displacedtexan

Well I went this morning to have my new tires put on. While they were off the salesman took me to the back, the front passenger caliper was wearing way more than the other, and the rear passenger shoe was coming apart... So I leave the tire place, go get new pads, shoes, calipers, Chevy rear wheel cylinders, and oil & filter (while I'm at it.)

Get it all swaped out, one wheel at a time, no big deal at all. Change my oil. I went around the truck (driver rear, pass rear, pass front, driver front) twice bleeding the brakes. Pedal goes straight to the floor, truck has no brakes at all... So I go around twice more in the same order, this time using the hose on the bleeder screw and in brake fluid method described in the repair manual. I saw no bubbles, but still no brakes.

Do I just need to keep going around untill the ABS light stays off and the pedal feel is back to normal? Or am I missing something? I gave it up for the night, I was gonna hit in the morning with some rest, and hopefully some tips from yall. Thanks.

Geico266

It's got to be air in the system.

displacedtexan

Just got off the phone with a mechanic buddy... He said the same thing. I had been working on it all day, just wanting to make sure I wasn't forgetting something I should have known. I have made that mistake before

redhauler

You Must Bleed them some more Young Luke Skywalker
Make shure the wheel cylinders didn't come out in the drum..

displacedtexan

??? Now I'm confused, and I know it aint that late... Little more detailed explaniation?

Timmay2

Check this link out; towards the bottom.

http://thedodgegarage.com/tools.html

If you could find some way to pressurize the brake system to say 3 psi, and hold it, such as his example with a regulator and gauge, you can do all four wheels in hardly any time without pressing the pedal.

Known a feel people who have done it w/ success.

AlpineRAM

I usually just tap into the vacuum system and use a glass jar with a metal lid and two hoses going into it- one going to the bottom of the jar, gets connected to the caliper I want to bleed, one flush with hte lid of the jar goint to a T in the vacuum line- voila, instant dirt cheap vacuum brake venting system. Just let the engine run, fill the reservoir, connect the line to the bleed screw and open it up a crack. The vacuum sucks the old fluid out of the sytem, taking air and crud with it, as long as you keep the reservoir topped off it's a piece of cake

AlpineRAM

Mopar1973man

Now there is a idea...

I've got the ol' glass jar with the hose in it. But I've never had that much problems with bleeding a hydraulic system before. I just make sure the end of the hose is covered with brake fluid and then very slowly pump the brakes without the engine running. Also only open the bleed screw very little... Basically just a 1/8 to 1/4 turn from seated.

Jeff in TD

Years ago I bought a mity-vac hand vacuum pump that comes with a bunch of fittings, hoses and a little jar.

Though I don't use it often, it is one of the better tool purchases I have ever made.

Works well for brake bleeding, though a little teflon tape on the bleeder screw threads is sometimes needed to keep air from sucking past the threads.

Also works nice for changing the fluid in the fork of my Road-King without disassembly.

Anyhow, I'd recommend stopping by an auto parts store and picking one up.

infidel

2nd what Jeff said.
A hand vacuum tool with gauge is an essential tool if you're working on your own rigs. Not only for easy brake bleeding but for vacuum system trouble shooting.

When I do the cylinder swap I loop a hose upwards from the bleeder into a jar and let gravity fill the cylinder and bleed air. Often no pumping or just one pump is required.

One thing that can go wrong with pump the pedal bleeding is that you push the pedal down further than it would normally go. Often this part of the master cylinder is rusted and pushing into it will rip up o-rings.

Mopar1973man

This is a good reason to change your brake fluid every 2 years of every 60K miles. Brake fluid naturally absorbs moisture from the air and will cause rusting in the brake system. Also as the fluid darkens in will get a lower boiling point from the moisture it absorbs. As it get worse it can cause brake failure...

Toto

It could be the master cylinder.
Under normal closed brake system conditions the "piston" in the master cylinder only moves a certain amount.
Beyond that normal travel, there can be a built up of contaminants where the piston seals never contact...untill you bleed the brakes.
Many folks end up pushing the brake pedal down more than it's normal everyday travel, hit the "rough spot" and damage the 0 riings on the master cylinder piston....new or rebuilt master cylinder needed....not a bad idea anyway if the truck is quite a few years old.
Not saying this is what happened to you...but just a thought.

Oh Jeeze...sorry infidel....you already said this...I didnt read close eneogh..

infidel

Nothing wrong with reinforcing it Toto.
This is the probably the most often cause of poor brakes after bleeding especially if it hasn't been done regularly.
If you don't have other means besides pumping the pedal to bleed at least put a board under the pedal to keep it from being pushed down into the danger zone.

redhauler

I ment sometimes the shoes don't seat on the rods that push out from the wheel cylinder and will cause the wheel cylinder cups to shoot out of the cylinder and empty fluid into the wheel Don't ask how I know this.but sometimes being in a hurry things happen.


They make a Pressure Bleeder for doing this, connects to resevoir and applies pressure while keeping it full and slowly forces out the air have used one for years at the shop ,Strap On has them.Description:
Services all basic brake systems as well as most imports, domestic trucks, and buses. 0 to 60 PSI pressure gauge range. Built-in heavy-duty safety valve opens at 55 PSI and releases at 25 PSI. Unit has a large four-gal. reservoir. 12' long hose features quick coupler and automatic fluid shut-off valve. Extension handle and three swivel casters provide easy mobility.
Includes BB300B29G, BB300B39GC, and BB300B41-G9 Adaptors plus two bleeder hoses, automatic fill nozzle, syringe, fill funnel, and plastic cup. Use only D.O.T. 3, D.O.T 4 or D.O.T 5 Automotive Brake Fluid with this brake bleeder. Do not use any other fluids, oils, chemicals or solvents.
The BB300B Brake Bleeder Kit will service domestic and imported cars and light trucks form almost every major maufacturer. See your Snap-onŽ representative for a full list of automotive applications. or you can make you one some of the guy's have done so.

displacedtexan

I did, thanks for the tip... worked awesome, went ahead and flushed the fluid while I was at it. Took about an hour, almost no mess