brakes still a little sticky

[mooseman]

Hey Gang

I've been busy moving but finally got a chance to work on my 79 special a little. I put new Galfer brakes hoses on and the the left front still seems to creep on a little. The master cylinder was rebuilt and the calipers were cleaned well about a year ago. I don't have a bleeder and did it by the old squeeze method. Is it possible that there is still a little air in the system? If not should I take off the left caliper and clean it again? Any help as always is greatly appreciated.

Mooseman

[dragxs11]

Not sure what you mean by creep, Mr. moose? You mean your left is dragging, or your right isn't engaging?

[mooseman]

re brakes still a little sticky

Hey drags 11 the brakes both engage but the left one tends to not release all the way and drags.

mooseman

[dragxs11]

If it were me, I'd suspect that left caliper, like you said. It seems far less likely that there is a blockage in the master cyl. causing it not to allow the pressure in the lines to release, but I have seen that happen too.

[dragxs11]

BTW.. I doubt there is any air causing problems or you would probably have issues applying the brakes.... especially as the fluid warms up. I say probably because strange things can happen.

[Hammerhead1st]

JUST did my front brakes today! Had to clean the spooge out of the tiny little hole that bleeds air out of the master itself. Once I did that, Everything worked awesome. Can tell you, though, that I bleed my fronts by gravity. I crack one bleeder at a time and let it run till the bubbles stop coming, then do the other side. Takes a while sometimes, but works ok. After a couple of days' riding, I recheck the lines for air by repeating the process.

There are two holes in your master cylinder. One of them is basically an air bleeder for the plunger unit. It helps any air trapped in the plunger to escape back into the MC, and it also relieves pressure by feeding fluid back into the MC. I had to use a piece of wire from a wire brush to clean mine. The hole is TINY, but it's there. Has a clam-shaped orifice around it, would be furthest from your mirror. Might be worth a look-see anyhow. Even the smallest dirt particles will clog that hole up, thus contributing to brake pressure slowly building. However, I can't see it only affecting ONE brake caliper unless there's air in the right side line.

Just guessing, hope it helps.

[egsols]

hey Mooseman,

How long did the calipers sit after cleaning? Did you pull the pistons and install new seals?

I was recently told that if the seals are not lubed properly during assembly they can bind on the piston. One suggestion was to reef as hard as you can on the lever and lock in place for a while with a strap or bungee. Also make sure no crap is in the dust boot or it could keep the piston from coming back in.

Ernie

79xs1100sf