Brake bleeding

[Jewel25]

My 45 suffered a brake failure a few weeks ago. I suspect a significant amount of fluid haas been lost - therefore allowing air to enter the system . I suspect indeed a new front offside caliper .What methods do people use on the 45 to bleed the system? From what I have read the Gunson kit isn't compatible.ive used the Draper one man device in the past with some success.

[D Spares & Tyres]

Just pump it til the fluid comes out then let it drip for a bit, keep an eye on the level. When you can see a regular drip coming out with no air in it then tighten the nipple and try it

[sierraman]

Can't see why a pressure bleeding system wouldn't work on the Rover 45

[Jewel25]

Thank for the replies. I've read the Gunson kit doesn't come with a compatible cap.

[Bren]

Spend £3 on a one man bleeding kit. Its what I use.

[gm]

Thank for the replies. I've read the Gunson kit doesn't come with a compatible cap.

You could spend an additional £15 on a universal cap but when I had the same problem with the mazda :

 

one scrapyard brake fluid cap procured

 

 

guts removed and hole drilled

 

 

now we need a washer to make the seal tight

 

 

yes, that is an offcut of lino from my granny's bathroom

 

 

and it bloody worked

 

[dieselassist]

ive never had much luck with the above set up; destroyed master cylinder inner seals doing it that way, the two times I used it....

 

 I employ the 'billy no mates' approach of a long length of tube onto the bleed nipple into a sealed bottle (pin hole drilled up top) n I use a large/high old concert speaker to place the bottle on; same height or above the master cylinder; open up the bleed nipple n pump the brake pedal...

 

...with this system if you place the tube n bottle above the height of the master cyl reservoir resevoir, you can open the bleed nipple, press the medal a few times, n go indoors for in for a cuppa tea or whatever, and all the air will be out of the system, do up the bleed nipple n you should have a firm pedal... if not then the system isn't sealed; eg; you might have air ingress; I had to employ this approach years ago as I was getting mico bubbling n soft pedal; it turned out the new looking brake bias valve had rusted fittings/bungs letting air in...

[Jewel25]

I'll give that ago. I take it this method is required for all 4 corners ?

[The_Equalizer]

Sealey brake bleeding kit (VS820). See it can be had for about £50 now online. Once you've managed to get the seals airtight the thing works a treat. You need lots of brake fluid, but given the stuff gets exponentially cheaper the more you buy that isn't a real problem. It's saved me having to rope the missus in for the old 'down, hold, up' peddle pumping faff. Oh, and when in operation I keep it in a large old brewing bucket just in case fluid decides to escape.

[fatharris]

If it's the same calipers as the Civic of that shape, I just used the one man bleeding kit already suggested

[AMC Rebel]

I use a Mityvac I bought some time ago at an autojumble on all my shite now.  Even worked when I changed the front caliper on my Jaaaag which is quite fancy by my standards (ABS etc).

 

I used to have the Gunson setup but have just ditched it - none of the caps now fits any of my shite - it also overfills the reservoir - not the end of the world, but just an added faff.  First time I used the flipper I hadn't read the instructions either - you're supposed to let the tyre down to (IIRC) something like 10 PSI - I blasted brake fluid everywhere.

[SiC]

ive never had much luck with the above set up; destroyed master cylinder inner seals doing it that way, the two times I used it....

 

Key thing with that Gunson set is making sure the tyre supplying air isn't above 20psi as that is what the kit is rated to. As a lot of tyres are inflated to arounx 30psi or spacesavers to 60psi, it can be problematic if used at those pressures!

 

I hate bleeding brakes. Always ends up being a right faff. I'm tempted with that Sealey set and a air driven vacuum set to suck and blow depending on what is easier at the time.

[sierraman]

Yeah whatever you do keep the pressure low. I'd fabricate a new cap, then you've got the equipment to bleed it one man so to speak.

[Des]

Good idea making a seal from lino, but did you really have to fashion the spare tyre from the stuff? I've used an Easybleed for decades, the trick is to use just as little pressure as is needed to get the fluid moving, I've sometimes used the huge cap that they used to supply with some closed cell foam and cable ties on unconventional masters, but no good for Yanks with caps like old Beetle rocker covers. When I worked at Peugeot they had a big metal box for bleeding that connected to the cars battery, filled via a low pressure rad cap sticking out and looked like an Escort expansion tank inside with a nasty rattler of a tyre pump and a pressure switch, at the time I considered it would be an easy thing to knock up, but pointless as the Easybleed does it simpler.

[RayMK]

I've no experience with a Rover 45 but have successfully bled numerous brake systems on new and old cars.  The old fashioned two person method works fine but is inconvenient. A variation on this is to get the assistant to apply moderate pressure to the pedal once it has some feel to it, then open the bleed nipple for a second or two until the pedal hits the floor, then close it. The rush of higher flow will carry obstinate air bubbles out of the system and give a hard pedal.  

 

The cheap one man bleed kit is simply a short length of clear tube which contains a non-return valve at the outlet to prevent air back-flowing in to the system.  It works very well.

 

The Gunson kit also works but it's a faff getting the cap to seal properly on the soon to be overfilled master cylinder reservoir, assuming you can find a cap that fits.  Overall, it makes the job more messy than it needs to be.

