Here's the deal. I have an 84 firebird with rear brake calipers. I put it on jackstands to take off the rear brake calipers because they were seized as a result of rust. I was dumb and decided to put a cup underneith the hose and pump the brake pedal and watch all the brake fluid go into a cup. Stupid of me. Well, the fluid stopped coming out of the hose and into the cup. So sure enouph I drained the master cylinder. But, I only took one caliper off and left the other one on. So, I drained the fluid from one caliper hose into a cup by pushing on the brake pedal inside the car. Then I took off the other caliper (but didn't drain it). So I go to the store a week later to get the new calipers. I put them on (Didn't connect the parking brakes, of that weight thing) and tried bleeding the brakes. Well, we filled the master cylinder, and nothing is coming out of the bleeder screws, not even air. (Well, some did out of the one I took off last). The funny thing is, When I dissconnected the hoses from the calipers, fluid comes right out. What is the problem? Is there TOO much air in the system? Do I need to fully connect everything, even the parking brakes? please help because I need to get this car back on the road. Thanks. Or, would It be worth just going to midas to have them fix any problem. : confused:

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1984 Firebird SE
1985 Camaro z28 305 engine T-5 Five Speed Tranny Performer Intake, Accel Distributor, Raceing Starter, 650 CFM Carb, .488 Lift Cam, Dual Exhaust.
92 Camaro Leather Seats Console, carpet everything. Soon to put in 700R4 and 427CI. (Hopefully)

 

huh, that little face thingy didn't work. Here, I'll try it again.

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1984 Firebird SE
1985 Camaro z28 305 engine T-5 Five Speed Tranny Performer Intake, Accel Distributor, Raceing Starter, 650 CFM Carb, .488 Lift Cam, Dual Exhaust.
92 Camaro Leather Seats Console, carpet everything. Soon to put in 700R4 and 427CI. (Hopefully)

 

you had a space after : when you completely drain the master cylander you are supposed to take it off and bench bleed it. I don't know how to do it but I have read that you're not supposed to let it get all the way out, because you will have to take it off and do this. good luck, I'm sure someone can tell you how to bench bleed it.

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'86 IROC 5-speed
305 LG4
edelbrock performer rpm intake
edelbrock 600 cfm carb
msd pro billet hei distributer
'95 3.23 rearend
hotchkis rear suspension
PST front polygraphite suspension
"speed kills. buy a f@&d, live forever."

 

Does anyone have anything else they want to add? Please. Thank you fellow third gens.

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1984 Firebird SE
1985 Camaro z28 305 engine T-5 Five Speed Tranny Performer Intake, Accel Distributor, Raceing Starter, 650 CFM Carb, .488 Lift Cam, Dual Exhaust.
92 Camaro Leather Seats Console, carpet everything. Soon to put in 700R4 and 427CI. (Hopefully)

 

What I usually do when working on my brakes is to plug any lines that I disconnect. That way they don't drip fluid and air doesn't contaminate the system. Plugging a line VERY simple - I use a piece of cling wrap and a small rubber band. Wrap the cling wrap around the open end and use the rubber band to secure the wrap. It's that simple.

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'88 IROC 305 TPI
Freshly converted to 5 speed
Gutted airboxes
180 degree T-stat
Advanced base TPS voltage
Relocated IAT sensor
Momo steering wheel (gotta luv it)
Ram-air setup coming soon
Flowmaster muffler (puke)
Taylor SpiroPro wires
Accel cap and rotor
Ported plenum
Throttle body bypass
Kills: '94 Z28, Olds Aurora V8, bunch of Mustangs, T-birds, ricers, and others who assumed a 13 year-old car would be too slow.

 

Oh man, bench bleeding sucks... I went thru this hell when I put rear discs from an '84 trans am onto my car. I bought a rebuilt m/c that turned out to be bad, and would not bench bleed- I'm forever scarred. Now I hate brake fluid as well as antifreeze!

But, anyway, the procedure's in the Haynes 82-92 Firebird manual. Basically, you need to remove the master cylinder from the car. (Leave the aluminum prop valve in the car.) Cover your fenders, brake fluid ruins paint.

Dump out all the old brake fluid, and put the m/c in a bench vise. Clamp it by using one of the mounting holes used to hold the m/c to the car. Now, you'll need plugs that fit the master cylinder ports. (Er, you might want to buy those first! You could always snag some prop-valve-to-master-cylinder lines from a junkyard car.)

If you have plugs, put them in. If you have junkyard m/c lines, run them back into the m/c reservoir with some clear tubing.

Put new fluid in the m/c. Using a big phillips head screwdriver, force the m/c piston into the bore SLOWLY, as if you were pressing the brake pedal down. When the piston's all the way down:

1. If using the plugs, loosen the one closest to the back of the m/c (this is for your front brakes). Air and fluid will explode out. Tighten the fitting agin.

2. If using the spare lines & clear tubing, you'll see a bunch of air/fluid go up into the tubing.

Release the piston SLOWLY. Wait 15 or 20 seconds, this allows the quick-take-up valve to fill with fluid. (This is the slight bulge at the bottom rear of the steel m/c body.) Repeat the process until it seems like no more air is exploding from the rearmost port.

Now, repeat the procedure by loosening/tightening the frontmost port (for your rear brakes).

If you used lines going back into the m/c, all you do is keep stroking the m/c piston until you see no more air in the clear tubing. When you bottom the piston, you should wait until all the air bubbles rise away from the m/c ports. Then you play with the piston...as you let the piston spring back, it will try to suck those air bubbles back into the m/c. Hold the piston until the bubbles rise high enough, then let the piston out some more, etc.

I could NOT find any brass plugs to plug the ports in the m/c. They're metric, by the way, for your '84. I used junkyard lines and vinyl tubing.

Once that m/c is bench bled, carry the whole thing (plugs in the ports, or the lines going back into the m/c reservoir) back to the car and install it. Now, quickly, reconnect the m/c to the prop valve. Finally, bleed your brakes at each caliper as normal, in the order of RearRight, RearLeft, FrontRight, FrontLeft.

Good luck...


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-Tom P (Hot rodded 1986 Firebird 2.8l)