zdanz

Hi !
This is my first post here !

I'm having a hard time trying to properly bleed the brakes on my 4runner 89. This is not the first time I bleed brakes (did it on other cars) but the first time on a 4runner.

It all began with a stuck caliper. The truck was dragging to the right when I applied the brakes. I also needed to pump the brake 2 times to have solid braking.

Bought a new caliper with new brake pads for both sides. Replaced everything and tried to bleed the brakes, beginning with the rear right. Asked my girlfriend to pump the brakes 4-5 times, hold it, i opened the bleeder, fluid comes out, close the bleeder, release the pedal. Repeated this several times.

THE PROBLEM :
No fluid is coming out of the rear left drum, right caliper and left caliper. Nothing!
The only place where fluid comes out of the bleeder is the rear right wheel!

- The MC never been empty or low on fluid
- There is no leak, everything is tight
- LSPV had been bypassed by the previous owner, here's how he did it

(VERS L'AVANT means "To the front")

I don't know why fluid isn't coming out of the rear left bleeder... could it be simply the bleeder that is clogged ?

But what about the front brakes, why nothing is coming out of the bleeders ? The two rear must be bleeded before fronts bleeders release fluid ?

Thanks for your help!

4Crawler

iTrader: (3)

The bleeder could be clogged, I had two of mine clog and not let fluid out. How to fix? Pull the bleed nipple out all the way then use a small pick to probe the end where the fluid comes out. And I found that a small (tiny) drill bit in a pin vise worked great to clear out the nipple from the threaded end. Then I use a small wash bottle to spray some solvent through the nipple to flush out the blockage. Once clear, screw it back in and it should work better.

desertcamper67

For starters pull the Lr bleeder and run a little wire through it. Or use a tiny drill bit by hand. That usually will unstick a clogged bleeder.

After you get fluid out of both rears let us know whats going on up front.

New or remanufacured calipers don't always come with the bleeder closed. So you can introduce even more air into the system if they are open when you try to bleed the rears.

That brake pull could have been a bad rubber brake hose up front too.

desertcamper67

4Crawler you are quick.

zdanz

That's exactly what I did... tried to bleed the rear brakes at least 10 times just to realize that the new caliper bleeder was not closed tight (i could hand turn it).

Seems like there is kilometers of air in the lines!

I'm going to try to unclog the bleed valves and I'll keep you updated when I try this after work !

Thank you everyone for your quick replies ! Great site by the way !

desertcamper67

Oh and welcome to the site.

ITrain

I had a similar problem with mine. Had a valve slightly open. Just a word of advice....Don't Give Up! Mine were almost impossible to bleed. I had to do the pump, pump, hold AND use a vacuum pump to get fluid to the rears! It was a pain. Took me 2 hours to get fluid there. I'm going to replace the LSPV soon with a manual one. Anybody have any experience with these??

DJ99

I highly suggest speed bleeders that also come with rubber or soft plastic caps.

zdanz

UPDATE: Ok finally both rear brakes are bleeded. It was a clogged bleeder! It brakes well, but only from the rear.

Now still have a problem trying to bleed the front brakes. No fluid from both sides.

I unscrewed the Front fitting from the master cylinder while my helper was holding the pedal to the ground : nothing came out of it! Is my master cylinder broken or I need to do something special to have fluid coming out of the Front fitting ?

Thanks for your help!

bugs1961

Try to bleed the master and see if you can get fluid out. If not, replace the master.

zdanz

Anyone knows the best way to bleed the master without removing it from the truck ?

bugs1961

Remove the brake lines from both fittings.

Hold a container or plastic cup in position to catch the fluid that will be sprayed out and wrap rags or paper towels around the master to catch dripping fluid.

Have your helper SLOWLY (or the fluid will go everywhere) push the brake pedal to the floor and hold.

Place two fingers over the holes in the master so that air won't be sucked in.

Have your helper slowly release the brake pedal.

Repeat 2 or 3 times and reconnect the brake lines.

Don't let the master run dry or you'll have to repeat the process. This is like priming a pump and needs to get done whenever the master runs dry or a new master is put on.

Good luck,
Bugs

zdanz

Ok thanks. I tried this without any success. I don't have any brakes anymore.

When we proceeded, there was alot of pressure coming from the rear hole in the master.

But absolutely nothing from the Front hole. Zero fluid flowing, zero suction.

Tried it several times without any success.

Does that mean that my master cylinder is dead ?

desertcamper67

It might. Its fairly easy to hurt an older master cylinder by foot bleeding it. If the pedal goes farther (down) than normal driving conditions have allowed in the past, you can swipe the lip of the seal through rough parts of the inner bore. This folds or tears the lip of the seal and no more pressure holding ability. It doesn't have to be a visible leak either.

zdanz

Ok well I guess I will need to replace the master cylinder. Is it really expensive ?

Thanks!

zdanz

Piston #2 stuck - just ordered a new master cylinder!

Now everything will work properly ;P

Thank you everyone!