Best way to bleed the brakes?

[Nick]

Suggestions please fellas.

I've just changed the brake pads on my 405 (cheers for the help Jiff!)

But the problem wasn't with the pads, its the brake system itself. I noticed a bit of what I thought was moisture when I was doing the pads, but upon refitting everything, the pedal is still as soft as soft can be and the brake warning light has come on.

I checked that all was ok with my fitting of the pads, and had a closer look at the 'moisture' to see it was a brake fluid leak from the bleed nipple. A few twists of the nipple (so to speak) and no more leakage but now the brake fluid reservoir needs topping up and I obviously ahve air in the system.

So, whats the best way of doing it? I did it once before, years ago on a Renualt 5 using the split tube method, but I was wondering if anyone had a better way.

They will be only me working on the car, so pumping the pedal and tightening the nut at the same time is impossible.

Suggestions?

[Jiff Lemon]

Limp the motor over to mine Two hands always better than one. (or get the missus on the pedal!)

You can get a one-man easibleed kit that takes pressure from a spare tyre to pressurise the clylinder, but I always found they were more hassle!

The other one is a bleed tube with a one way valve in it.

[turbo]

yer just get a two man bleeding kit from halfords/any motor factors and simply loosen off the bleed nipple with bleeding pipe over the top of it, then get the 2nd person 2 pump the brakes.

Keep an eye on the brake fluid level and when there are no more visable air bubbles coming through tighten the bleed nipple and move onto the next wheel!

[Nox]

and make sure you keep the fluid topped up in the engine bay - bit of a pain if you start sucking air back into the system...

Nox

[Nick]

Bloody thing!

Right, finally felt 'ok' enough to risk a drive to the motor shop to get a bleed kit and some brake fluid. (For those that don't know, I had an op in the groinal area so I've been very sore and walking like John Wayne all week).

Anyway, I get back to find that the keys to the garage are missing meaning I can't get to any of my tools... bugger.

So, I dig out a pair of pliers and cadge an adjustable spanner of a neighbour to loosen the bleed valves and get set to sort it out.

Now, when I did the brake pads last week, the front right wheel nuts were stiffer than a stiff thing. In the ned I got out a really heavy duty socket arm I have, slapped a socket on that and managed to get the nuts off. I was a bit crafty putting them back on though as I used the tyre wrench that comes with the car jack to put the nuts back on... the reasoning being that if I use that wrnch to put them on, I can't do them up too tight to use that wrench to take them off if I have a flat in the middle of nowhere.

Also, because the nuts squeaked something rotten as they came out, I gave each one a dab of grease when I re-fitted the wheel.

Anyway, I decide to check that the bleed nipple on this wheel, (which I noticed had a bit of fluid around it when I did the pads), probably needs a proper tightening up before I start to bleed the system.

Now, can I get even ONE nut to budge an inch on this wheel? Not on your nelly.

I'm heaving, I'm pushing, pulling, yanking... and each time I can feel the damage from the op giving me grief...

In the end I fit the wrench, hold onto the free end and put my full weight on one foot on the arm of the wrench... the pulling sensation in the groinal area is considerable, but I NEED to get this wheel off!

I feel a bit of movement, grit my teeth for the pain and give it one last really good push...

Off comes the wrench from the nut, down goes my head to smack a good one on the offside wing, the free end of the wrench whacks into the conrete mincing my fingers and my foot stamps HARD into to the ground.

Now, you know that horrible jarring feeling you get if you mis-hit with a slegde hammer? Imagine that travelling up your legs and centering itself on your family jewels...

So now I'm back indooors, my balls ache horribly, my hand hurts like hell and my forehead feels all hot and bruised....

Sod cars... I'm gonna get a chaffuer...

[IainB]

Deck - if you need a hand, drop me a PM mate

[Nick]

Cheers dude, seems I've been barking up the wrong tree anyway... MIght well be the master cylinder has gone.

Jiff suspected it might, the guy in the shop reckons it could be and when I described to a family friend who's a mechanic how the brakes suddenly went from fine to gone in two pedal pushes, he was certain the master cylinder has failed, prolly a seal in it gone.

Gonna get a new one today, Pug don't make a part, you have to by the whole thing, but they're only £60-80 quid depending on which type I have... so its not as expensive as I feared...

Sticking it on is another matter, but if Jiff can do it, I can!

[Nick]

Yep, it was the master cylinder...

I replaced that today and all I have to do is bleed the brakes and I should be sorted.

I'm getting some pressure build up in the pedal with the engine off, which I wasn't before, but as soon as I tunr the engine on, the pedal goeas all the way to the firewall again.

I'm going to have to take a VERY careful drive down to the local gargage though as I simply cannot remove the wheel nuts on the front tyres... absolute nightmare... I bent TWO tyre spanners and snapped open TWO sockets today trying to do them. I've no idea why the damn thiongs are so stiff, but it's going to need an airgun to get them off again for sure.

Anyways, should have the brakes bled tomoz, then all I have to do is go and buy a new tyre iron and a new winscreen washer hose junction thingie... yep, it snapped as I was removing the wiper arms to allow me to remove the bonnet facia to allow me to remove the master cylinder....

Gotta love Haynes manuals... sure enough, as soon as I read "Carefully prise off..." I knew it was going to bloody well break....