I have done brake jobs, flushes, bleeds, for years. This is the only vehicle I've ever had that has had so much trouble.

Once again I replaced the right rear caliper because it was leaking. The brakes actually worked just fine before; firm pedal, etc. But now with the new caliper on, I can't get the brakes to bleed so that I have a firm pedal. It's super spongey and they don't work that well. I've already run THREE liters of fluid through the system with a friend pumping the bed as I open and close the bleeder valve. No air bubbles at all are appearing in the fluid. I even bled the other wheels just to be sure there was no air in there.

Not sure what to do at this point. I used to try a Mity Vac, but it has since stopped working (well, it broke) and I don't really feel like buying another one since it never made a difference anyway.

Ideas?

 

I used to run into this occasionally, mostly on earlier 4-wheel disc Cadillacs...One solution was to use a pressure bleeder backwards, forcing the trapped air bubble UP into the M/C where it escaped...If you try it make sure you put a drain pan under the M/C......Ben

 

Hmm.... where would I find one of these? I like that idea. I suppose maybe I could try using an air attachment on the end of my air hose and stick it in the end of the plastic bleed line and turn down the regulator (from 90 psi) lest I want brake fluid over half the county.

Wait, no, that won't work. That would be the reverse of what I'm trying to do...

 

Every shop I ever worked in had at least one...I made up an attachment for the hose that fit over the bleeder screw and held the low pressure......Ben

 

I don’t know if right or left calipers will interchange, but if you have the wrong caliper installed that will put the bleeders valve at the bottom of the caliper. You will never get all the air out unless the bleeders is on top

 

Nope, the left and right are specific, to keep the valves on top. I actually had that problem two calipers ago, where they gave me the wrong one (it was in the wrong box) and I didn't realize that was the issue. Then I got the right now and it bled more easily, but was still annoying.

 

Man, I love my mity vac. Gets all the air out, the first time, quickly.

I think rebuild kits are available.

There are also cheaper harbor freight ones, though I don’t know how they are.