Soft Brake Pedal After New Parts And Bleeding

[reece146]

There's a couple things that I find helps...

 

When you crack the screws only crack them enough to get the fluid coming out. Much more and air sucks in around the threads.

 

When your helper is pushing down on the pedal close the bleeder before they get to the bottom of the pedal travel.

 

When doing new installs you will use a lot of fluid... no way around it IME. Before getting too involved with manual bleeding let the system gravity bleed a while first.

 

Otherwise, yeah, I suck at bleeding too, but a soft pedal is ALWAYS air in the system after new parts install IME. I'm not a professionsl wrench but in the last ~25 years of monkeying with cars as a hobbyist I have yet to be sold a defective part.

 

The problem I find with the self bleed kits is that the connections are never tight fitting enough to keep air from sucking past regardless of what you try.

 

I have speed bleeders on my "big" Jeep. Never had luck with them either so I just use them as normal bleeders. I'm willing to admit I may be doing something wrong in this case.

 

2¢, ymmv, etc.

 

HTH

[oldseddie]

I made my own one man bleeder by using a mason jar, vacuum pump, and a couple of mag wheel tire valves that attach with nuts. I drilled two holes in the jar lid and put the tire valves in it. Removed the Schrader valves from the tire valves and attached hoses to them one goes to the bleeder and the other goes to the pump. Basically I suck fluid from the MC to the bleader while catching the fluid in the jar. Don't let the jar get too full or the MC resivor empty. Don't need any help that way.

[Rymanrph]

I took the truck to the shop today and I had a combination of problems.  I did have some air in the line, but they ended up having to remove the master and adjust the rod as well.  I didn't even know that was possible.  They also fine tuned the adjustment on my rear brakes and parking brake.

 

All is well again.

[HOrnbrod]

Is your load sensing valve now history?

[Rymanrph]

Is your load sensing valve now history?

 

Yeah, I got rid of it.  I'll drive it for a while and see how I like the performance.  If I need to add a proportioning valve back in later, I can.

[carnuck]

Find wet pavement and do a panic stop (with no-one around) Rear will likely lock up if you're running empty.

[cruiser54]

I took the truck to the shop today and I had a combination of problems.  I did have some air in the line, but they ended up having to remove the master and adjust the rod as well.  I didn't even know that was possible.  They also fine tuned the adjustment on my rear brakes and parking brake.

 

All is well again.

Not an uncommon problem to find the pushrod from the booster to the master cylinder is adjusted improperly, especially when either of them are not original. 

[Keyav8r]

Can one of you mods pin this thread in the DIY Projects section so it can be found again? I want to re-bleed the 88 before I sell it and at some point I plan to do the booster upgrade on the 91. No way I'll remember all of this and probably won't be able to find it with the search function.

[HOrnbrod]

Just bookmark this thread it in your browser Fred. There's really no detailed "how-to" procedure here, just a sequence of events leading to a happy ending. Si?

[AMCJeepMJ]

...just a sequence of events leading to a happy ending.

 

I understand this is perfectly legal in Nevada. ;) I lol'd about the dog attacking the brake pedal- almost choked on an almond because of it.

[Babyblack86]

I usually draft my neighbors pet chimp to help me bleed my brakes. He works cheap and only throws poop at me if I run out of Mt. Dew. I sit in the Jeep and pump up the peddle while he climbs under each wheel and wrenches the bleeders. I tried it the other way around but all he does if he's in the cab is futz with the radio and steal the change out of my ashtray. The biggest mistake I've seen guys make is not bleeding the lines all the way trough. Any pocket of air left in the line will create that soft peddle feel. 8)