jus finished complete trailing arm assembly and all else (1/2 shaft u-joints, plastic spring, hanger bushings, adjustable strut rods etc.) that goes with it on both sides.. new calipers, rotors and etc.. tryin' tha gravity bleed deal.. have "0" fluid movement at calipers.. tried tha depressin' petal and very slowly releasin' it with still no fluid??? will try tha normal way later today if there is still no fluid at caliper.. jus lost at this point and would appreciate any suggestions....

 

Push fluid up from the bottom. When I was young and poor I used a large syringe with a short chunk of tubing.
Today you can purchase a Phoenix reverse
bleeder.
The air in your lines does not want to go down. It wants to go up.
And, ahh, this certainly isn't a new problem.

 

will give it a try.. thanks.... T

 

I totally agree with 4-vettes on this point! The Phoenix Reverse Bleeder is a great tool when working on your brakes! I have one that I just overhauled and replaced all the flexible hoses on the Reverse Bleeder I have used for decades. Once you have a Phoenix Reverse Bleeder around it is easy to find multiple applications for. It works great on motorcycles, boats, cars, RV's and even aircraft. It is a miracle worker on GM Hydraulic Clutch master cylinder bleeding....

The Reverse Bleeder would simply PUSH the fluid UP and the air goes OUT automatically. One thing you need to watch out for is an overflowing master cylinder, I like to put a small bowl under it with some rags just in case the fluid goes over the edge. Then as you are filling the system from below you should tap lightly on the Calipers, brass unions and other places that might have air being trapped. A gentle tapping is all it takes to break the air bubbles off the parts they are clinging to. The first time you bleed a system there will be lots of air attached to anything it can hang on to.

With this tool you should be able to bleed all four wheels by yourself and this is a big plus. I use it to flush the brakes and again, it is a one man job and not messy at all. When flushing I use new fluid in my reservoir bottle and then while pushing the new fluid UP into the master cylinder you will see a difference in the old fluid and when the new fluid comes out you can tell.

Bleeding the master cylinder is a simple process using the hoses that Phoenix supplied in my kit. It takes just minutes to bleed the master cylinder and again there is no mess.

 

Maybe try a 2 man,wife,kid,neighbor bleed to get it started..then let it drip. Mine took slight pressure to get them started in rear, then gravity.

 

my next move before i jump ona tool i will probably only use one time before i croak... my wife is jus settin' on her butt anyway......

 

For the rest of us folks, we have excellent luck with a Motive Pressure Tank Bleeding system.
The downside is they come with a master lid adaptor that fits anything but a Vette. So, you have to fabricate your own lid.
The upside with pressure bleeding is an almost unlimited amount of DOT3 flushing / filling the brake system without worrying about a master overflowing.
This allows you to bleed all four ports in the rear, then do the fronts.

Check on EBay for a used Motive Tank. Sometimes they just need to add new hose, rinse it well with Acetone and you are good to go.
If you go this route, click on my avatar and look for brake bleeding photos of the inexpensive master lid adaptor you can make.

 

and hopefully doesn’t read this forum 😂

for whatever reason asking the wife to bleed brakes is right up there on the not want to do list for her

keep eye on the brake light for the safety valve piston, bleed slow to not trigger.

if you do trigger light, stomp pedal a few times

 

tlwjkw,

It's preferred NOT to touch the brake pedal while bleeding the system until done.

Failure to do that without the special little tool, results in a Dash Brake Warning light activation.
Plus, issues with the Proportioning Valve not allowing fluid to pass.

 

As mentioned this little tool keeps the proportioning valve safety light switch "shuttle" valve from moving, if you use it first.


Since you have no fluid coming out of the rear, ​the shuttle valve could have already moved, and you would need to re-center it.
You can test it just by seeing if the elec switch has continuity to ground.
Take the plastic elec switch out, and use an o-ring pic tool to move it back toward the front.


This is what the pre-78 valve looks like. There is nothing inside except the little shuttle valve piston. This one is not centered and is touching the switch. So the switch is now grounded. Notice this 60 year old GM drawing is still not exact. Since the piston has moved toward the front, it should be shown blocking one front port, since it is in the tripped mode. It shuts off fluid flow on the side that leaks. That I have confirmed on a couple of same era GM cars.

 

Invaluable info for a brake Rookie like me. Muchos Gracias

 

Shuttle valve is 'tripped' in the distribution block. No passage available for brake fluid to flow to the rear brakes. Manually reset the valve (as described above) or you can do what garage mechanics did in "the day"...STOMP the brake pedal HARD a few times in an attempt to center the shuttle valve. However you get that job done, when you bleed the brakes (and if you use the 'brake pedal' method), depress the pedal rather slowly so that you don't move that valve off-center again.

 

How old are your rubber flexible brake lines?

The reason Ive stayed married for 47 years is that I bought a Motive Brake Bleeder a long time ago.

 

I'm not certain if that's good or bad!
but your still married.
I'm not. But my brakes work great!

 

I have a Motive Power Bleeder on my shelf gathering dust with the other "Easy Fix" tools for bleeding the brakes. I have the lid made for the GM master cylinder and it still didn't do what I expected it to do. It is a nice tool and made moderately well but it just doesn't make the job any easier or faster. Mine had a hard time getting all four wheels bled properly and it was still a two man job. I have several other Brake Bleeding tools that I purchased trying to find the best and easiest way to keep the fluid fresh and the brakes free of any air.

The bleeding system we choose are frequently based on how hard it is to use. Many people do not bleed their brakes because of the hassle of getting them bled properly. With the Reverse Bleeder I can be sure that the job is done right and that there is no air remaining in the brake system. I will be honest, "tapping" on the calipers, lines and brass blocks made a huge difference as that frees up so many bubbles trapped in the lines and calipers.

For bench bleeding it takes only a couple minutes with the hoses they give you as part of the kit. Flushing the entire car's brake systems can be done in less time that with many other methods. If you make a repetitive job easier then maybe it won't be so much of a hassle and you will do it more often. I spent a lot of money to be able to go fast, I want to always be sure that my brakes are in Tip-top shape to be able to stop me as easily as it can. Being able to STOP is more important that going FAST....

Classic Tube makes really nice sets of the 4 brake lines that go from the chassis to the caliper. They offer them with a Stainless Steel jacket over the hose which is the better choice in my humble opinion. Be sure that if you buy a new set of the rubber hoses that they have a valid D.O.T. tag on them or they are not legal on the roads of the United States.