Bleeding brakes

[parklane]

You sure yo put brake fluid in there?? Don't know why it would plug off a line and cause the wheel cyl. to start leakin less u got contaminated stuff.

John :?

[Dirk35]

Recycling the fluid that has been pushed through the lines is a bad idea.

[GPster]

Recycling the fluid that has been pushed through the lines is a bad idea.

Woops! Because this chassis had been under water (in my garage, flood of '2003) and it attacked the master cylinder, when I rebuilt the master cylinder and bench bled it. I used the master cylinder to push new fluid to the back end (after letting the rear lines drain foreward with the master cylinder out because it was the lowest point). All of the steel lines to the rear flrex hose and on the rear end were new my me but before the flood.When I put the new lines to the rear I capped the front and it wasn't being use before the flood (and got no flood water in them) and the start of this whole episode was new steel lines on the front and making it operable again. It was after this plumbing and bleeding that I found the front flex hoses not open and  that with their age didn't upset me too much. The back one working then swelling is the latest and this not reusing the brake fluid is a new twist that I would like to have more information on. Not trying to discredit it  but trying to see if I've ruined $75.00 worth of new flex hoses and have killed the steel lines and any chance of this thing stopping other than a brick wall. I used new fluid to start this process after the flood and the first bleeding had the fluid thrown out. During the following bleedings the fluid was pulled out with a vacuum bleeder and checked for water (none) and filtered with a coffee filter for any sediment (none) and has occasionally been used to top the master cylinder during this bleeding. With all of this one-man bleeding I've been catching the bleeding fluid and after going through 2 pints and part of a quart, I thought I was being wasteful. Please more information. GPster

[jaybee]

"I had the front drums off and I could see the front brakes working (I had a big cabinet clamps accross the shoes to keep the together)"

I don't have anything useful to contribute to this (everyone has been so thorough) but the comment above sparked a memory that made me smile.  My little brother has virtually no mechanical ability and was always in trouble with Dad in the garage.  One time Dad was relining brakes, Brother was in there with him, and I was in the yard.  Suddenly Dad yelled and brother flew out of the garage as fast as his legs would carry him.  Dad isn't a yeller so when he raised his voice he was good and mad.  Sure enough, just as Dad was getting ready to slip a drum back on Brother hit the brake pedal and shot the pistons out of the wheel cylinder, drenching everything in brake fluid including Dad.  Brother didn't come back out of the house for a while.

[GPster]

We either learn by someone else's dumb mistakes or making our own. Twice taught and still dumb. GPster