Problem bleeding brakes on 95 Camry - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

soonergn · 07-10-2003, 02:49 PM

I've been scratching my head on this one for coming on 2 weeks now. The driver side front caliper froze up and would not release while we were driving which ruined the pads and warped the rotor. So I replaced the caliper and started to replace the passenger side too but changed my mind after I already had the brake line off of it. So I put the pass side caliper back on and go to bleed the brakes but can't get ANY fluid or air to come out of the bleeder valves on the pass front corner or the driver's rear corner. Is this system not split front and rear? The other corners bleed just fine. I even removed the bleeder screws and pushed on the brake pedal and NOTHING! Yes, the reservoir is full of fluid and the brakes worked just fine before this other than the frozen caliper. What am I missing here? I even undid the brake lines at the problem corners and still nothing came out when the pedal was pushed. I also unhooked the lines at the master cylinder and routed fittings with rubber hoses back into the reservoir to check if the master cylinder is pumping and both sides squirt fluid. Could the proportioning valve be the cause? What the !@#$%^ is going on here? Why can't I bleed these brakes?

Nick · 07-10-2003, 10:13 PM

stumped.

but if the master cyl isn't the cause, then i'd check if the lines could be blocked

park the car up your driveway, undo all the lines, start trying to fill them up, once fluid starts to drip out the other end, cap both ends off, do this for all lines

fill up all the calipers and connect the lines, then just bleed them over and over again till its done, i don't know what else to say

i once spent over 2 hours bleeding brakes in a corvette, what a pos

soonergn · 07-11-2003, 01:32 PM

I'll give that try over the weekend. I can check to see if the lines are blocked with compressed air. This is the first Toyota I've owned and didn't know if there was some trick I was missing or what. How is the brake system split? Front and rear? Opposite corners? I hate bleeding brakes!

Nico · 07-14-2003, 07:41 AM

I know this might seem a bit dumb but are you sure to have pumped the brake pedal enough ? Do it several times, with your line opened ( at least 5 or 6 times ) but not too fast as this is not good for the master cylinder and I guess something should be coming from your hoses, unless they are blocked somewhere but then your pedal should stop going down.
I am not sure this helps, probably you have already thought about this, your problem is a bit astonishing really.

Good luck !

soonergn · 07-14-2003, 08:31 AM

Well, I didn't have time to try anything over the weekend but will try again tonight. I think the fact that I had to leave the passenger front brake line undone over night in order to trade the caliper for core charge (which I changed my mind on anyway) may have something to do with it. When I came back to it the following evening there was brake fliuid running down the driveway. It must have syphoned the fluid out of the master cylinder,which was low. After adding fluid I bled the master cylinder but maybe the lines aren't full of fluid yet. I don't know but I sure have pumped the pedal 'till I'm blue in the face. I just can't think of any other reason since the brakes worked fine before I started. I'm going to try what Oldman suggjested and fill the lines from the top under the hood to make sure there is fluid in the lines and go from there.

warlock · 07-14-2003, 07:49 PM

have a frind help you.a 12 pac goes a long way

soonergn · 07-15-2003, 02:33 PM

How about my wife? To lure her I could use my...well, never mind!

warlock · 07-16-2003, 12:58 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by soonergn
How about my wife? To lure her I could use my...well, never mind!

if its not a stick she dosnt need to shift the gears

you are doing your brakes,have you made her mad?

TRDragoon · 07-16-2003, 03:39 AM

ABS or non ABS? bleeding procedure are different.....

Nick · 07-16-2003, 04:11 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by TRDragoon
ABS or non ABS? bleeding procedure are different.....

really, explain...

kocho · 07-16-2003, 07:44 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by TRDragoon
ABS or non ABS? bleeding procedure are different.....

How? The ABS system has nothing to do with the hydraulics as related to bleeding as far as I know...

soonergn · 07-16-2003, 01:45 PM

Well, it's non ABS. Last night I opened the bleeder screws on the problem corners and unhooked the brake line at the master cylinder and pushed brake fluid through with a syringe. The fluid flowed right out of the bleeder valves on both corners. So I hooked the brake lines back up and tried pumping the pedal but hardly anything came out so I've decided the master cylinder must be at fault. Sound reasonable?

Nico · 07-16-2003, 03:44 PM

I think if your master cylinder was wrong, you would feel it when pumping. However be careful when pumping because doing it too much or too fast could break it...
Try to do it with some friend of yours and do like this (sorry my English is not always perfect I 'll do my best ;-) ) :
Do it LINE BY LINE (1 line opened, while others closed)
Pump very gently while this other person watches the liquid coming, when he sees the liquid coming, he should ask you to keep your foot down on the pedal until he closes the line, and then thats' it ! Do the same with other lines afterwards.
The other way would be, still line by line, one opened at the same time only, let the liquid come out and just close the line when it starts drupping.

I wouldn't start changing your master cylinder if there is still some pressure under your foot...

Good luck, I hope this helps !

soonergn · 07-16-2003, 04:23 PM

Well, the pedal goes to the floor and has done so since I started trying to bleed them. There are no leaks, everything is tight, the master cylinder is full of fluid. I have bled the brakes as you described, one at a time starting with the furtherest corner from the master cylinder and worked my way to the driver front wheel last. Open the bleeder, helper pushes the pedal down, close the bleeder, helper lets pedal up, open bleeder, helper pushes pedal down, etc. I have checked the bleeding procedure on Alldata and a Haynes manual and they didn't say anything different about the procedure. It has to be the master cylinder.

Nico · 07-17-2003, 02:19 AM

Then I guess indeed your master cylinder must be wrong (there's nothing else). This is not too complicated to replace, it is also a good occasion to replace the whole liquid in your system (when the liquid becomes old, it starts becoming corrosive with your lines). Honestly I think even a used one would do (this is not something that breaks very often) and would spare you some money.
Good luck !