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Brake bleeding [say that three times fast]

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A

aroostok

Jedi Hopeful
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May sound dumb, but got a question about brake bleeding for a 76 B with servo. Should the car be running and servo be operating when bleeding the brakes. I have replaced the fluid and bled the brakes (boy, what a tonge twister) with the B off. Brakes seem very spongy and soft. New pads and shoes all around. New bleeders. No air in system. New fluid (Dot 4). Any help would be appreciated.
Ron Hoffman (aroostok) /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif
 
None of my Brit cars have servos, but I generally run the engine on my truck when I bleed the brakes (I'm assuming you have a second person pumping the pedal....I'm not sure what you would do if you were using one of those EZ-Vac one-man bleeders).
Be careful of getting sprayed in the eye with brake fluid (due to the higher pressure of power brakes).
Also, bleed from the farthest brake first (right rear in USA) and finish with the closest (left front).
 
I have bled the brakes of many a car with power brakes without them running. I have never done a B with p-brakes, though.

If you are able to exert enough presure on the pedal, it shouldn't matter.
 
I'm not sure about the B but on my midget, there is an adjuster on the rear drums. If that has not been set properly then it will result in very poor breaking and double-pumping. My mom's midget is having the same problem so I'm going over to look at her brakes tonight. Also, if it has a brake-pressure warning switch built into a distribution block, you really should bleed two brakes at a time; both left pass. side, both drv. side. This balances the switch in the chamber. For the two bleeder process I found it EXTREMELY HANDY to go to the local auto parts store and get speed bleeders. That made it a one man job and now my car has never braked so hard!

JACK
 
You can get enough pressure without the servo-assist easily, so no, I would not bother to run the engine. If it is still soft and you have no leaks, keep bleeding!

Bleed brakes, bleed brakes, bleed brakes!
or try "toy boat, toy boat, toy boat" /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Bruce /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/driving.gif
 
Yeah, I agree, you don't need to run a car with PB to bleed the brakes.

JACK
 
Noticed you are from Valpo, IN. I come out there every spring for the Institute of Liturgical Studies at Valparaiso University. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
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