Burt S. wrote:
> "croweasley" <croweasley@prodigy.net> wrote in message news:f71fbd8ee21e1a7ec9bb96c804687974@localhost.ta lkaboutautos.com...
>
>>will do, now i have another question. the other guy that was nice enough to
>>reply said to check my seals and brake cylinder. if it is the seals, or for
>>that matter the cylinder, how long can i go without worry. i know that i
>>need to do it ASAP because it is my brakes that i am talking about here.
>>but i simply dont have the money to shell out and my girl has to use the
>>car to get across town everyday. so will my brakes go out on me soon or at
>>all or how long do i have? the cylinder is 150.00 bucks that i cant afford
>>considering i skipped out on rent to shell out 120.00 into the rear
>>cylinders this week. thanks again. Crow
>
>
> I don't believe normal bleeding would damage the master cylinder, unless
> you push the pedal all the way to the floor. Put a block of wood under the
> brake pedal to keep it from going too deep.

that's an old wives tale. unless the bore of the cylinder is /severely/
corroded, something that doesn't happen very much in the aluminum
cylinders used in hondas, there is no damage caused to the seal by using
the full cylinder travel. afterall, emergency braking uses a lot more
travel than standard braking - surely no one is going to start saying
that you shouldn't emergency brake as well?

truth is, most brake systems don't get their fluid changed regularly
enough. contaminated fluid swells seals. when old seals get new fluid,
i.e. when the system is bled, the new fluid shrinks the seals slightly,
and if they're old enough, they shrink enough to leak. the fact that
leakage happens a couple of weeks after a fluid change leads to a
mistaken assumption that the system was "bled wrong". no. the seals
were just old and were going to fail soon anyway.

>
> Bleed them in the correct order with the correct procedures. Tips:
>
> Tap on the piston or what not to release the air bubbles. Until the person
> pressing the brake feels some overall firmness then you know it's time
> to abort the bleeding. Have another to make sure that the reservoir is
> always full. Try not to leave the fluid expose to air for too long. Use clear
> tubes, if not already. Bleed sequence:
>
> FL Driver side, RR rear passenger, FR front passenger, RL rear passenger.
>
>
>