 

I had an Escort MK2 automatic a while back.  That was a system which did not like to be rushed.  First time I tried to bleed the brakes I could not get a hard pedal but no air came out of any of the bleed nipples.  I gave up in disgust and left it for the night.  In the morning, hard pedal.  Fluke?  No, next time I needed to bleed the brakes a few years later, the overnight pause with the master cylinder topped up before bed worked a treat. I can only assume that the pipe run had bits in which air wanted (and could) rise to the master cylinder reservoir overnight . 

[Eddie Honda]

Sealey brake bleeding kit (VS820). See it can be had for about £50 now online.

Thanks for the prompt, just bought one on Amazon with free delivery to Ireland for £28.

 

 

 

Eurowankparts:

 

 

Aye, €100+VAT, that'll be shining bright.

[SiC]

Wow that's cheap! Cheapest I've ever seen it - including at the shows. I wanted one for a while but bulked at the 50quid asking price. Sent it with free delivery as no rush to get it yet.

 

Link for anyone else wanting it: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sealey-VS820-Clutch-Bleeding-System/dp/B000ROARTI

 

They'll probably surge price it now.

[Parky]

£28! That’s mega bargainaceous.

[The_Equalizer]

Twenty eight sheets is mighty impressive. I'd be interested to know how you get on. I really liked it once I got the hang of it.

[Squire_Dawson]

Try the gravity method. Open bleed screw and leave it.

[D Spares & Tyres]

Just pump it til the fluid comes out then let it drip for a bit, keep an eye on the level. When you can see a regular drip coming out with no air in it then tighten the nipple and try it

Try the gravity method. Open bleed screw and leave it.

[Shirley Knott]

Wow that's cheap! Cheapest I've ever seen it - including at the shows. I wanted one for a while but bulked at the 50quid asking price. Sent it with free delivery as no rush to get it yet.

 

Link for anyone else wanting it: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sealey-VS820-Clutch-Bleeding-System/dp/B000ROARTI

 

They'll probably surge price it now.

 

Couldn't resist either at that price, one of these is now winging it's way to me too

 

Cheers.

[jon928se]

I've no experience with a Rover 45 but have successfully bled numerous brake systems on new and old cars.  The old fashioned two person method works fine but is inconvenient. A variation on this is to get the assistant to apply moderate pressure to the pedal once it has some feel to it, then open the bleed nipple for a second or two until the pedal hits the floor, then close it. The rush of higher flow will carry obstinate air bubbles out of the system and give a hard pedal.  

 

 

 

Need to be very careful doing it this way (It does work admirably well) On a working system that just needs a fluid change, the far reaches of the master cylinder that has never been swept by the presence of the piston seals will likely be corroded. First time you do the pedal to the floor method the corrosion in the far end of the cylinder will cut up the edges of the seals - you will get all the air out, but the system will never work as well ever again at best - worst it won't work at all.

 

Oh and if you can possibly avoid it never let air into the system on a car with ABS as purging the air from the ABS valve block is a complete cunt of a job without access to the dealer tools on some cars. I got through about 8 litres of brake fluid getting air out of my Discovery. After I had binned about 6 litres of new fluid I realised I could just keep reusing the new fluid until the air was out. (I actually bled through the same 2 litres of fluid about 15 times until I got no air out.)

[Jewel25]

Hopefully the fluid in the master hasn't drained away as the 45 has ABS.

[Guest Hooli]

I've never had an issue with bleeding ABS provided you follow the correct procedure.

 

For example 90s Sierras & Jags you bleed the front as normal & then get an assistant to turn the ignition on & hold the brake pedal halfway down so the ABS pump bleeds the rears as you watch the bleed nipple.

[tul66]

You've never known frustration until you've tried to bleed Alfa 75 brakes. Took over a year on & off sitting over what became known as "the pit of despair" until I managed to get them working. Still shite though!

[dieselassist]

I'll give that ago. I take it this method is required for all 4 corners ?

yes; all 4 corners; the true n 100% attentive hardcore billy no mates brake bleeding  process using this method involves tweaking the rear view mirrors to reflect/monitor the captive bottle, tho this is not possible  front left....I depress the brake pedal using a long pole/ large breaker bar against the seat on 'last stroke' n then do up the bleed nipple...

[Talbot]

Early 405 ABS brakes were a bastard for bleeding.. you basically cannot bleed them on your own, you have to have the vehicle plugged in to a Peugeot computer to fire the ABS and get all the air out of the modulator block.

 

It's possible to bleed them in the traditional manner, have a hard pedal, drive the car comfortably for many miles, and then when you need the abs and one of the internal valves open, the pedal hits the deck and you have piss-all braking.

 

Ideal*

[sierraman]

Disconnect the ABS. Unlikely you'd get air into the ABS anyway I'd have thought unless you disturbed the pump or ran it extremely low on fluid.

[Junkman]

Early 405 ABS brakes were a bastard for bleeding.. you basically cannot bleed them on your own, you have to have the vehicle plugged in to a Peugeot computer to fire the ABS and get all the air out of the modulator block.

 

It's possible to bleed them in the traditional manner, have a hard pedal, drive the car comfortably for many miles, and then when you need the abs and one of the internal valves open, the pedal hits the deck and you have piss-all braking.

 

Ideal*

 

 

Do tell.