Thread: No Brakes

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The reason that you bench bleed a cylinder is to get all the air (as in bubbles) out of it. Bench bleed it again, and keep pumping it untill there are no bubbles. You can do this right on the car by disconnecting the brake lines, taking the cap off, and make up a set of short lines that go from the ports on the master cylinder and curve back over the top so that they squirt back into the master cylinder. Fill it with fluid, and keep pumping untill there are no bubbles coming out of the lines nor up from inside the cylinder. Then disconnect the dummy lines (don't worry, the fluid in the cylinder won't run out when you do this) Then hook up your regular brake lines and bleed the passenger rear wheel first, then the drivers side rear wheel, then the passenger front brake, then the drivers side front brake. NOTE while you are bench bleeding the cylinder, wear safety goggles so it doesn't squirt in your eye---really bad stuff if that happens.

That is a Class A PITA job on an older car with the MC under the floorboards. I would look for a line restriction somewhere on the line going to the front - there is a T somewhere on this single reservoir system, might be at the MC itself. I'd start there. I would also look at the brake light switch - I believe it to be hydraulic vs the mechanicals of later. Is it restricting flow? Is there a kink in a steel line? A rubber front wheel cyl. line? Is the new MC any good - have the piston seals gone bad from long shelf life - rust? Is there a check valve in the MC? All under floor MC drum/drum have one as the wheel cyls are higher then the MC.