Moss Motors, Ltd

    After driving my 1963 Austin-Healey for 21 years and putting on about 27,000 miles, I decided to restore it and put the Healey back into what I hope to be mint condition.

    While sitting there over the years on jack-stands, all of the brake and clutch fluid drained out (or disappeared somewhere). I know that I would need to rebuild the master cylinders. So I did, but when it came time to bleed the air from the lines, I couldn't. Starting from the furthest most points, nothing worked. I pumped the master cylinders to no avail.

    Here were the problems:

    The clutch system turned out easy to fix because the bleeder screw was plugged with dirt. Therefore, loosening the screw did not permit the air, fluid (and dirt) to escape, permitting me to bleed the clutch system.

    The brakes took a little longer, because I wanted to start bleeding the lines at the furthest wheel cylinder. Eventually, I closed off the rear cylinder, and started bleeding at the left front wheel cylinder. Voila! That line was filled with dirt, and by starting at that point, the brake system started to relieve itself of air and dirt. From there, I had no problem bleeding the system, starting at the furthest wheel cylinder and working back toward the master cylinder.

(If you suspect that the lines are partially or completely clogged with dirt, disconnect the lines at the wheel cylinders and or front brake hoses, and flush them with denatured alcohol. Best results are achieved when you can use an air compressor to blow the lines clear. If you place a small piece of tubing on the master cylinder end of the line, you can press the end of the air nozzle against the tubing-Ed.)