bleeding front calipers.

[ricky]

Help us please

have done a search and cant find a guide on bleeding the front calipers

the weekend i removed and cleaned the calipers, removed pistons re greased and put the dust seals back where they were ment to be pmsl

but now the brake handle dont feal right so after a guide ish of how i should bleed them. before i go by a pressure bleading kit pmsl

cheers in advance

[PJinUK]

Had the same problem and used the ORG for advice...I put the calipers back onto the bike and bled in this irder,,,,,from the banjo bolt on the caliper, then the bleed nipple on the caliper, then followed the hose up to the banjo bolt on the handlebar and bled that...finally I undid the master cylinder from its fitting in the bar so that I could get all of the air out of the little clack tube that connects the master cylinder to the handle bar banjo bolts,,,took a while but its done.....MAKE SURE THAT THE MASTER CYLINDER NEVER RUNS DRY , KEEP IT TOPPED UP WHILST BLEEDING THE SYSTEM. I am sure that someone welse will be able to give you more advice soon though,,the ORG is awesome for it,,,:cheers::cheers::cheers:

[Dangerous Dave]

Nice and simple/basic way, remove the reservoir top and top it up with fluid. Place an 8mm spanner and a piece of hose on the bleed nipple. Pull the brake lever in and undo the nipple, tighten the nipple back up and then release the lever. Do not release the lever before tightening up the nipple, you will draw air back into the system! Repeat this process, whilst insuring the fluid is above the minimum line in the reservoir, until the fluid starts to run bubble free out of the nipple. Repeat the process on the other side, the lever will start to feel harder to pull (bear in mind the lever will only start to become harder to pull when both lines are bled).

Once both lines are bled zip-tie the lever back and leave over night, this will force the air to the bottom and in the morning one last twiddle with the nipples will release any trapped air.

http://forums.sv650.org/picture.php?albumid=165&pictureid=1350

There are other methods and gizmo's which you can use, however as a bike carrys very little fluid I find it only takes a maximum of 5 minutes per line doing a dry system.

[ricky]

Nice and simple/basic way, remove the reservoir top and top it up with fluid. Place an 8mm spanner and a piece of hose on the bleed nipple. Pull the brake lever in and undo the nipple, tighten the nipple back up and then release the lever. Do not release the lever before tightening up the nipple, you will draw air back into the system! Repeat this process, whilst insuring the fluid is above the minimum line in the reservoir, until the fluid starts to run bubble free out of the nipple. Repeat the process on the other side, the lever will start to feel harder to pull (bear in mind the lever will only start to become harder to pull when both lines are bled).

Once both lines are bled zip-tie the lever back and leave over night, this will force the air to the bottom and in the morning one last twiddle with the nipples will release any trapped air.

http://forums.sv650.org/picture.php?albumid=165&pictureid=1350

There are other methods and gizmo's which you can use, however as a bike carrys very little fluid I find it only takes a maximum of 5 minutes per line doing a dry system.


spot on mate thank you for the info, this is how i bleed the brakes, just they didnt feel right so thought i would ask

as above last night i put a zip tie over the handle bar and leaver, and bleed a small amount this morning before coming to work, and yep they are spot on again

thank you

[Viney]

Help us please

have done a search and cant find a guide on bleeding the front calipers

the weekend i removed and cleaned the calipers, removed pistons re greased and put the dust seals back where they were ment to be pmsl

but now the brake handle dont feal right so after a guide ish of how i should bleed them. before i go by a pressure bleading kit pmsl

cheers in advance
Ricky, where are you based? If localish, i'll come and do it, its will only take 10 mins or so.

[Ceri JC]

DDs method is what I've done in the past and works very well. Anyone got any advice on (or better yet, a guide to) using a Mityvac to do this as I have got one and am keen to try it out. TIA.

[ogden]

Never mind your bleeding front calipers, what about my sodding carbs, eh?

[Viney]

Whats wrong with your carbs? PM me.

[ogden]

Whats wrong with your carbs? PM me.

Crikey, facetious post in straight-bat reply shocker. Wasn't expecting that.

[Viney]

:)

[ricky]

Ricky, where are you based? If localish, i'll come and do it, its will only take 10 mins or so.



cheers mate im in rochester. think the zip tie did the job will see how it goes the rest the week :D if i get stuck ill bring the bike to you maybe :D

[arcdef]

should you feel some resistance after the first lot of bleeding or will it not have any untill the day after when some have settled? i ask as ive bled both sides and no more air is coming out but its still only has a small amount of 'feel' to the lever?

[Ceri JC]

should you feel some resistance after the first lot of bleeding or will it not have any untill the day after when some have settled? i ask as ive bled both sides and no more air is coming out but its still only has a small amount of 'feel' to the lever?

Sometimes you'll feel significant resistance straight away, other times the second lot of bleeding makes a lot of difference. I'd not worry too much at this stage; wait till the second round of bleeding tomorrow.

[Caddy2000]

Am I the only person to also to bleed the banjos? Usually find a lot of air in the, esp at the top of the lines.....

[Viney]

cheers mate im in rochester. think the zip tie did the job will see how it goes the rest the week :D if i get stuck ill bring the bike to you maybe :DThats cool, im based in beckenham. As i say, it would only take 10 mins or so!

Am I the only person to also to bleed the banjos? Usually find a lot of air in the, esp at the top of the lines.....Never found the need too.

should you feel some resistance after the first lot of bleeding or will it not have any untill the day after when some have settled? i ask as ive bled both sides and no more air is coming out but its still only has a small amount of 'feel' to the lever?There is still air in there then

I will quite happily state that i had all the issues that you guys are expeiencing and got extremely fustraited. I then sat down and done the job properly and worked out what i was doing wrong. From that point forward i have never, to date, had a problem. Even chaning Grinchs front lines over using only 250ml of fluid!

