Bleeding the brakes on my TR6 is one of my biggest headaches, and I
seem to have to do it every year! Last summer, after losing all
pedal pressure, I replaced all the seals in the MC, calipers, and
drums. I also replaced the flexible hoses all around and the short
brake pipe lengths on the rear (one had been flattened somehow). I
should have put in new caliper pistons, but I didn't. So several
weeks ago, after letting the car sit for about a month in the garage,
I found a big puddle of brake fluid under the right front wheel. I
pulled that caliper and found a small tear in the piston seal. It
looked like a bit of rust buildup on the piston had caught on the
seal and torn it. So I put in new caliper seals and pistons on both
sides. Bleeding seemed to go well with lots of bubbles at first and
then nothing but clear fluid coming out of the bleed nipple and up
the tube. I did all four wheels. When done, the pedal went to the
floor with no pressure. So I did it all again, with my (very
tolerant) wife really punching down on the pedal and holding each
time. No new bubbles showed, and everything looked good. But again,
there was no brake pressure at the end.
So I need advice. I'm afraid that I may have to redo the MC seals
again, and I don't want to have to do that. There are two things
that make me think it is just an air pocket in the line somewhere.
First, the brakes worked fine until the leak. It seems unlikely that
two different problems would arise at the same time. (But maybe the
leak dried out the MC seals and they are now bad?) Second, if I
rapidly pump the pedal I do get pressure and it holds if I then keep
my foot on pedal. Would that happen if the MC seals were bad? If it
is just an air pocket, how do I get it out?
Thanks for any help,
Tim
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