I’ve run into a problem while trying to bleed my brakes. I have the motrax little bleeder kit and when I connected it to the bleeder screw, pumped the brake a few times and then opened the screw it was all fine for 30 seconds coming out nicely.
But then it stopped so I closed the screw (motrax say this is not needed because the valve on the little bleeder kit does not let air back in but i did it anyway) and tried pumping the front brake to build some pressure up again but I can’t at all. The brake level presses all the way to the handle bar with ease it feels like I have no front brake any more?
Have you checked the master cylinder ? if you’ve let it get too low then you’ve introduced more air into the system.When you’re bleeding the brakes through, you need to keep the master cylinder topped up.
I’ve decided not to use the little bleeder and instead just use the tube feeding into a bottle into some brake fluid so it doesn’t pull back in air.
I managed to get some pressure back in the lever and got on with the process. Pump it 15-20 times and then hold, followed by open bleed screw for a bit and then close it. I would then repeat the process.
It was all going well for about 10 times but now i’ve completely lost the pressure again and even 50 pumps is not doing anything lol.
have you tried bleeding master cylinder ? crack the banjo bolt and bleed as you would brake calipers
banjo bolt tight, pump lever few times, hold lever to bar,open banjo, tighten banjo, release lever…make sure you place a rag aroung paintwork etc … see if that builds pressure up…
then bleed calipers
brake pads are still in place ? be suprised have seen a few do this without them in …
I had the same problem coz I let the reservoir run too low. Had to free-flow the line from top to bottom (no tube on caliper end). Gentle action with the lever worked in the end.
Hmm…personally , since bikes were first being fitted with hydraulic brakes i have always used the same method which has never failed - 2 strokes each time on the lever to start with , opening the bleed at the start of the 2nd stroke and closing just before the end.
Only one stroke per bleed required once most of the air is gone and no need ever for kits//any other crap .
with an empty system or loads of air just leave the valve open and pump through continually till the obviose spurting of air is gone then continue as above .
Air compresses , liquid doesn’t so continually pumping the lever with the valve closed is only going to compress the air rather than moving fluid quickly and easily thro the system to the bleed valve .
I have speedbleeders fitted to my callipers now, but the old method I have used for years is easy peasey, get a length of plastic hose, fish tank hose will do at a push or washer bottle hose, connect one end to the calliper bleed screw, fix the other end so that it is well below the fluid level in the reservoir, crack open the bleed screw and slowly pump as if you were bleeding normally, keep an eye on the fluid level until you have filled the hose, topping up as you go, once the hose is full you can pump away happily, any air bubbles are expelled into the reservoir where they vent to atmosphere, there is no need to open/close the bleed screw once the hose is full enough not to drag air back into the bleed.
