Well it's started.....17" conversion

[ribbert]

Try the zip-tie-the-lever-to the-grip-overnight trick -some have reported it works...  Can't hurt.

Dan

I asked a while back if someone could explain to me how this works. There were no replies.

Noel

[fj11.5]

My reasoning was that, air bubbles would perhaps rise up to the mc, and when the lever was realeased quickly they would be sucked back into the resivoir  , but who the hell knows for sure 

[soundmindryan]

My reasoning was that, air bubbles would perhaps rise up to the mc, and when the lever was realeased quickly they would be sucked back into the resivoir  , but who the hell knows for sure 

+1.  Worked for me.  It's magic. May take more than one time, but after cutting the zip tie off, the results are astounding. I do also believe it vents the line to the reservoir, allowing air bubbles to escape.

[ribbert]

My reasoning was that, air bubbles would perhaps rise up to the mc, and when the lever was realeased quickly they would be sucked back into the resivoir  , but who the hell knows for sure 

+1.  Worked for me.  It's magic. May take more than one time, but after cutting the zip tie off, the results are astounding. I do also believe it vents the line to the reservoir, allowing air bubbles to escape.

Have you considered you might get the same result just leaving it overnight anyway? The clutch line is all uphill. Rule one with brake fluid, if you drop the bottle on the ground, get another one off the shelf or leave it sit for 24 hours. It takes a long time to purge the bubbles.

With the lever pulled in the line is closed and under pressure. The pressure does not aid the air rising to the top, technically it has the opposite effect but in practice won't make much difference.

If spongy fluid is your only problem, as soon as I have enough clutch to get it into gear I ride it. It always comes good after a bit of use. It is a lot easier than driving yourself nuts trying to get the perfect feel in the garage.  I think engine vibrations speed up the process too.

Anyway, keen to hear if anyone else has a view.

Noel

[FJscott]

heating the brake fluid helps release any gases and aids in the bleeding process. don't heat above maximum operating temperature.

[Pat Conlon]

Scott, this is new to me....How do you heat the fluid?  In situ?  If so, where do you apply the heat without damaging your lines or caliper or m/c seals?
You can't preheat those plastic bottles very much...

This sounds like the making of a disaster to me.... A Mity Vac is so much easier..

[JCainFJ]

Brake fluid absorbs quite a bit of air (or one of the gasses that make up air), and fastening the clutch lever to the bar (raising the pressure on the system) can cause some of the small air bubbles to dissolve into the fluid. I have removed this absorbed air by placing new brake fluid in a vacuum chamber and evacuating it several times. Using the degassed brake fluid provides a firmer feel at the lever and makes bleeding easier too. I do not know for sure, but I think brake fluid likes to absorbs Oxygen which makes up about 21% of air at sea level.

[fj11.5]

Not so  much that  the systems closed  , but that its under pressure ,and cutting the cable tie  sucks the bubbles that have floated up over night quickly back into the mc  , that's my theory and I'm stuck with it  , and your  right about a shaken but not stired bottle of brake fluid, my son picked up the new un,opened bottle to pass it to me in the shed, but proceded to shake the shit out of it first , I thought nothing of it till I popped the lid, bubbles galore, decided to move onto something else tīll it was useable


Rod

[Sabre093]

I'm fed up...after 6.5 hours of B.S,we bench bled master 2 x....It's off to my bike guy...and we had a vacuum bleeder too and it  didn't work either.There's something else going on time for another set of eyes on it..

[fj11.5]

Maybe the mc return port is blocked

[markmartin]

I'm not sure what you mean by 'bench bled' ? However...

I had a similar bleeding problem when I upgraded my calipers, master and lines last year.  This is what worked for me.  I made a tall loop (about 12" vertical  before it looped back down into a catch can) off each caliper nipple and let the nipples open.  It's not what I had planned, but it worked.
The rest of the story here:
http://www.fjowners.com/index.php?topic=6721.0

[FJscott]

Scott, this is new to me....How do you heat the fluid?  In situ?  If so, where do you apply the heat without damaging your lines or caliper or m/c seals?
You can't preheat those plastic bottles very much...

This sounds like the making of a disaster to me.... A Mity Vac is so much easier..

Pat,

heat some water in a sauce pan and put a new bottle of brake fluid in the water to heat the oil.
Im an Engineer in the merchant marines and we have large Disc Brakes on our propulsion shafts that stop the shafts everytime we shift to neutral. our brake systems are much larger but anytime we change brake fluid or bleed the brakes we heat the oil first. this also helps flush the system when changing fluid.
works great for freeing up stuck pistons in the calipers. I realize our FJ brakes are so small and easy to just disassemble and put a rebuild kit but for someone who wants to do a quick fluid change, cleanout the system, get a good purge of air heating the new fluid up in a pan of water really works good.

felt I needed to clarify and explain what I said. after your questioning I was envisioning a member with a torch heating up his brake lines....YIKES
Scott

[Pat Conlon]

Ok, thanks Scott. I learned something today....Cheers

[ribbert]

I'm fed up...after 6.5 hours of B.S,we bench bled master 2 x....It's off to my bike guy...and we had a vacuum bleeder too and it  didn't work either.There's something else going on time for another set of eyes on it..

The bleeding process would probably be made easier if you unbolted the slave from the motor and clamped the piston. This way you are not losing any of the lever movement to piston travel, it is all directed at shifting fluid.

Noel

[baldy3853]

Fantastic