Master Cyclinder rebuild question

I was wondering if its possible to rebuild and clean up the mastercyclinder myself, with out having to redo my brake lines. basically what im asking is can i take the MC off clean it up and put it back on and then refill with fluid (in a nutshell).

I AM Planning on redoing the lines but was thinking of taking it to a shop to have them do the lines, in hopes that it would be quicker than doing it myself, especially after reading about all the horror stories of brake line repaire issues (bleeding and refilling lines, etc..) but i feel like a shop probably wouldnt clean up the master cyclinder like i would and for sure wouldnt replace the sight glass, althought mine i can at leaset see throught it abit. this si all considering that i can A) find a shop to do it and B) have them do it with parts that i order from chacal.

so is it all or nothing or can it be done it sections like im thinking. Now i have not even cracked open the MC yet, honestly messing with anything that has to do with brakes scares me. i have checked my back brakes though, but even when i put those back on they werent tightened correctly and i tried riding the bike down my back ally and found i had no brakes. i stopped and fixed them right away.

 

You'll need to drain the system to disconnect the master cylinder, so you'll end up having to re-fill and bleed the system anyway. It isn't difficult, just time consuming.

Personally I'd renew the lines and rebuild the master cylinder as part of the same job. I might even have a good look at the calipers and see if they were due a rebuild any time soon and get that out of the way too.

There are no shortcuts when it comes to brakes. Your life may depend on them one day.

 

ok thats kinda what i figured, maybe ill take a shot at doing the brakes my self. doesnt hurt to ask right!

 

I just replaced the brake lines on my '82 XJ750J Maxim today & drained & cleaned up the master cylinder today......rebuilt my caliper 2 years ago with new pistons & seals.....bleeding them was easy......

You can do it....save money instead of taking to shop......they are a rip-off.....nobody will do a better job than yourself......

Just be methodical when working on your own bike....

and best of all......self-satisfaction of doing-it-yourself.....

You will know your bike that much more with each task you do & accomplish....

 

I'll second that last post...I did a complete front end rebuild..head bearings, springs, seals, MC rebuild, ss lines, complete caliper rebuild (s), and wheel bearings...trust me, none of it was over my head...was a lot of work all at once, especially getting everything back together properly. Bottom line, if I can do it, so can you. My bike rides exponentially better now...

 

Umm, Josh,...you replaced your cylinder head. Trust me, you are far more than capable enough to do the brake lines, MC, calipers, ect...

 

brakes are easy.... this will help tremendously with the bleeding:

http://www.harborfreight.com/brake-blee ... 69328.html

 

I did mine on my 82 XJ650 Maxim. Fairly easy and straight forward job. You will need a tool to get the c-clip out of the master cylinder and make sure you get new crush washers for the brake lines. IMHO just go ahead and rebuild the caliper at the same time and new pads, this way you know it was ALL done and you don't have to worry about it.

 

Lots of threads on here about caliper and MC (master cylinder) rebuilds. Go grab some stainless brake lines and new caliper piston seals, the crush washers for the lines as mentioned above. Take the time and clean clean clean all the parts.
Check the MC bore and hone it out if it needs it (which is usually doesn't). Soft brass brushes and picks, 0000 steel wool, a toothbrush, some clean DOT3, gentle hands and a few cotton swabs and you should be good to go (or stop) in about 4 hours (unless you've had the unfortunate circumstances that had led you to tear apart and rebuild the front braking system three or four times like me. I think I have the front braking system rebuild on my XJ900 down to about 1 hour now).
Best of luck! I haven't met anyone that does better work then I do on my own ride.