Srx600 bleeding the bleeding brakes

[Danxup]

Ey up .. ive just fitted braided lines to my srx and cant for the life of me get a leaver.. im starting to wonder if the master cylinder is knackerd.. although the brakes worked ok ish befor i took the old rubber lines off.. ive cracked the banjo bolts at master cylinder and splitter and managed to pull fluid down through the bleed nipples on the calipers so i assume thers fluid throughout the system.. im abit stumped and fed up.  Ive orderd the overhall kit for master cylinder but thought id see if any of you good people had any wisdom to share   many thanks
Dan

[Steve Lake]

yup, they're a 'bleedin' menace !

on occasions ... and very recently i have taken hours to bleed the brakes on my srx's.... and pumped through half a large tin of dot4 before all the air is out of the system.  assuming you're talking about the front brakes, i find alternating between left and right at least 5 times can help.
also, when i've had braided hoses made up i run both direct from the master cylinder using a double length banjo.... disposing of the 'T' piece which seems to make bleeding even more of a pain.
If you have fitted new pads and had to push the pistons back, then that will make it seem as if you're getting nowhere, as the pistons move out taking up their correct position before you can feel any resistance.
oh... and i have a bleed pipe with a one way valve in, which does help a lot.... saves all that 'open/close' of the bleed nipple.
if your brakes were working (albeit poorly) before, i would expect the master cylinder to be working well enough to get the new set up functioning, though a service kit is a good idea at any stage.
good luck... keep pumping

[themoudie]

Aye Dan,

Back bleed the brakes using a 60ml syringe and tube (colostrum feeder) sold for feeding lambs, any good farm/country supplies store or vetinary will be able to supply, also available on-line:

Example_lamb_colostrum_feeder

You may require a different size piece of rubber tube to slip over the end of the tube to fit the brake caliper nipples and I also cut the end off the tube so that the full diameter is open rather than the two side holes. File the brake resevoir with fluid, slowly pull back the lever to the bar and then secure in place with a rubber band/bungie/or band cut from an old inner tube. Slacken the nipple on the caliper ( a wee bit at a time, don't need to open it right up) push the tube over the nipple and then pull the syringe plunger to the full extension and nip the nipple shut, before releasing the plunger. Repeat until the syringe fills, with brake fluid and there are no air bubbles when drawing the fluid into the syringe. 

N.B. You may need to wire/small petrol pipe clip the tube onto the end of the syringe as the brake fluid can lubricate it and it will slide off! 

I use this method on both SRX and Honda brakes, having spent far to many hours trying to pump it through, even after renewing the master cylinder seals and only succeding in aerating the brake fluid!

I also use stainless steel pistons in the calipers and only replace the seals these days rather than seals and pistons. Another wheeze is to take the caliper off the fork leg and remove the pads; give all parts and pads a good spray with Autoglym motorcycle engine cleaner, leave them to sit for 5-10 minutes and then give them a scrub with a toothbrush. Finally, immerse in a bucket of hand hot water and again scrub with the tooth brush. All that brake dust and gum will come off. Refit pads and pins with a film of copper grease applied with a small artist's paint brush, NO A GREAT GOB APPLIED WI' A BIG TOE and then push the pistons onto the pads and onto the discs. I usually do mine after about 1,000 miles and it is far easier than wrestling with siezed pads, seals and pistons, then having to bleed the brakes.

Good health, Bill

[Propellor]

I can only say what has worked for me.

I remind myself that air is the cause of sponginess on a refill. Air is lighter than brake fluid so will want to rise. It will rise as long as the route allows.

With that in mind I just make sure the hose is constantly rising and if there's a splitter block give each side a chance to rise. I've found the crucial part is the master cylinder. If it's on a clip on bar it will be sloping the wrong way so take it off and fix it using straps or whatever so it rises towards the little hole into the reservoir.  That's where air needs to go. 95%of the trapped air wi escape there. The small amounts trapped in the caliper and various banjo fittings can be bled locally.

Arrange the caliper accordingly, give it an hour then maybe try pumping the lever until all bubbles have stopped coming out.

Best of luck.

[themoudie]

Agreed Andrew, keep the bike (SRX) on the sidestand and the bars hard to the left, then the master cylinder will be at the highest point and almost level.

Good health, Bill

[Danxup]

Now then .. cheers for all the advice.. i ended up swapping the master cylinder for a spare i have .. still no good . Swapped back to original.. then ended up putting the old rubber lines back on and low and behold it bled up straight away.?  Then tried a tip from a mate who rides motocross.   I left the top off the master cylinder.. cabel tied the leaver back as far as it would go to the grip and left it for 8 hours.. when i came back to it the brake felt amazing.. ehhhhhhh ? Vooo doo

[Steve Lake]

it might seem like black magic, but it's actually as Andrew said, with the lever tied to the bar and the feed hole in the master cylinder at its highest point, then the air (ever so slowly) rises out of the system ..... this does need to be done in a nice dry atmosphere, if the master cylinder is left open for any length of time the fluid will absorb moisture.
anyway, job done and the collective knowledge of the TC continues to grow 

[Danxup]

Thankyou evryone.. i love this site.. looking forward to a summer on the srx600

[Moto63]

Woo.... slow down there fellas, I feel that there might just be a tad to much love floating around here. Can't have folk talking now can we, we've got the TC's reputation at stake here ya know . ... 🤘🤘
Name withheld to protect the innocent 😉

[iansoady]

I know people swear by the tying the lever back but I can't for the life of me see how it works as the passage between the master cylinder and the reservoir is blanked off by the piston - so how does the air escape?

Still I'm glad it seemed to have worked for you.

[Propellor]

I know people swear by the tying the lever back but I can't for the life of me see how it works as the passage between the master cylinder and the reservoir is blanked off by the piston - so how does the air escape?

Still I'm glad it seemed to have worked for you.

I agreed Ian.

If one wants to prove this to themselves then try fixing the lever back BEFORE you fill the system. Keep plenty of rags to hand. 😄😄