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EFV-8 Club Forum / General Ford Discussion / hydraulic brake adjustment 40-48

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Posted By Discussion Topic: hydraulic brake adjustment 40-48 -- page: 1 2 3     supereal 02-24-2012 @ 11:09 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 6819 Joined: Oct 2009 There are some reasonably priced brake bleeding units on the market. They are an adaptation of the "pump up" garden sprayers. At our shop, we use a bladder-type bleeder machine. Newer cars with ABS systems can't be bled without the proper equipment to cycle the system. Old Fords can often be tricky to fully bleed using the "pump and hold" method. Old bleeder screws on the wheel cylinders may not seal properly, allowing air to reenter, and old piston cups may do the same. If you are not installing new cylinders, pull back the boot and look for fluid, if you find some, toss that cylinder. When installing a new master cylinder, "bench bleed" it before putting it in the vehicle. Stroker 02-23-2012 @ 3:38 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 1460 Joined: Oct 2009 39-48 brakes are very easy to bleed compared to most modern systems. For one thing, the master cylinder is down low, so you aren't having to push air bubbles downhill. I've always had good luck with the two-person, hose in a jar method (make sure there is enough fluid in the jar to cover the end of the hose). I also have an ancient Wagner "Fluid Ball" which allows me to do the job by myself. They came onto the market in 1939, but are still available (though pricey)new from Wagner; however you see them often on E-Bay. These are a spherical container that has a diaphragm at the "equator". You introduce a small amount of air pressure in the "upper hemisphere", and the fluid is thus pressurized in the lower "hemisphere" and then fed via a hose and adapter directly into the master cylinder under pressure. You never have to worry about re-filling the master cylinder, as the fluid level is always replenished by the Fluid Ball. Adapters are available for just about any master cylinder in existence. The diaphragm ensures that no air gets mixed with the fluid, so it also doubles as a storage container for unused hygroscopic-glycerin-based fluids (everything but silicone), since air/moisture are sealed out. They are also great for flushing a system, as they hold about 2-gallons of fluid. As an aside, cheap/ol' methanol racing fuel works great as a flush for glycerin fluids. misfit 02-23-2012 @ 1:44 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 10 Joined: Dec 2011 On my 40 Ford I found my problem with the spongy brakes and the peddle going almost to the floor. I want to share this with you a'll. It was the brake adjustment. I was doing it wrong all the time. After doing it the way the shop manual told me I was not having any luck. I contacted a person who knew the correct procedure witch is oposite of the ford manual alas it works. The whole time I thought it was air in the system I bled the brakes several times no help.I can sleep now and stop. Len supereal 02-23-2012 @ 6:48 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 6819 Joined: Oct 2009 Try bleeding the brake system until all fluid appears completely clear. Using a hose on the bleeder screws that empties into a glass container will help. DOT3 is alcohol based, and does not mix with silicone fluid. It is likely you have pockets of it in the system.. The best way to bleed your brakes is with a pressure bleeder. The last time we faced your problem, it took two gallons of fluid before we achieved a hard pedal. This is why we don't use or recommend silicone. If you don't have access to a bleeder, most shops have them, and can flush the system. misfit 02-22-2012 @ 5:46 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 10 Joined: Dec 2011 I just finished putting on rebuilt wheel cylinder kits u.s made and rebuilt the master w/non u.s. kit. However I also have what seems to be a spongy peddle and will not stop the car easely. I'm using dot 3/4 from napa. I did not replace the brake lines they look recently replaced. The prevous owner said they used silcone in the system. I'm wondering if I need to replace the hoses because of that and did you replace your hoses. Before I did this project I had stoppable brakes that will lock up but some wheel cyls were frozen and the fluid looked like an algey pond. So tomorrow I'm going to bleed the brakes again. Len carcrazy 01-13-2012 @ 1:57 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 1659 Joined: Oct 2009 I have had the best results in bleeding brakes using two people: one in the car to apply pressure to the brake pedal while another person opens the bleed screw on the wheel cylinder while pressure is applied to the pedal and then closing the bleed screw before the pedal is released. Keep doing this until all of the air is out of the line to the furthest wheel cylinder and then repeat the procedure for the other three brakes. I have had problems using the vacuum pump on the bleed screws to bleed brakes because of air leaks past the threads of the bleed screws when they are open. supereal 01-13-2012 @ 11:15 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 6819 Joined: Oct 2009 I used it by myself, being careful to keep the master cylinder topped off. I thought it was a good way to do the job when I didn't have anyone to pump and hold the pedal (my wife is tired of that, any way) while I opened the bleeder screws. I can't tell you why that pumping the My-T-Vac didn't get all the air, in spite of giving it plenty of time. Normally, we bench bleed the master, then hook up our bleeding tank, and open the wheel cylinder bleed screws one by one, starting with the right rear, the farthest from the master. I didn't consider having someone pump the pedal while I worked the tool, as it seemed like it defeated the purpose. We use it mostly to test vacuum operated parts of a vehicle such as heater doors, etc. I've been doing brake jobs for many, many years. juergen 01-13-2012 @ 10:31 AM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 256 Joined: Jan 2010 Supereal, did you just use the vacuum or did the pushing at the pedal (manually or with your pressure unit) and the vacuum? It's hard to imagine how working both ends isn't better than working at one end. I saw my buddy successfully use it to bleed his 40 Ford brakes and his modern Merc while replacing the front calipers. I used it on my 39 Ford and when installing discs on my 64 GTO. Worked great for us. This message was edited by juergen on 1-13-12 @ 11:04 AM shogun1940 01-12-2012 @ 6:18 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 464 Joined: Feb 2010 If you pump up the brakes and hold it down , does it go down slowly indicating a bypassing mc seal. supereal 01-12-2012 @ 1:21 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 6819 Joined: Oct 2009 You have better luck than we do with that tool. The last time we tried it, we went thru a gallon of fluid before getting near a good pedal.

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