And then depression sat in.

[papajoe]

Ok. rebuilt master cylinder on my 79' xs 1100f, rebuilt both calipers, checked all lines and everything else I could think of. Still no front brakes. Cant get inspection so no tags no ride. If someone can give me a suggestion of what to do next It would really help. By the way I have found no leaks or anything like that so please go beyond the obvious. Thanks.

[soccer4m]

brake check list

Hi Papajoe,,,,start at the top and work down,,,,,
1. loosen bolt at master cylinder and keep pumping, if fluid squirts out, master is working correctly
2. loosen brake line down going into one of the brake cylinders, not the bleed bolt, but the line bolt,,pump the master repeatedly, when squeezing lever have bolt loose, before releasing tighten the line connector so no air gets in, when lever is out, loosen and start over,, making sure there is lots of fluid in the reservoir, and if air or fluid comes out with a sqeeze the line is clear,
3. do this on each side to check for fluid, usually takes a couple dozen times to bleed the air and or fluid
4, if no fluid or air is coming out the lines are clogged, time for new lines
5. I had clogged lines and a world of difference when replaced, hopefully yours just have air,,,,it takes a while to bleed out,,,,or get speedbleeder bleed screws to simplify the process.....keep us informed...........Mike in S.Diego

[papajoe]

Thanks Mike. Will try your suggestion for the master and brake lines. I am getting fluid out of the bleeders (and some air bubbles) when I try to bleed the system. But no pressure seems to build up.

[soccer4m]

keep at it

Goood news, if you are getting fluid out of each side of the front cylinders you are on your way. Remember to close the bleeder after each squeeze of the master cylinder or air gets in and it will never bleed right.
Keep opening the bleeder, squeeze the master, close bleeder and after a couple dozen of that it should get firm.
ONly other suggestion is make sure all connections are tight so no air gets in

It does take awhile to bleed, keep the master filled, having a person help with one end makes it faster and more efficient.........hang in there, anyone else have suggestions????????????????????? Mike in S.DIego

[DAVINCI]

One more suggestion. This worked for me back in '04 before I had speed bleeders:

Situate the bike under a rafter or ceiling joist in the garage. Point is to have a place to hang the calipers from. The union will have to be loose from the tree for this..with the calipers and hoses all connected, hang the calipers, using rope or whatever, above the level of the M/C. Ty-wrap a piece of wood or anything between the brake pads so the pistons are not free to move. Bleed.

BTW, either remove the tank or cover it WELL. Brake fluid is the best paint remover on earth.

[papajoe]

Mike, fluid dosent "squirt" from master just seems to weep/run out. When bleeding lever never gets even close to firm. Could I have missed something in the rebuild? No parts left over.(haha!)

[papajoe]

Davinci, thanks for the suggestion. And yes brake fluid is a great paint remover. Will have to repaint or strip the rest from the calipers when this nightmare is over.

[brcree]

brakes

Hay Joe....one more thing to look at...sometimes the small hole at the bottom of the reservoir gets plugged up ( spoog hole). I used a stiff bit of wire to make sure the hole was open.

[Incubus]

If your master is working correctly you should not be able to keep brake fluid from squirting out around your finger when you have your finger over the outlet hole in the master cylinder (where the banjo bolt screws in). If you are not getting that much pressure you need to look at the master again. Make sure BOTH holes in the reservoir are clear.

Other than that, if those holes are clear and the master is not leaking past the plunger onto the lever, I cannot think of a reason why the master isn't pressurizing. The plunger is moving with the lever, right?

Patrick

[papajoe]

Thanks to everyone who posted. At this point I give up. To much time wasted. I wll take it to my local shop and have them fix it when I can afford it. I guess Ill just have to ride my wife's 79 xs1100sf ( if she'll let me, I ride harder than her) just finished it's rebuild last summer. Conservation not restoration at this point. Perhaps when I go back to work I can afford to restore both.

[cywelchjr]

Thanks to everyone who posted. At this point I give up. To much time wasted. I wll take it to my local shop and have them fix it when I can afford it. I guess Ill just have to ride my wife's 79 xs1100sf ( if she'll let me, I ride harder than her) just finished it's rebuild last summer. Conservation not restoration at this point. Perhaps when I go back to work I can afford to restore both.

It sounds like you have air trapped in the master, or maybe you pumped it too far. If you pulled the handle all the way to the bar, you have popped the little cup backwards and it will never build pressure now. It's not fatal, just take it apart and reassemble. The service manual suggests using a block of wood to keep the handle from moving more than about 1/2 it's possible movement when bleeding the brakes, as more than that can cause this problem.

[papajoe]

Thanks CY, I did use a block to avoid that but I think that might still be the problem. I now have the entire system off the bike so that I can go over the entire rebuild again. Until then I might just live on the edge and ride with rear brake only. That is if I can pass inspection without front brakes.

[foreda]

Spooge hole

Sounds to me like the Spooge hole is plugged? Whatever you do.. Do not ride this old rocket without front brakes!

[natemoen]

Sounds to me like the Spooge hole is plugged? Whatever you do.. Do not ride this old rocket without front brakes!

The spooge hole allows the pressure that does build to release. If it is not building pressure the it isn't the spooge hole causing the problem. Gotta be either air, seal, or something wasn't assembled correct.

[papajoe]

Foreda, Thanks for your concern but its really nothing new for me. Been having front brake problems for a while (working not working) kinda got use to it. By the way I was born in Shreveport La. and grew up all over the state. Even lived in beautiful Hackberry La. while working on the Calcasieu river (at Devils Elbow near Browns Lake ).