Hi, Ken. Fancy meeting you here!
>You wrote: Moving on to the front brakes however, I
>found that when opening the bleed nipple, nothing comes out, when my
>wife presses on the brakes. Nothing; no air, no brake fluid, nothing....the
>other caliper gave the exact same behavior.
My first guess is it's just a little NH road salt in the bleed nipples.
First try removing the bleed nipple entirely and see if you get flow under
pedal pressure. If so, just drill 'em out or replace 'em. Failing that:
Since you just replaced the hoses, disconnect there first - at least you
know the fittings are free of corrosion. Unscrew the hose at the car side
so it doesn't twist or kink, and see if you get a stream of fluid under
pedal pressure.
Case 1. Fluid squirts from line: bleed port in the caliper is
corroded shut. Use a machinists awl or other pointy tool to try and clear.
Drilling the caliper could leave metal filings inside, do as last resort
only.
Case 2. No fluid at either caliper hose: master cylinder is bad or
the common feed line is kinked. Follow the line back through the pressure
warning light switch and remove it from master cylinder. Hope it squirts
there and the inexpensive line is the problem. If not, the front portion of
the dual master cylinder is bad and you need a rebuilt cylinder or kit.
(Both sides of the reservoir are full, I assume.)
When testing, have a wadded rag over the end of line to catch the fluid -
the pressure is great enough to spray the other side of the garage, get in
your eye or on your paint, etc.
Do you know that both front wheels used to stop? The fact that the brakes
stopped the car last week doesn't necessarily mean all four wheels
contributed to the effort. SO Gretchen bought a Midget with three
non-functioning brakes, PO was either blissfully unaware or didn't care.
(Can you tell there's no annual inspection required in most of Wisconsin?)
--
Gary Schneider
Nicolet Instrument Technologies, 5225-4 Verona Road, Madison, WI 53711 USA
phone: 608-276-6172, Fax: 608-273-5061, Internet: gschneid@nicmad.nicolet.com
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