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Re-Bleeding Empty Calipers.

Featured Replies

Is there a certain way to bleed them back to being firm, i was just pumping the rear brake lever and doing to open and close thing to the nipple. But that didn't seem to firm up the lever at all. Is there a special way of doing it?

I would back bleed from the nipple upwards using a large syringe filled with brake fluid, just attach to the nipple, open, and then pump the fluid all the way back through until the reservoir is full

Just load up the pedal with a strap and a weight hanging off it.

Leave overnight.

Tomorrow asif by magic, the system will be bled.

Just load up the pedal with a strap and a weight hanging off it.

Leave overnight.

Tomorrow asif by magic, the system will be bled.

REALLY???

TLTEL

When I replaced my rear master cylinder last year the only way that worked for bleeding was to remove the reservoir & pump fluid through the system with the bleed nipple open until no more air came out. Seemed that there may have been a bubble sitting somewhere that needed to be forced out.

We used an old Loctite gasket syringe to pump the brake fluid & closed the bleed nipple each time that the syringe was empty, took about 3 full syringes before we were happy enough to retry bleeding the system as per normal which then was very quick

Hope that makes sense

  • Author

I think ill try taking the reservoir off and pumping fluid down with a syringe, must just be air trapped in the system.

good luck with it, its one of those jobs that is either straight forward or a pain in the butt.

You might have to force fluid through from the bleed nipple if the other way doesn't work.

It can be quite messy so it is worth removing pads to stop them getting contaminated.( just remember not to pump pedal without pads in place) Its worth slotting in some old ones, if you have them while you work on the system.

TLTEL

Just load up the pedal with a strap and a weight hanging off it.

Leave overnight.

Tomorrow asif by magic, the system will be bled.

This often (but not always) works.

Allows the air bubbles to rise into the reservoir.

This often (but not always) works.

Allows the air bubbles to rise into the reservoir.

Can't see how bubbles can rise to reservoir if piston is under pressure...Should be impossible!!!

TLTEL

Can't see how bubbles can rise to reservoir if piston is under pressure...Should be impossible!!!

TLTEL

Raise the front up the bike up at least 45 deg. or more over the rear (front wheel on the bed of a pickup works good) and try reverse bleeding with syringe.

Kramit

I think you missed my point, I was replying to Espesso and Charlie chitlins posts.

TLTEL

As long as the piston isn't fully pushed in it does work to a point although I'm not sure about doing it at the rear. Cable tieing the clutch & brake level partially back to the bars overnight is a commonly used trick which does work so trying it at the back is worth a try

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