Moss Motors, Ltd

I have a 79 MGB  I have installed new front brakes(rotors etc,) new rear brakes), shoes cylinders) and a new Master cylinder. I have bled the brakes many times and I still have no brakes.  I can pump the pedal and it will maintain pressure for a while but after I release it I have zero pedal again.  I just purchased a EEZIBLEED from Moss which is really helpful and I have used it to bleed the brakes and they feel a lilltle better but I still do not have enough breaks to stop the car. Any help and or information will be greatly appreciated.

LDR,

Are you sure the rear brakes are correctly assembled and, very importantly, adjusted? When you pump a pedal and get some brake but then lose it when you "rest" the system you let the shoes return all the way back to the stops. Still, you may have some air. Tell me, when you pump up the pedal is it hard?(leave the engine off)If so, you don't generally have air in the system, since fluid doesn't compress. If the pedal is spongy you still have an air problem. If so, tell me, in precise language, the procedure you are using to accomplish the task of bleeding. We'll get through it. Don't worry.

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Motorbill
From Lola to Land Rover, If it's British and has wheels, it's likely I've bloodied me knuckles thereupon

I am still working on all of your suggestions. I  am not having a great deal of success yet, but I will kept you advised. Thanks for your help.

LDR:

How is it going? Enquiring minds and all that.

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Kelvin Dodd
Global Sourcing Engineer
Moss Motors, Ltd.
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So far not much success.  I am going to have to wait until I able to find someone to give me a hand (foot) inorder to bleed the master cylinder on the car.  My wife is not physically able to help me with pumping the brake pedal.  I am afraid that the project will have to be put on the back burner until after the lst of the year. Appreciate the help,  I will let you know the outcome.  Thanks 

I have been trying to get the air out of the brakes using the eezibleed, but so far no success.  As long as I have the eezibleed connected to a pressure source(tire) I have a brake pedal but just as soon as I disconnect  the pedal goes back to the floor.  I can pump the pedal(withoout the eezibleed) and I have brakes but as soon as I release the brake pedal  the pressure is gone and the pedal is back to the floor.  I have bled 10 pints of brake fluid through the system to no avail.  I will have to wait untl I have some  assistance to pump up the brakes or until spring when I can tow the car to a garage and have them fix it.  I just can't seem to get it done as a one man job.  If anyone has any suggestion that I can try with the eezibleed or other one person bleeding systems please let me know.  Thanks for your help.

I also have a 79 B and I put new brake lines on the front and bled the system afterwards.  I have a cheap one man bleed set up I bought at a local general store in the automotive dept. It is basically a plastic bottle with a lid that has a barb fitting for clear rubber tubing and a magnet attached to the bottle. You attach one end of the tube to the bottle the other to the bleed screw (starting from the farthest point from the master cly) and use the magnet to hold the bottle to the fender well at a point higher than the caliper. Once you open the bleed screw you can start to see a little fluid come out then you can get in the car and pump it a few times your self. You will see the air bubbles in the clear tubing. Once you no longer see the air bubbles, tighten the bleed screw and move to the next wheel. 

I am not familiar with the EZ bleed but I have had good luck with this little bleeder over the years and it only cost me $4.00. Good luck.

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The early bird may get the worm but the second mouse gets the cheese.

I am still working in the brakes now and the, using everyone suggestions for one person brake bleeding  systems, I have used the ezzibleed, the single one person bleed kit bottle and a vacumn pump bleed tool, I have used them all but sill I am not getting anything. I have bled the master cylinder on the car using the ezzibleed, some air came out, but I guess not enough.  Any other suggestions greatly appreciated.   Thanks

LDR,

Try this: adjust the rear brakes up solid and go through the bleeding procedure one last time. Make sure to close the bleed screw(s) either with the pedal down or while it is on the way down. (better yet). If you have no helper use a piece of 2X4 trimmed for the purpose jammed between the seat and the pedal. Be careful not to let the pedal back off on that last stroke. Use towels to protect the forward edge of the seat bottom. I know this sounds like gymnastics, but I used to do it all the time, and it can be done. If you do this and there is no air issuing from the wheel cylinders and calipers at the conclusion of bleeding each wheel, and if you have no otherwise evident leakage from lines, hoses, etc., yet when finished you have the same symptoms, I'd say you have a bad master cylinder, regardless of rebuilding, or newness. Stay in touch. We WILL solve this. Hang in there.