[Dangerous Dave]

should you feel some resistance after the first lot of bleeding
A little, you wont really notice until both are done.

Am I the only person to also to bleed the banjos? Usually find a lot of air in the, esp at the top of the lines.....
I only bleed from the Banjo's if the lever is still soft, however holding the lever back over night tends to solve the same problem with less hassle.

[arcdef]

I will quite happily state that i had all the issues that you guys are expeiencing and got extremely fustraited. I then sat down and done the job properly and worked out what i was doing wrong. From that point forward i have never, to date, had a problem. Even chaning Grinchs front lines over using only 250ml of fluid!

what were you doing wrong then? i have followed those instructions to the letter! hope it will sort itself out by the morning or ill cry!

also how would you bleed through the banjo bolt and how would that help compared to using the bleed valve?

[gazman]

Once both lines are bled zip-tie the lever back and leave over night, this will force the air to the bottom and in the morning one last twiddle with the nipples will release any trapped air.



Sorry if this is a stoopid question, when you tie the lever back overnight are the bleed nipples closed?

Also, have I read it correctly that you pull the lever before you crack open the nipple, or do you open the nipple, pull back the lever back (to the bar?) then do the nipple up & then repeat?

And how much fluid should I typicaly need to use to do each calliper?

Ricky - how did you get on? I'm also in Rochester, just need to know in case my attempt goes pete tong, lol :D

Thanks in advance.

[Viney]

Sorry if this is a stoopid question, when you tie the lever back overnight are the bleed nipples closed? Yes the nipples are closed

Also, have I read it correctly that you pull the lever before you crack open the nipple, or do you open the nipple, pull back the lever back (to the bar?) then do the nipple up & then repeat? Pull lever, open nipple, count to 3 close nipple, release lever

And how much fluid should I typicaly need to use to do each calliper? I can do a new set of lines with 250ml of fluid. The 1st time i took about 1L of fluid.

Ricky - how did you get on? I'm also in Rochester, just need to know in case my attempt goes pete tong, lol :D Same offer. If you need a hand give me a shout.

Thanks in advance.
HTH

[Viney]

what were you doing wrong then? i have followed those instructions to the letter! hope it will sort itself out by the morning or ill cry!

also how would you bleed through the banjo bolt and how would that help compared to using the bleed valve?I dont know really, i just took my time, stopped using all manner of accessories and used a bottle and a piece of plastic tubing. One of my problems was that i was opening and closing the nipple to quickly. It wasnt until i opened the nipple, counted to 3 then close, then realse the lever i got it right. I dod also get to the point of sucking the fluid down 1st of all! (A long peice of plastic tubing is needed for this!!)

[Sid Squid]

Once both lines are bled zip-tie the lever back and leave over night, this will force the air to the bottom and in the morning one last twiddle with the nipples will release any trapped air.

Care to explain why that would be?

[gazman]

Very helpful information.


Thanks for the quick reply & thanks for the very kind offer.

I'll see how I get on this evening, the job sounds like it should be straight forward now that i've been armed with the wise knowledge of the .org, as long as I use the methodical approach mentioned & take my time. But it's nice to know helps there if needed. :thumleft:

[gazman]

P.S: does it matter if the handlebars are tilted to one side or level?

[pod]

As far as I know (30 years working with hydraulics), leaving the lines pressurised overnight with a cable tie round the lever , forces remaining air into solution with the oil.
(Not a method I am happy to use, but seen it done sometimes succesfully by others).
Upon releasing the tie air trapped in solution gasses of and self bleeds into the master cylinder, I cannot see how it gets pushed down to the calipers , since air in a hydraulic system will naturally rise to the highest point, however it may be that a small quantity will be trapped at the bleed nipple as a high point.

I have much more success priming a system by injecting fluid in at the nipple using a syringe and length of tubing , this chases air up the lines to the master cylinder and out to the reservoir ( the reservoir is best left nearly empty at the start with this method). After priming with a syringe it is rare to need any further bleeding.
The cable tie method requires a bucket of hope, the syringe method relies on science.

It is not unusual to bleed at the top banjo, this is often a trap for air especially if clip on type bars are fitted, the banjo forms a high point.

[gazman]

Cheers pod, I've heard the syringe method mentioned before, but never had it fully explained i.e: step by step.

Is that only really used when filling a brake system that was previously dry?

As a noob to spannering :oops: does the resevoir overflow? by this I mean if there was air fairly low down in the system would you need to put alot of fluid in to force the air through the whole system?

And also how do yo bleed the top banjo?

Sorry if I've scared anyone with the thought of me working on my own brakes, lol. :D

[pod]

The syringe method works for a complete refill, but can also be useful for a partial bleed.
You do need to watch the reservoir level, just close the bleed nipple and suck some fluid out of the res.
Watch the reservoir as you inject at the nipple when you stop seeing air come up with the fluid it should be OK, with twin calipers the 2nd caliper may need a bit more fluid pushed through before any air shows.
First tried this years ago when a mates hD with new braided lines just would not bleed conventionally, after 2 hours dicking about it bled with the syringe in 2 minutes.

To bleed at the banjo
, easiest with more than 2 hands.
Put rags around the banjo.
Squeeze the lever in and hold it while the banjo union is just cracked enough for fluid to come out, any air will come out with it, retighten the banjo union then slowly release the lever, same principle as doing a nipple really .
Slosh down with water to wash off any fluid that got past the rags.
HTH
Pod

[Dave20046]

I'm having real problems bleeding my brakes after a strip. I've used both he nipple and the syringe method and there is still no resistance on the lever. Any ideas?