and my rear axle is the later swing axle.

[dougbgt6]

There are 4 cylinders 5/8”, 11/16”, 3/4” and 7/8”. The 7/8” were on the very late mk3s and no longer available from Rimmers or Canleys. I know this ‘cos I just bought some, just in case, from Paddocks. Rimmers have the 3 earlier models.

Also late drums are 1.5” wide as opposed to earlier which were 1.25”

I suspect the beefed up late rear brakes were too good, which is why the servo, standard on the late model, is only on the front brakes. Earlier models, the optional servo worked on front and back.

Doug

[Neil Clark]

Thanks Doug