I have been having a sticking problem with my brakes just recently. The left would stick, but if I knocked the proportioning valve it would release. So i took the valve off and soaked it in mineral spirits.


Upon bleeding the system I found out that no fluid is coming to my rear disk brakes. Why is this? Could my proportioning valve be totally shot? Also the left front was very hard to push when bleeding the system rather than the front right was very easy. Why is this?

I cannot handle this brake problem much longer. It is making me go mad.

 

2 symptoms of needing the left front rubber hose. I'll bet it also has the 3rd symptom: the car pulls to the right under heavy braking, right?

See my signature for a helpful troubleshooting hint.

And like all other brake parts, if one side is like that, the other isn't far behind. Service both sides identically, otherwise you'll be right back again to where you are now, soon enough.There was a native American tribe that believed that lunar eclipses were caused by a giant frog eating the moon. Their religious ritual for dealing with this catastrophe was that they had a specific dance and incantation that they would use to weaken the frog, after which they would bang on stuff and shout and otherwise make as much noise as they could to scare the frog away. And guess what.... it WORKED, EVERY SINGLE TIME!!!! The proof of course is, that the moon was never eaten.

Same with the prop valve.

The prop valve affects both the L & R wheels identically. It CANNOT POSSIBLY do what you are attributing to it. What's actually happening is, the fluid is managing to eeek back out of the caliper through the rusted-shut line (just like the moon moving through the shadow of the Earth and out of the eclipse), one molecule at a time, during the length of time it takes you to get out and doink on the PV (do the dance etc.). Which is of course why messing with the PV actually accomplished nothing.

Change your rubber lines, and leave the PV alone.

 

Okay I understand that, but why would I have no fluid to my rear brakes?

 

Probably needs the rubber line going to the rears as well.

The way those fail, besides breaking off at the crimp, is by rusting on the inside. The fittings on the ends are just regular steel. They rust, and the crusties build up inside there and eventually clog off the line, like hardening of the arteries.

The reason the line has rusted up is probably because there's been moisture inside the system for a LONG time. Brake fluid ATTRACTS moisture, in fact will actually DRAW IT INTO the system through any kind of a leak (which is why you're supposed to leave the cap on the brake fluid bottle AT ALL TIMES except when pouring it out...). Even just leaving the master cyl cap off for an hour on a hot steamy day can get enough moisture into it to be destructive.

So think about it.... you've got a system that's had however much water in it for however long; and you already know that ONE of the lines is rusted shut. What kind of shape might the OTHER lines, which have been subjected to the EXACT SAME conditions for the EXACT SAME length of time, might be in? Ordinarily you wouldn't expect multiple things to fail in the same way at the same time, that not being a "high probability" happening, if the separate events are independent; but in a case like this, they are NOT independent, precisely because of the moisture effect.

You might want to just get the Earl's stainless line kit for your car and change all 3 of them out at once.

When you do that, replace ALL the brake fkuid, by bleeding them until only clear new fluid comes out all 4 wheels. DO NOT let the MC run dry during the process, or you WILL be in permanent "spongy pedal Hell"!!! (until you remove the MC from the car, bench-bleed it successfully, then bleed the whole system AGAIN, fully, afterwards)

 

Ya right now I have brand new fluid. I did the whole draining already, but theres only one rubber line to the rears? If so thats why I did not put the idea of both my rear brakes being completely shutoff.