[ROVERNET - UK] RoverTC Brake Bleeding??

[roger.matheson at bigpond.com]

Hi Ben,

I have just replaced a servo (single) on my 2000 TC and used a new method as a trial because all of the lovely people I know refuse to help me anymore with brake bleading.  It worked well on my own.  I made up a temporary resevoir from a parts car with a short piece of metal brake tube connected to the outlet of the booster and positioned above the servo.  I then pumped the brake pedal and so pumped fluid from the main resevoir to the temporary.  With the bonnet open I could see the air being evacuated.  I then re connected the main brake line to the booster.  I then removed the brake bleed screw of the front calliper and wrapped it in teflon tape so that air could not pass the threads and re fitted it half a turn out from closed.  I then attached a clear plastic hose to the bleeder screw and positioned it with a loop up and over to a resevoir above the bleed screw with strings mirrors and other magical applicances.  I then pumped the pedal slowly down and even slower back.  I could then see the air removed in the loop and when all the air had been expelled.  When I reconnected everything I found the brakes were excellent.  

The manual and common practice suggests that the rear brakes should be bled first before the front furthest from the servo and finally the front closest to the servo last.  However this does call for an assistant and from my recent experience may not be always necessary.  

I am not clear about the pumbing with two servos on US cars.  I assume one serves the front while the other the rear, however it may be a split circuit where two independent lines service the front brakes.  In any case, my experiemental technique may assist and save time.

In the past I have used a pressure method as distinct from a vacume method, where I have connected an air hose at 5 pounds to the resevoir with a modified screw top.  By then unscrewing the bleeder screw slowly, air pressure over her resevoir forces fluid through the lines thereby expelling contaminated fluid at the calliper.  It works well but requires specially made connectors and vigilence. 

On a seperate note, I assume that the inlet supply to the rear calliper is below the outlet to the second rear calliper which in turn is below the bleed screw.  This connection ensures that contaminated fluid is moved from the first calliper to the second and then out of the bleed screew.      

Cheers Roger in Oz     
---- Ben Rodgers <irishrover at netscape.ca> wrote: 
> Hi Guys
>             Once again I thought it wise to call on the collective brains of
> Rovernet before I go out and struggle more than is necessary to get brakes
> on the TC.
> My car has the twin brake servo's so I'm wondering if I need to run the
> engine before trying to bleed, do I need to do this to get the fluid running
> thru the servos or can I just bleed as is. I'm using a vacuum pump for this
> job, any thoughts on that?
>                                                      Regards  Ben
> 
> 
> FREDERICK  (BEN) RODGERS.CD
> Born in Belfast, Northern Ireland,
> Author of "lily and me" a great book and a great read .
> Order on line at amazon
> Visit my web page  http://home.netscape.ca/~rodgl/
> 
> 
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