Bleeding 90 Ranger Rear Brakes?

First, be sure the rear brake shoes are properly adjusted.

Then,

Start at the farthest point from the master cylinder.

Bleed the right rear first, then the left rear, then the right front, then the left front.

Have your "helper" pump the pedal three times and hold firm pressure. Open the bleeder until the pedal goes to floor, close the bleeder, have helper pump the pedal until firm again, repeat procedure until no air comes from bleeder, then move on to next one. Do not allow "helper" to release pressure on brake pedal while bleeder is open. This will suck air into the system through the bleeder.

Good luck,

Spdloader

My problem is that loosening the 12 o'clcok nipple about a turn doesn't seem to open the line sufficiently to allow the fluid to pass. On the front brake's larger nipple, it only takes about half a turn to open the line. On the rear's smaller nipple I get it very loose but still doesn't allow fluid to pass through when brake pressure is applied. How loose does the nipple have to be or is there something else I must do to open the rear brake lines?

Thanks for your response Spdloader.

Sometimes they have to be very loose, or even take them out and be sure they're not plugged.

I'd open both rear bleeders very loose, and just watch 'em to see if they'll gravity bleed. Do this with the cap off the master cylinder, but put the cap back on before any brake pressure is applied.

Be sure your master cylinder is full before you start this, and don't let it go dry.

If they won't gravity bleed after 15-20 minutes, have your "helper" slowly push the pedal to the floor to see if you get fluid. Again, do not allow the helper to release pressure on the pedal with the bleeders open.

If you still don't get any fluid, then your proportioning valve may be switched to block off the rear brakes for some reason, but your brake light should be on if that's the case, OR you could have an air bubble in the line blocking flow of fluid to the rear, in which case a combination of gravity bleeding, pressure bleeding, and some pretty good cussing will be in order, but you can get it.

Try the above and see what you come up with.

Spdloader

I once had an old Crown Vic that took a bit of pressure on the brake lines to free a clog. I never did see what was stopping up the line, and once it was clear and bled, it worked fine. You might just give the brake pedal a little more pressure.

CJB

Geesh, remove the bleeder, clean it out, and if on removal fluid isn't running out the wheel cylinder, take a piece of wire and clean out the wheel cylinder opening,

Whitelightning

Thanks for the replies. I had to turn the nipple about 4-5 revolutions before the system was fully open. It wasn't clogged but I'll store that one away for future reference.