Bleeding Brakes!

Keep on bleeding. After system rebuild, it takes a long time to bleed air out. Make sure reservoir does not go empty, and realize that "firm pedal pressure" with engine off means nothing, as you are feeling the vacuum assist.

Just keep on bleeding.

Jim S.

 

Had my Fiat a couple of years now.
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John,
'great looking stablemates. And, to think that they are related, too.
That's a classic shot. Ya brought a smile to my face!
Cheers,
Coop

 

graham,

After the cooling system problems i thought you had got over most of them!!

Try this

http://www.justoffbase.co.uk/Tool-Shop/Brake-Bleeding

Let me know if you need a hand

Tony

 

Graham...et tu?
'something in the water there in England? Wow. What's the chance of that? You've a very nice pairing, too.

John,
I saw it first time around, but it didn't register. That's an Abarth badge on the front of yours. Hmmm.

Both,
I recently bled/flushed the brakes on my friend's Tipo M and my Tipo E. We used a vacuum pump & it worked great. As Jim S. said, keep the reservoirs filled with fluid. Have your son carefully replenish fluid as you work the vac pump. One person can do the job via the pump, but it's way easier with two (and much less chance of getting brake fluid on a painted surface! ).

Good luck; keep us posted,
Coop

 

Gorgeous.
Congratulations on a major milestone

 

thanks for you kind words Graham, i did the easy bit, its you that rebuild her completely and as i have told you many times, i could never have done it.

It was a real privelege to be there and hear her start up for the first time in 5 years...and after only 2 turns of the key. If only the cooling system was that easy.

tony

cute 500 too,

 

Its got to be air trapped in the lines,if you are sure its completely removed check the the hydraulic lines are all tight and not leaking. even the slighest minute weep can allow air to be drawn back into the system and give you a spongy pedal.

Check the flex lines are not expanding under pressure as this can give you a long pedal travel.

Have you adjusted the master cylinder pushrod properly?

Have you tried bleeding the master cylinder as well, air can be trapped in this too!! Also try the calipers, if you got carried away with blue grease it could have created a void in the cylinder and trapped air. take them off and bleed them upside down.

What fluid have you used?

Does it go down to the floor, spongy when depressed or solid then goes soft. does it pump up after pumping the brake pedal a few times? Does it do it with the engine running and under vacuum? Disconnect the servo vacuum NRV at the engine and it should be under negative pressure

Tony

PS:- Have you got four flat tyres on the dino now!! i would use the 500 to do it, then tell Lisa she has four flat tyres!!!!!!!!!!! ))

 

You might want to try a air powered bleeder such as this one.

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http://www.griotsgarage.com/product/tools/specialty+tools/one-person+brake+bleeder.do

You still need someone to pump the brakes but you can remove the end they give you with this device and place the tube directly over the bleeder nipple.

This will pull a good bit but I do a few of these, then a few manual pumps with suction tube attached, then I occassionally remove the tube and use the suction to clear the tube, and repeat as necessary, etc.

Do all 4 calipers, test the pedal, and if not tight as a drum, do the same at each caliper again.

Ultimately you'll feel the pedal very tight. A drive will confirm it.

 

Did you replce the flex lines? If not how old are they?

 

Are you still having trouble?

 

Hi

If I could, I would like to add a couple of things to think about. The fact that you did not get fluid out of the rear on your first attempt isn't too unusual. It seems that it is tough to get any movement past the rear brake pressure limiter when the whole system is air bound. When I do a dual system with a rear pressure limiter, I do a preliminary bleed on the front system first. It does seem to cut out some of the frustration.

The pedal "feel" issue certainly could mean a problem, but these systems usually are quite easy to bleed. When I do a rebuild on a car with calipers that have been in service for a while, I always talk to the owner beforehand about the pedal feel he is going to have when it is all done. The pedal shouldn't feel "spongy" (by my definition), but it will have noticeably longer travel. On the old calipers, the pistons generally are not retracting because of the crud and corrosion. On newly rebuilt calipers, the pistons are fully retracting and the small master cylinder piston has to travel far enough to displace enough fluid to move all of the much larger caliper pistons. This makes for a longer pedal travel and it is disconcerting, at first.

 

See OMGjon's prior restoration. I believe he had to prime the rear lines first in order to bleed the system. Lots of info there.

 

Fit a new pedal then!!!!!!!!!!!

Seriously i do think because a lot of the components are new, they need to settle and bed in.

Tony