More Brake and Bleeding questions

OK I've got calipers and parts all over the place now! Have one set restored with existing parts and another with rebuilds. I've got two questions:

1) The seal rebuild kit came with a packet of pink goo. Is that lubricant or seal setter or what?

2) The set I've put back on is a rear & front linked combo on one of the '83s. I've bled the b'jeepers out of them (2 full bottles) - everything coming out is clean fluid on both sides, but they're still mushy as all get out! There's got to be some air stuck in there. How do I get it out??? I'm using a mighty vac and the bleeding is working OK. I saw another thread on the subject but I didn't see a clear solution. Any thoughts??

Thanks

I tried a Mighty Vac without much success. Went to Speed-bleeders and that seemed to do the trick. Mushyness could be either air in the lines or the lines are expanding. When the lines get old they have a tendency to do that. And it differs with each bike. I have 2 '83's and one is really solid and the other is mushy. Same bleeding technique. I think one's got weak lines.?? One other way to make sure that air is gone is try reverse bleeding. Force the fluid into the caliper and take it out of the reserve. It's the only way I can bleed the clutch.... I didn't get any with my rebuild kits. Air will also get trapped in the high part of the front line up around the triple tree. Later models have a bleeder valve up there for that reason.. I'm not sure what the pink goo is. Are you sure it wasn't something that came with the pads??

Thanks,

I was considering the speedbleeders after I saw the other thread you responded to on the same topic. I gotta beleive there's a traditional way to bleed this though. How would the dealer do it if I asked them?

The goo may have come with pads. Got it from the previous owner in what appeared to be a sealed Yamaha parts package (had part# sticker) with the seal kit.

The goo comes with seals but I dont what they are for. So I used them as seal setters and no problems with them. I dont know if this applies to 83 but on the 86 up the front calipers have different seals I accidently ordered the same seals 2 right sides and I had to re-do the left after it was leaking.

Yeah, the front seals are smaller than the rears on the '83 - made the same mistake.

How would the dealer do it if I asked them?

Unless they had an 'Old Guard' mechanic around they probably wouldn't know, and would do it just the way you've been doing it...

The goo may have come with pads. Got it from the previous owner in what appeared to be a sealed Yamaha parts package (had part# sticker) with the seal kit.

If it came in the bag it could be assembly lube?? Now that I think about it I believe my rebuild caliper kits did come with a lube for the piston cup O rings. I got in my head that you were refering to the master.... Ya gotta be careful not to use anything synthetic, or you'll be doing it over again.... Synthetics will attack the rubber seals and the assembly will seize up tighter than a frogs behind... don't ask me how I know that.... The best thing to use when putting everything together is good old DOT 3.

I didn't follow you... Is this a Standard "83, with intagrated brakes?? If it is under the handle bar up under the fairing is a brake line connection. If you pump the brake peddle and crack open the brake line. Air should come out. Check the fluid level and do it again. Not a hard thing to do "one man style". Pump the brakes again ( forgot , keep pressure on the peddle) and open the line again. I put a weight on the brake peddle. Don't take the line off, just loosen till air or fluid comes out, and then retighten. Keep it up till only fluid comes out. Check thre fluid level, and check the brake for a mushey feel. I forget what year they installed a bleeder at this junction, but had the same problem with my '84. Good Luck.

Greg,

I ran across a similar problem a while back on the front brakes of my 2002 RSV and I was even running stainless lines. But saying that about new lines, it is possible for a stock line to get ruptured on the inside and not show a leak. Are you still running 1983 brake lines?

But back to where I originally started with bleeding the front brakes on my RSV. In getting one line from the master to feed 2 calipers, there is one line going down to a block at the bottom triple tree. At this block the two lines going to each caliper is attached to the block by a banjo bolt at a center banjo fitting. There are a couple of places in this junction for an air bubble to get trapped (just like the metering junction for your integrated system) and as long as there is one bubble in the system, it will not pump up. This where I had to get UGLY with the brake lever and pump the living crap out of it and it finally started pumping up, where I guess I lodged the stuck bubble loose. So use the MityVav to get the lines primed and then bleed them the old fashioned way and get ugly with the pedal before you hold it and open the bleed valve. Do the left front first and then the rear.

The best way is to power bleed them from the master cyclinder but you have to drill and tap a line into a second master cylinder top cover. And then seal it to where it will not leak when fluid is pumped through the top of the master cylinder into the system. This get's all of the air out at the caliper. I made one out of a 1 gallon pump-up insectiside sprayer and it works perfect. But you have to load it with about 2 quarts of fluid so you don't go dry and pump air into the system.

I've attached a couple of pictures of the one I made for the rear master cylinder reservoir so you can get an idea of what I'm describing if anyone wants to try building one. But like I said, you have to destroy a master cylinder top, where I don't think top covers for a 1st gen rear master cylinder are easy to come by.

Good luck,

Rick

I didn't follow you... Is this a Standard "83, with intagrated brakes?? If it is, under the handle bar up under the fairing is a brake line connection. .

All VR's had integrated brakes and '83's did not have the bleeder valve up on top of the left front brake line loop as they did in later years.

 

 

The best way is to power bleed them from the master cyclinder but you have to drill and tap a line into a second master cylinder top cover. And then seal it to where it will not leak when fluid is pumped through the top of the master cylinder into the system. This get's all of the air out at the caliper. I made one out of a 1 gallon pump-up insectiside sprayer and it works perfect. But you have to load it with about 2 quarts of fluid so you don't go dry and pump air into the system.

Rick

Great idea Rick. I'm gonna have to try that.