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Replacing Caliper Question

Well, got everything hooked back up with speed bleeder attached. Speed bleeder says to back off seated position of the fitting 1/4 to 1/2 of a turn, add fluid to the master, then pump 4-5 times until the line is free of bubbles, then tighten until it seats.

Problem I'm having is that I did add fluid to the master cylinder, but it seems to just sit in there. I tried pumping the handle a few times with and without the cover on, and see a tiny bubble here and there in the fluid, but mostly, it just sits there. I tried with the speed bleeder open and closed, and with the master cylinder cover, on and off, and the same thing. I did notice that when I took the brake line off to drain, it did drain kind of slowly at first, but then picked up towards the end.

Anyone know what I need to do in order to get the fluid running faster through the line and caliper so I can start the bleeding process?

Thanks!
 
If your brake lever action is not full spongy with no brake lever pressure at all, grab a roll of electrical tape and place between brake lever and hand grip. Squeeze lever against tape and tie it off w/ velcro strap. Turn handle bars full left to get your fluid reservoir to as high a point as possible, and leave it overnight. May have a bubble in the line that will work its way up towards the reservoir and clear out of your line. Sometimes you gotta crack that banjo bolt to clear air out of the line, but try tying off your front brake lever and leave overnight.

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And I had those speed bleeders on my metric and my impression was mixed. Seems I never could get good line pressure with the bleeding on those things and had to use the method noted above to get it working properly.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Thanks for the tip Trvir. I'm assuming that the Speed Bleeder needs to be closed over night so that it can build pressure while the brake lever is tied back.
 
Done! Just out of curiosity, why use the electrical tape instead of pulling the lever all the way back and securing to the handle?
 
Jack Klarich said:
You can use a bungee cord too if you like:s
Click to expand...

Thanks Jack. I actually did use a mini bungee to secure. Trvir had mentioned placing a roll of electrical tape between the handle and lever, then securing. Wasn't sure if there was a reason for doing this or if you should pull the lever all the way to the handle for best results.

Small detail, but just trying to understand for future reference.

Thanks.
 
cmvsm said:
Done! Just out of curiosity, why use the electrical tape instead of pulling the lever all the way back and securing to the handle?
Click to expand...

When you compress the brake lever, good lever action shouldn't travel much more closer to the handgrip than say the width of say a roll of electricians tape. Just a reference to tie off against and gets the line pressurized to get any trapped air bubbles migrating upward. You need to make sure before you start this that you don't have lever action that fully compresses against the handgip, else you have other issues you need to address first, like getting the line bled to some point of being workable. This procedure is something that gets those last bit of annoying bubbles out of your line that make lever action still spongy feeling.
 
trvlr said:
When you compress the brake lever, good lever action shouldn't travel much more closer to the handgrip than say the width of say a roll of electricians tape. Just a reference to tie off against and gets the line pressurized to get any trapped air bubbles migrating upward. You need to make sure before you start this that you don't have lever action that fully compresses against the handgip, else you have other issues you need to address first, like getting the line bled to some point of being workable. This procedure is something that gets those last bit of annoying bubbles out of your line that make lever action still spongy feeling.
Click to expand...
Trvlr's method of holding the front brake lever overnight works. I use a bungee cord and in the morning, I use a small plastic/rubber mallet to tap the caliper (farthest from m/c first caliper to cross over up to the m/c...then the other caliper to crossover to m/c. If you have the cover off...you will see some bubbles rise. Finally, I undo the bungee, slowly release the lever and then squeeze it modestly several more times...not enough to splash out the m/c but to blow the rest of the bubbles out. The lever should be nice and stiff with plenty of bar clearance.

Brake Bleeding Tips - Harley Davidson Community

 
trvlr said:
You need to make sure before you start this that you don't have lever action that fully compresses against the handgip, else you have other issues you need to address first, like getting the line bled to some point of being workable
Click to expand...

That's where I actually have my problem then, as the lever goes all the way to the handgrip. There is no resistance that I can feel. The fluid seems to remain in the master cylinder and not freely travel through the line to the caliper. Not sure why that is, as it was doing fine before I changed the caliper out. The caliper is new, so there shouldn't be any issues there.

Any suggestions on how to get the fluid moving through the line so I can begin building pressure? Thanks.
 
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