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Motorbill
From Lola to Land Rover, If it's British and has wheels, it's likely I've bloodied me knuckles thereupon

One more thing....tighten the adjuster as suggested, but make sure that the parking brake is off.  You need those rear wheel cylinders compressed as much as possible, they can trap air.

 It says you rebuilt the brakes, did you put on new calipers?  If so are the bleed screws on top?  They fit both ways.  If not you need to switch them (left to right, right to left.)  Air will rise upwards in the hydraulic system which is why you want them on top.

 Sounds like you tried bleeding the MC.  I've done this in the car but make sure that you've got all the lines disconnected and that you've threaded a bolt in each of the connections. Then crack each one in turn.  If you leave the lines connected you will displace the air into the hard lines and achieve nothing.
 

I must disagree about taking the lines off the master in order to bleed it in the car. DOING SO is what will cause air to be introduced into them. And removing the bolts afterward will introduce air into the master. And the bolts may possibly damage the flare cone to which the line must seal. Merely crack the lines sufficiently to let fluid and air escape. It is best to tighten the line "on the downstroke" if possible. Of course, this requires an assistant. Having done this you will have successfully bled the master cylinder. ANY TIME you bleed  the master cylinder you will have to finish by bleeding the rest of the system. That is the ONLY way to be sure all air has been purged. I've been doing it this way professionally for 38 years. It works. But believe me, nothing beats a pressure bleeder.

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Motorbill
From Lola to Land Rover, If it's British and has wheels, it's likely I've bloodied me knuckles thereupon

motorbill66:

DOING SO is what will cause air to be introduced into them. And removing the bolts afterward will introduce air into the master. And the bolts may possibly damage the flare cone to which the line must seal.

I was assuming this would be followed by a bleeding of the rest of the system, my apologies. 

Using bolts wrapped with plumbers tape and finger tightening should keep the flare from getting damaged and still allow the use of the pressure bleed tool (I used an eezibleed).  You will quickly find any flaw in the integrity of the reservoir with one of the pressure bleed systems!! Also make sure that you replace the reservoir cap BEFORE removing the installed bolts or the fluid will quickly flow out. 

I only suggest this method as the original poster did not have someone capable of assisting. 
 

Thank you for all of the tips.           I just went out and checked the position of the front calipers. The bleeding screws are located on the bottom.  I will reverse the calipers and try bleeding the system again.  I replaced the calipers in the same position as the ones that were on the car when I bought the MG ( but it had no brakes then either).  I will let you know the outcome.  Thanks.

Darn it, I have heard of this happening to somebody else, but I just never put the two together.  I should have thought of that earlier it would have saved you a week of frustration.  Hope everything is working for you now.  I read about it a couple of weeks ago on another forum.

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The early bird may get the worm but the second mouse gets the cheese.

EUREKA I have brakes.  My many thanks to all of those who have assisted me during the past months in my endeavor to get the brakes functioning on my MGB.  The bleeding of the master cylinder on the car work extremely well, I was able not just to see the air escaping but I heard it as well as it made a slight popping noise. Reversing the calipers so that the bleeding screw was on the top enabled me to get all of the air out of the system. I had double checked the rear brakes to insure they were proprly installed and I had just assumed the front calipers were installed correctly.       

 I will be probably  be asking for help in other areas as I proceed in making the MG road worthy, I still have a lot of work to do on it.  Once again my appreciation and thank you for all of your help.   (p.s. I used the ezzie-bleed for 95% of the work).