Noob brake question

[drivea55]

Hey guys,
Please be patient with me here as this is the first build for me...

I am new to the master cylinder being under the floor pan, I replaced all the lines and wheel cylinders and now need to bleed the brakes...

Do I open the little plastic cover on top of the master and bleed accordingly like say a 70's series car or is there a different way of doing this? is this a tiny reservoir ? doesn't look like it holds enough fluid to bleed the system out?

do i use dot3 etc...

thanks in advance everyone...

thanks
Brian

[steve53]

keep the plastic cap closed

first make sure your resevoir is full. have a friend pump the brakes then hold pressure down. then open the bleeder valve and shut it. he can release pressure once you have it closed again. repeat process a few times on each wheel. double check your resevoir after each wheel to make sure you dont run out of fluid. dot3 works fine. start with the longest brake line and move your way to the shortest.

pretty standard bleeding process.

[OrrieG]

If you don't have a helper, or to make life easier, get some self bleeders. They have a check valve and replace the stock hose fitting at the caliper/wheel cylinder. About $10 at napa or online at Russell. Saved my marriage, my wife hates bleeding brakes.

[drivea55]

thanks guys

[drivea55]

so, open the small plastic cap to fill, but bleed the brakes with it closed? it looks like I could leave the cap open while bleeding. I pumped the brake pedal by hand while the cap was open and it didn't seem to so anything. (but I could see the valve going back and forth)

what do you all think?

thanks again

[steve53]

correct, open to fill. close while bleeding. it helps build pressure in the system. once you get good pressure you may shoot a stream of fluid out if you dont close it.

[OrrieG]

If the system has been opened you need to pump the brakes alot (my grandfather Orrie made me do it minimum 100 pumps) to work the air to the end of the line at the wheel cylinder. If it is new, do not be surprised if you use a couple of bottles of fluid the flush all the air out. If the system has been sitting for a while it is a good ideal to run a lot of fluid through it to get all the old stuff and crud out of the lines too. And once its done, if you are not driving it make sure you pump it a couple of times a week. I am on MC #2 because I did not.