Brake Fluid Change Fail

[Bill Lumberg]

Helper let rear reservoir go dry (totally my fault) when bleeding the front (linked rear nipple). I have no rear brake. Successive mityvac'ing repeatedly will not result in any fluid being drawn from the rear reservoir, and still zero rear brake function. Ready to run it off a cliff. Suggestions short of cliff recommendations?

 

[phroenips]

Just to verify, after it ran dry, are you bleeding from both the front linked nipple as you mention, and also the rear caliper? There might be some sort of vacuum in the lines and you need to crack the other nipple open?

 

[Bill Lumberg]

Perhaps. Makes sense.

 

[FredRider]

Use 60cc syringe (avail at farm supply stores) and appropriate sized plastic tubing to push fluid up, rather than try to pull it down, to the reservoir?

 

[HotRodZilla]

What FredRider said. You want to push in reverse, so you don't push an air bubble all the way through the system and risk having it stick in the ABS block. That can be a bitch to clear. Only a few have ever had that problem, and it always seems a dealer with a pressurized reverse bleed is able to fix it.

Do front and then rear. I'm assuming you have ready pumped the living **** out of it, so taking it to a dealer may be your only fix.

Oh, and then get Speed Bleeders and install them ASAP. You will no longer need a helper, and you can watch the fluid while you pump the brakes.

 

[Bill Lumberg]

Thanks guys. A lot of suction and fluid made it right again. No issues (so far) with abs. To add insult to injury, I didn't see the seal on the rear reservoir, under the cap and inner cap. As I blissfully pumped the front nipple for the rear system yesterday, pumped all the fluid out, and caused the inner seal to bottom out in the rear reservoir (which is why I could not get vacuum to draw fluid rear reservoir). That may have actually made things easier this morning, since it prevented free-flowing air to be sucked through the reservoir. I have proven once again how mechanically inept I can be, but the bike is 100 percent and I rode to the office in my full steamy aerostich getup in preparation for this afternoon's monsoon.

 

[rbentnail]

Oh, and then get Speed Bleeders and install them ASAP. You will no longer need a helper, and you can watch the fluid while you pump the brakes.

Exactly why I use them on all my vehicles. They may not be "needed" as some say but IMHO simplifying the process and removing any variables like another human's errors is a good thing.

 

[Bounce]

Another tip. When you press the brake lever toward the end of the job, double check that the upper res is covered... Did you know it can shoot a stream of nasty-for-paint brake fluid in a rainbow arc easily 6 to 10 feet across the garage.

DAMHIK:IJK:OK?

 

[mech 1 twa]

Yeah never liked that about Yamaha master cylinders. Release lever shoots fluid up, fast.

Honda's don't do that. They have a little part of metal inside master cyl. that diverts it .

 

[BigOgre]

I keep a quarter on the shelf for just that reason.

 

[Bounce]

To go into the swear jar?

 

[jtdunc]

@Bill Lumberg: Glad you got it sorted out.

Darn, I also just did my brakes. How hard is it to install the Speedbleeders?

 

[BigOgre]

To go into the swear jar?

Nah. The shelf couldn't hold that much weight.

Drop a coin into the reservoir and it'll stop that stream from shooting up. Keeps the coin nice and shiny too.

 

[Bounce]

To go into the swear jar?

Nah. The shelf couldn't hold that much weight.

Drop a coin into the reservoir and it'll stop that stream from shooting up. Keeps the coin nice and shiny too.

And the tips of the needle nosed pliers used to get the coin back out?

 

[rbentnail]

@Bill Lumberg: Glad you got it sorted out.
Darn, I also just did my brakes. How hard is it to install the Speedbleeders?

Screw old bleed nipple out, screw new bleed nipple in. D-U-N done. That hard......

 

[mikerider]

Thanks for the warning! I didn't know!

Does it shoot out the fluid like what you described only under certain conditions?

Another tip. When you press the brake lever toward the end of the job, double check that the upper res is covered... Did you know it can shoot a stream of nasty-for-paint brake fluid in a rainbow arc easily 6 to 10 feet across the garage.
DAMHIK:IJK:OK?

 

[FTL900]

Another tip. When you press the brake lever toward the end of the job, double check that the upper res is covered... Did you know it can shoot a stream of nasty-for-paint brake fluid in a rainbow arc easily 6 to 10 feet across the gas tank.

Fixed it for you.

 

[Bounce]

Thanks for the warning! I didn't know!

Does it shoot out the fluid like what you described only under certain conditions?

Another tip. When you press the brake lever toward the end of the job, double check that the upper res is covered... Did you know it can shoot a stream of nasty-for-paint brake fluid in a rainbow arc easily 6 to 10 feet across the garage.
DAMHIK:IJK:OK?

Under the condition that there's no lid over it to stop you from wishing you'd put a lid on it.

 

[RossKean]

I never cover the reservoir when bleeding the brakes. Just avoid rapid lever movement. Squeeze slowly to pressurize, open bleeder, finish lever/pedal stroke, close bleeder, let lever out gently, repeat. I don't bother with Speedbleeders either. I can do the job myself and for the 10 minutes every two years that the Speedbleeders might save, they just aren't worth it to me! For a car where one person can't manage the brake pedal and open/close the bleeder, they make far more sense.