bad_ta_05

my brakes went out the other day. i checked them adn i found a big hole in the line that goes to the back. well i replaced the line, bled the brakes, and had brake for about 2 seconds. the gasket under my resivour cap is stretched out BAD and has 2 little bitty hole in it. could this be the problem or is there something else? after i bled the brakes and had it all together i had brakes for the 1st time i pushed it down, then nothing. just went to the floor. also you can hear something sounds like its spraying someplace and i think its from the master cylinder. again is this the gasket under the cap? if so what is this called and how much do they cost? thanks alot

jconrad

Sounds like maybe one of your connections isn't tight enough. Double check them first. If you don't find any problems there, then I'd look around the firewall, and booster to see if any fluid is leaking from the master cylinder.

bad_ta_05

my connections are super tight and there isnt a drop of fluid on them anywhere. there is fluid sprayed onto my headers and valve cover gaskets. so im guessing its coming from teh master cylinder. and that gasket isnt sealing and you can hear it. but i want ot make sure this is my problem.

RB83L69

Sounds like your master cyl has air in it.

Which would basically be inevitable; since all the fluid ran out the line and teh cyl filled with air, and unless you took it out and bench-bled it, it has air in it that will never come out as long as it's on the car.

bad_ta_05

so how do i fix this? i tried to blead it with teh bleader screws adn i got a ton of air and stuff out of them.

RBob

iTrader: (1)

Just this past weekend my SO's car blew out a rear brake line, rusted right through. Emptied the master cylinder too.

Anyway to bleed them I used the vacuum method. A small jar with two small tubes RTV'd to the lid (through it). Then small tubing hooking one tube to the bleeder and the other to a vacuum source (MityVac).

With my SO filling the MC I kept pulling vac until the fluid was clear. I switched from one wheel cylinder to the other and back a few times.

RBob.

RB83L69

The problem is, that when it's installed on the car the master cylinder is tilted at such an angle, that the line doesn't attach to it at its highest point; therefore, no matter how much you bleed it on the car, a pocket of air will always remain trapped up there. No amount of bleeding it on the car will ever get that air out, and you will have a permanently soft pedal.

You need to get the MC level, and bleed it by itself before you put it on the car. Usually you'd put it in a vise and use a couple of fittings with clear plastic lines that return the fluid to the reservoir; pump fluid through it while tilting it slightly all directions including perfectly level, so that all air in all hiding places in there has a chance to make it to the outlet fitting, and keep doing it until all the air is gone; then put it on the car, and bleed the whole system.

It makes a BIG difference,

frogmanjohn

Easiest way man, get a second person to watch the master cylinder after you fill it up with brake fluid and pump. Maybe they will see where the fluid is coming out at, since you are not seeing it anywhere else.

john

RBob

iTrader: (1)

RB83L69, I actually got lucky. I thought that I'd be doing the bench bleeding deal too. Figured it couldn't hurt to try the vacuum method first.

Now after reading your post Iwas, 'why did it work for me?'

(think, think, think) Ahh, the right rear of the car was on a jackstand pretty high up. The master cylinder (MC) was actually quite level (front to back), and tilted a tad sideways. Then, the lucky part is that the MC must have been just right to get all of the air out of it.

Didn't even think about it then, just crossed my fingers and vacuum bleed them. Good pedal too.

Believe it or not I got lucky with that whole project. Both bleeders opened without breaking off, and both rear lines (across diff) came off with out any bad words. Just wish all my projects worked out that way

RBob.