SuzukiSavage.com - front brake question- help

sbaugz

Ex Member

front brake question- help
04/21/11 at 19:13:26

I am having some issues with my front brakes. I have read and searched here thoroughly, and have referred to my Clymer. I just can't seem to solve this issue.

I took apart my front brakes and cleaned everything. I took the piston out, cleaned, lubed, and re-installed. I then changed the pads. I also upgraded the brake line and got new banjo bolts. I did not rebuild the master cylinder.

So, I got everything put back together. I filled the master cylinder with brake fluid and proceeded to bleed the brakes. It took a while to get the air out, but I finally got to where clean brake fluid (without bubbles) is flowing through my bleed line. During this process, the lever never got tight. It still compresses down with no effort. After all the air was out, I closed off bleed valve, I topped off master cylinder and screwed the top on. I still have nothing as far as my brake lever goes. I can pull it to the grip with zero effort and my brake piston is doing nothing at all.

Not sure what is going on but would appreciate some help. Sorry if this is a dumb question, or if it was address- I just can't seem to find an answer to this specific problem. i am fairly confident I was bleeding things properly.

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verslagen1 YaBB Moderator ModSquad Offline Where there's a will, I want to be in it. Posts: 28790 L.A. California Gender:	Re: front brake question- help Reply #1 - 04/21/11 at 20:06:15 sounds like it's time to rebuild the master.
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JohnBoy

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Re: front brake question- help
Reply #2 - 04/21/11 at 20:21:11

My first thought would be, did it work before...and if so what parts did you change?
I guess it does happen, but what are the odds that the master failed at the same time you made the other changes?
Take the top off the reservoir and pump the lever. Do you see ripples indicating that brake fluid is flowing backward into the reservoir?

best of luck, keep us posted

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RidgeRunner13 Serious Thumper Offline haulin' the groceries! Posts: 649 Mustang Island, Texas Gender:	Re: front brake question- help Reply #3 - 04/21/11 at 20:34:18 Get a piece of clear hose that will fit tight on the bleeder screw & reach to the m/c reservoir. Put it on the bleeder, open the bleeder screw & while holding the free end in the fluid in the reservoir, pump the brake lever. When you have solid fluid in the hose close the bleeder screw. You should have brakes now.
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sbaugz

Ex Member

Re: front brake question- help
Reply #4 - 04/22/11 at 03:51:41

JohnBoy wrote on 04/21/11 at 20:21:11:

My first thought would be, did it work before...and if so what parts did you change?
I guess it does happen, but what are the odds that the master failed at the same time you made the other changes?
Take the top off the reservoir and pump the lever. Do you see ripples indicating that brake fluid is flowing backward into the reservoir?

best of luck, keep us posted

Yes it worked before. Only parts changed were the brake pads, brake line, and banjo bolts. Oh, and I also tried the speedbleeder but something was wrong with it. Didn't work at all so I put the original bleeder screw back in and did the steps outlined above.

I do not see the ripples flowing in the master cylinder as you describe.

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sbaugz

Ex Member

Re: front brake question- help
Reply #5 - 04/22/11 at 04:29:43

well, I messed around again with the brakes and think I figured it out. I still had a bunch of air in the line. The clymer manual I have is wrong. It describes the sequence of pump lever, hold, and adjust bleeder valve as backwards. The way it was describing the procedure, it was actually sucking brake fluid from the drain cup upwards. After reading a bunch of posts here, and thinking about it, I discovered that wasn't right. Darn Clymer- I have found several errors in it.

Anyways, I got all the air out, filled the master cylinder, and then put cover on. The brakes initially were quite weak- I had the same problem with no pressure in there. As I pumped it 6-7 times, I could hear the piston coming out. After about 6-7 pulls, I started to get resistance and the piston ultimately contacted the brake pads and it seems good now.

Only question now is- so I have pressure and the piston is contacting the brake pads. Once I start driving it, I assume the piston automatically backs off right?

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drums1 Serious Thumper Offline '87 Savage Bashed--Down for the count Posts: 664 Racine, Wisconsin Gender:	Re: front brake question- help Reply #6 - 04/22/11 at 10:03:43 Yes. The system maintains an airgap between rotor and pads. Just a tiny bit of wobble of any kind in the rotor backs the piston off to create said airgap. Also, simply releasing the pressure aids this process. It's the way disc brakes are designed to work.
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