redpoint5

Today I replaced the brakes on my girlfriend's Pontiac Grand Prix and noticed one side wore much faster than the other. Thinking it might be due to air in the lines, I decided to bleed the brakes.

Well my dad had removed the old fluid from the reservoir and I didn't check the level before beginning, so I ran the reservoir dry.

I have since topped off the reservoir several times and bled from each wheel, but the brakes are still very spongy. Do I need to prime or bleed the master cylinder when I run it dry, or should I be able to remove all air from the wheel calipers?

12valve@heart

May depend on how dry you ran it. If it was totally out, bleeding the master cylinder might be a good idea and it's simple to do if you have or can find the right fitting. Just run clear hose from the fittings screwed into the brake line holes back up into the top of the reservoir and then short-stroke the pedal till no air bubbles through the line. Then reconnect the brake line and bleed as normal - at least that's what my memory is telling me at 0100. Hope that helps. The day shift may have other solutions.

SIXSLUG

Sounds like reservoir has an air loc in it. Try as suggested above and get the air out.

Then if you are by yourself, 1/4 fill 4 mason jars with brake fluid and run a clear hose from the bleed screw into the brake fluid in each jar. Top off the res and pump the fluid thru til it gets low in the res and top off and keep pumping. keep an eye on the jars to ensure you are flowing fluid to them, then snug up the bleeders and see if you have good pedal pressure.

gorms

I've worked on systems that have run the res. dry, and the best way I've found is to just open all the bleeders and gravity bleed, giving the rears a head start. Takes a while but once a good flow is going I rarely have to "pump" bleed afterwards. Just make sure you keep topping off the resevoir.