Brake job going off the rails… (1 Viewer)

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RevISK

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sunset valley, tx
Happy new year Mud brothers and sisters,

1980 (April) FJ40…

Finally got Ol’ Patches running consistently and wanted to drive it around the property to work the diff’s for a fluid change, however, I’ve read that being able to stop is important too.

Began by removing the drum on the LR (with help from old posts here, thank you) and surprisingly, things looked really good in there. Seems someone did a complete brake job years ago and never really drove it after.

Plan was/is to flush all the old nasty fluid out and saw a vid where a guy shows how to flush and fill as a one man show.

Anyway, was able to bleed the line a bit using a hand pump bleeder but when I set up the self draining set up (hose from nipple into a hole in a plastic bottle where the end stays below the level of old fluid so it doesn’t pull air back into the line) and went to pump the brakes expecting fluid to gush out. Nothing. Not one drip.

Before I plop down more coin and buy a new master cylinder or vacuum booster, does anyone have any ideas?

Thanks in advance,
Ian
 
So, your drums are back on and there's brake fluid in the reservoirs?
 
I don't suppose your reservoir ran dry sometime during your adventure?
 
Doing it that way won't work if there is any air in the system. Get someone to pump up the pressure and then crack the bleed nut
 
I don't suppose your reservoir ran dry sometime during your adventure?
It certainly got low while I suckling out the old gunk from there but never empty. Well, come to think of it, it did get pretty dang low on one suck out though I was adding fresh fluid to avoid it but it was a bit of a dance. So while not “dry”, certainly probably too low.
 
Doing it that way won't work if there is any air in the system. Get someone to pump up the pressure and then crack the bleed nut
Ok, I’ll try that. Just happen to have a 10 year old with no interest in such things but his legs are long enough.
 
Perhaps the bleeder screws are clogged.
I was able to bleed the line with a hand pump bleeder so I don’t think so.
 
It certainly got low while I suckling out the old gunk from there but never empty. Well, come to think of it, it did get pretty dang low on one suck out though I was adding fresh fluid to avoid it but it was a bit of a dance. So while not “dry”, certainly probably too low.

Well, you might have got an air bubble in your master. That's hard to bleed out sometimes.
If nothing else is working you might need to bench bleed (or firewall bleed) your master.
I use 2 short lengths of brake hose bent into just the right shape to feed back to the reservoir.

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Well, you might have got an air bubble in your master. That's hard to bleed out sometimes.
If nothing else is working you might need to bench bleed (or firewall bleed) your master.
I use 2 short lengths of brake hose bent into just the right shape to feed back to the reservoir.

View attachment 2881883

View attachment 2881885
That’s an interesting idea, I shall give that a shot.
It seem I have a clog or collapsed line somewhere, I’m not getting any fluid now even went to the degree of disconnecting the brake line and removing the bleeder and blowing compressed air through the line. Nothing comes out.

Report back soon.
Thanks y’all.
 
Not to sidetrack too much, but is bench bleeding the master necessary? I’ve put all mine together and am in process of bleeding the brakes (found out I have a faulty wheel cylinder, so have to wait to finish until I can fix that).

New master cylinder and I’ve got fluid in there, but I never bench bled the master…will that cause issues?
 
I have not seen a difference - first install was without bench bleeding, in 2005

second install was end of 2021, this time with bench bleeding - air got into the system nonetheless, so we went with the 2-person method for bleeding
 
Cool thanks. I’m using the two person method to bleed the whole system.

I also did my other 40 without the bench bleed and havent had issues.
 
Cool thanks. I’m using the two person method to bleed the whole system.

I also did my other 40 without the bench bleed and havent had issues.
I went through this process recently after replacing the MC on my '79... The ream drum brakes nearly drove me to madness. They just wouldn't bleed. I tried a hand pump vacuum and a power bleeder. Nothing worked. After scouring the threads here, I was finally pointed in the direction of the Coolerman Method, which, among other things, involves resetting the drum brake pistons before bleeding. It seemed counter-intuitive at first (and more work-intensive than I imagined brake bleeding should be), but after weeks of suffering I printed out the guide and went to work. I had rock solid brakes by that evening. Since you have an '80, I assume your front brakes are disks, so only the rear drums need to be adjusted. It is definitely a two person job. Good night and good luck!
 

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