1 reply to this topic

[NZJames]

Hi there,

I'm currently having some trouble bleeding my brakes, after bleeding the pedal gave almost no force and required much pumping to get even small bits of stopping force. I have seen in the Haynes manual that there are various different hydraulic set ups and each one is bled differently but not knowing what mine was I just went from furtherst to closest to the master cylinder. I'm hoping this is where I went wrong. What indicators do I need to look for to determine the system and therefore the bleeding procedure? The Mini is a 1980 Morris Mini 1000 but it has a 1275 engine from some other A-Series car so I don't know if that would have an effect on what the hydraulic system would be.

One other thing I did wrong which may be the cause of my troubles was letting the reservoir run dry, could that be causing my troubles and if so how would I fix it with limited tools and money?

Thanks in advance!

[Spider]

Bhaha,,, I've done that (let the Res run dry - and not too long ago) - rather annoying to say the least. If you have let the Reservior run dry, there's little choice but to bleed through and don't let any Air in the System. It's fairly easily done (letting air in) with Tandem Brakes than Single Circuit. As you are bleeding, keep a very regular eye on the brake fluid level.

 

OK, IDing the brake system.

 

First thing, have a look at how many pipes come out of the Master Cylinder;-

      1 = Single Circuit,

      2 = Tandem Circuit

 

If they are single circuit, that's about all you need know as far as bleeding goes.

 

If Tandem, there were 2 basic types. Find the Brake Lines that run down the back of the car, you should be able to find them in the Engine Bay, near to and below the Master Cylinder;-

      1 Line = Front / Rear Split, 

      2 Lines = Diagonal Split

 

I have no idea what the various books say about doing them in any particular sequence, but I usually start at the brake closest to the Master Cylinder.

 

If Bleeding from dry, a pressure system like a Gunsons Easy Bleed makes quick easy work of it, but if there's fluid in the system, it's not worth lashing out cash for one.

Edited by Moke Spider, 05 July 2015 - 05:17 AM.