So here is what happened.
A week or two ago my brake pedal starting feeling mushy and I had to pump to stop. After inspecting all my brake lines for leaks etc., I found that I had a brake hose ballooning on me up front. This hose looked different than all others so I think the PO might have replaced it by itself at some point. Everything else seemed to be in good shape. Lots of rust, but no leaks. I plan on doing all new lines and hoses in the summer, so I am putting off replacing anything I don't have to (my wife is ready to kill me while I am spending the Christmas budget on brake parts). Just trying to get through the winter!
After I replaced the front line, I went to check the bleeder and I found that it was not coming off - period. I tried the heat gun and PB blaster approach. In the end, I leveled it clean off with vice grips. So I ordered a pair of new wheel cylinders and installed them to both my front tires. They were cheap enough that the wife didn't kill me.
Now with new cylinders in place and good lines/hoses I went to work at bleeding them.
Here is my problem. I didn't plug the line well enough when I removed the first wheel cylinder and the front half of the reservoir ran dry overnight. And now it seems that no matter how long I bleed them, I still have absolutely no resistance on the pedal.
I have adjusted the "stars" and I had my daughter pump the brakes for me while I checked the wheels inside and out. The cylinders seem to be doing their jobs and show no sign of leakage. With the wheel cap on, the pedal seems to stop the wheels from turning. But - I still have no pedal push, it just sinks to the floor. Also, if I listen carefully I can hear a squishing noise.
What the heck is going on here? I don't see any leaks, and I have been through a tall bottle of brake fluid doing the back and forth pedal bleeding. I don't see any air bubbles coming out. I had the "champagne bubbles" at first, but I ran those out in the first 20 pumps or so.
I have read that I might have air in the MC. Is that true? If so - what is the EXPERT opinion on how to resolve this? Bear in mind, I am barred from spending any more money on this. ;-)
Thanks guys,
-Steve Ballantyne
68' Bug