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1984 245 Brake Bleeding Sequence

Terry1941

New member
Joined
Sep 9, 2020
Location
Federal Way, Washington
Hey, I was able with out too much trouble (except in finding parts) to get the front calipers and rotors off and replaced with new calipers, rotors and pads, but I cannot seem to find any information on how to bleed these things with 3 bleeders on on each side? I have done plenty of American cars with only one bleeder. The rear is ok so was not touched.
 
Thanks for the link. I was reading through it and there seemed to be a few different ways of doing this. I do not have a pressure bleeder and was doing it manually with a helper. The calipers on the were removed and the new ones were put back on about 24 hours later.

I re-installed the assemblies starting with the drivers side. Once bother were installed with lines reconnected I filled the reservoir. I opened the top line on the drivers side and fluid came out. Did the same on the passenger side but no fluid came out. I had my helper pump the pedal gently and hold while I opened the bleeder. Did this about 4 times until no air came out of the bleeders. During this process though I could not get any fluid out of the passenger upper bleeder? No attempt yet to try and bleed the rear, was not sure if this was necessary. I have a strong pedal when the car is off, but when I start the car the pedal is soft and goes to the floor.
 
I have ordered a pressure bleeder. What is the sequence once this is connected to the brake fluid reservoir (I assume this is where it it connected) as to which wheel and then which of the 3 bleeders is tested first? I assume again that you just go around the car and bleed all the ports until no air comes out? Still cant quite find definitive instructions on this?

Thanks!
 
The recommended order uses the least amount of fluid, other than that as I said in the other thread you need to deal with each corner individually and swap things one at a time.
 
You're In A World Of Hurt The Creek Has Risen.

this is the correct order, it's from the Haynes manual

attachment.php

Yes when there's no air in the system and you're simply changing / refreshing the fluid, as I mentioned it uses the least amount of fluid.

~~~~~~~~

Leaving the system open to drain is a big nono, as is allowing air out back to be trapped in the proportioning valves.

Perhaps crack the fittings at the MC and {[bench]} bleed it in place before proceeding?

At this point I'd first remove the rear calipers, hang them on wires, and compress & block spacer their pistons to send fluid and possible air back forward where it can be removed as you bleed the fronts.

FWIW if the caliper halves are incorrectly matched at the rebuilders they will not bleed which may be why one doesn't?

[Dimples must line up on the bottom of the calipers.]
 
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Unfortunately I have had computer problems and was not able to log on until just now, just finished trying to figure things out on my own, just have to chuckle! This information would have been great!!

I did end up buying the bleeder device because I was not able to get someone to come and help pump manually. I set the device at 15 psi and this did make things a bit more convenience when a one man show, did help alot! I did not know the sequence so I just started with the drivers side, the passenger, then rear passenger, and then the other. Very little air came out the front and none came out the back. Still could not get any thing out of the front passenger upper valve. The Drivers upper valve took quite a bit of torqueing to get it to stope leaking. I am thinking that I may not have a good rebuild pair of calipers (got them from O'Reilly's). The brakes work, and the car stops, but the pedal is soft and the brake failure light is on. Not doing so well with my first European old car! I probably should let an expert look at it, just trying to make this project financially feasible. I received a quote from an independent Volvo mechanic for $740 for the two front, they thought the rear looked ok.

So at this point how would one go about fixing this issue now after I most likely have buggered thing up a bit? Don't have a shop, working on the side of the house.
 
Buy a bunch of cheap fluid and a quart of the good stuff, zip tie the reservoir down, pump the motive up to 20 psi and send a quart of the cheap stuff through between test drives.

When / if you get a good pedal flush with the good stuff and call it a day.

After of course you diagnose and solve why the front passenger upper valve won't bleed.
 
How would you go about diagnosing the bleeder that wont work? I too the bleeder all the off and still nothing came out. Is it possible to stick something sharp in it? Not sure what they look like on the inside.
 
I matched them up with the old ones before putting them on and they appeared to be correct, at least to the ones that came off. The ports and bleeders were all in the matching positions.
 
I was able to unblock the bleeder with a paper clip. I used your instructions for bleeding per sequence and the fluid was clean. The brakes feel good and confident. Drove around town for about an hour testing things and they were cool. The only problem now is the brake failure light is still on? I did try tapping the junction block (as mentioned in another feed) a bit while bleeding but that did not work. Any suggestions?
 
I was able to unblock the bleeder with a paper clip. I used your instructions for bleeding per sequence and the fluid was clean. The brakes feel good and confident. Drove around town for about an hour testing things and they were cool. The only problem now is the brake failure light is still on? I did try tapping the junction block (as mentioned in another feed) a bit while bleeding but that did not work. Any suggestions?

There's a small shuttle which moves back and forth inside the brake junction block. It only turns the light off when it is centered. If you are lucky enough that the fragile 30 year old sensor is not rusted in place, you can try removing it and manually re-centering it... but there is enough risk of breaking it that I would only do that if you have a back-up car available, in case you need to order a replacement junction.

This old thread has some relevant photos and discussion you may find helpful. People say bleeding from lines near the block can also work but I can't vouch for or against it myself - I avoid brake work like the plague. :)

https://forums.turbobricks.com/showthread.php?t=263984

Also new style brake blocks for sale.
 
There is so much old oil caked debris under this car that I would think that might help preserve some of the old parts!! Thanks for the link to an older thread, I did see that there were several good suggestions there as well. Replacing the proportioning valve is not a bad idea, it just looks terribly difficult. I would love to avoid brake work as well if it were possible. Would be nice to have a rack to get this thing off the ground!
 
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