Cannot move fluid though my front break lines

This has been giving me fits for a week now so I turn to you guys for help.
I have an '82 XJ650. Single front caliper, single rotor.
When I put my front tire on I removed the pads to make putting the new tire on easier. Since then I had issues with the break dragging. So I went about trying to bleed my breaks.
Now I am not the best with a wrench so I believe I made the problem much worse.
Now I cannot get break fluid to run down my break line. I can remove the break line bolt from the master cylinder and pump the lever and I don't even get fluid out at that point. I am 95% sure that my little holes in the reservoir are clear. The fluid in the reservoir is clean. But I cannot get any fluid down to the caliper to save my life.
What am I doing wrong here?

 

It's hard to see what you're doing wrong without watching.

If you've taken the banjo bolt off, you won't see much fluid come out when you pump just because the amount of air and surface tension will mean not much is passed with each stroke of the piston. If you put a finger over the open end, though, you should feel pressure when you pump the lever. It would be surprising if the master cylinder has developed blocked holes/puntured seals/some other fault just when you've changed the pads - unless there was a fault already.

If the piston is part way out, you might try reconnecting the brake hose and pushing the piston back into the caliper (with the banjo union uppermost. With luck, that should push fluid (together with any bubbles) back up into the master cylinder. You may want to keep the reservoir cap off so you can see the bubbles coming out, but don't let anyone look too closely in case it squirts into their eye !
You do this with the lever loose, not held in.

Another option is to use a syringe of brake fluid joined to the (loosened) bleed nipple to push fluid in from the bottom, or any of the eazeebleed systems (expensive) on the market.

Other methods are possible, but are more finnicky and difficult to explain, but mostly revolve around jiggling the lever and tapping the lead to encourage bubbles out.

 

How much pressure should I feel when I hold my finger over where the banjo bolt attaches to the master cylinder? I feel a very slight pressure and a very light suction but that is all. Should it be strong at all? And by "not much fluid" I see none with the bolt out and pumping the lever.
The piston at this point is all the way in since I compressed it to that point to get the pads and the tire back on. I used a c-clamp like I do with a car, maybe that was a no-no?

 

I faught mine for a couple days. I had a rust blockage at the little hooh diwn by the calliper . It would not let fluid thru but it would let brake clean thru. I know its to remove dust and such but I was looking for a blockage and I rad a piece of ty wire up it and it bled fine and I got good brakes now. I also went and bought a vacuum pump and I could burry the gauge before I did that.

 

I din not read every thing correct. mine wouln not pump any thing out either until I put my finger over the hole and then I got fluid. but its not much. after you squeeze your lever with your finger held tightly against the master cyllenderlet off the lever, wait a second and squeeze the lever again and you should have fluid.

 

It isn't a no-no to use a c-clamp (although they're called G-clamps this side of the Atlantic), so long as you don't use massive force if they're stuck/at an angle.

As tebo says, pumping the lever you will only feel a little pressure initially because of the air gap. If you remove your finger each time you press the lever (ie just take it off a little - you don't want even a dribble of fluid to escape) then after a short while, you should get enough fluid through to reduce the airlock and suddenly your finger will be easily pushed off by the pressure.

If the pipe is still full of fluid, then you should then be able to bleed the system, if not, then you may still have trouble.

You may have to consider one of the following if it still refuses to bleed:
* buy an eazeebleed.
* use the syringe as I suggested.
* try another master cylinder and fill the caliper, pumping the piston out, then reconnect the original master cylinder and push the piston back/fluid up the pipe.

Good luck.

 

Thanks for the tips guys. Here is where we are so far:
Using the tip for holding my finger over the hole I was able to build a lot of pressure. So I am hoping all is OK up there.
I used a syringe to fill my caliper with fluid. I would open the bleed valve, push some in, close the valve, remove & refill the syringe, repeat.
I did this until I pretty much had so much pressure that my tube kept blowing off the bleed valve from too much pressure.
So I am assuming my master cylinder is operating correctly and my caliper is full of fluid.
But I still seem to be in the same spot. Zero resistance on the lever and no movement of the piston.
Unfortunately an ezbleed will take a week or more to get here and I do not have access to another master cylinder. Any ideas or does this tell anyone more about what the problem could be?

 

Hmmm - you should be able to push fluid through the bleed nipple uo into the master cylinder. If you can't, there may well be a blockage somewhere.

If you put a little PTFE tape on the bleed nipple thread, you can try and draw some fluid down from the master cylinder (without the tape, you will just see lots of bubbles drawn in around the thread).

Without being able to see you work, I don't know what else to say. Sorry.

 

Well maybe blockage is the issue then. I have tried to suction the fluid down from the bleed nipple. After I get the fluid out of the caliper it runs dry and the reservoir does not lose a drop of fluid.
I am due for braided brake lines anyway.

 

Have you got "Pressure" at the Brake Lever or is it spongy?

 

I've got nothing. Pretty much the lever travels with the same resistance from start to finish.

 

You probably need Master Cylinder seals. Throw a Kit in it and see what happens.

If you don't have any resistance happening at the Lever, there's no Hydraulic Pressure building-up in the Cylinder.
You can get the seals only or a whole Kit ... I prefer the Kit because you get all the guts inn the Cylinder plus a dust Boot; too.

 

When you have the banjo bolt out of the master cylinder put your finger over the hole and pump and hold the lever and let your finger off of the hole, then put it back on and pump again until you get fluid, then put your banjo bolt back in(make sure you have the copper washers on both sides of the banjo fitting) and open the next banjo fitting which may be in the center of the forks repeat the removal of the banjo fitting and pump while holding your finger over the hole. When you have fluid there move to the bango fitting on the caliper and repeat on the banjo fitting. If you dont get fluid there your line between the caliper and the block between the forks may have a blockage.

 

OK, did as you said rpgoerlich, and I failed to get fluid at the center of the forks. I must have a blockage.

 

If you have a Maxim they are a pain to bleed because the cylinder strokes uphill. Turning the bars all the way to the left helps because it gets it closer to level.

 

What I had to do to mine was I got 4 foot of 1/4 feul hose and a small funnel. I pulled the feul line thrugh the funnel. then I ty strapped it to the clutch side mirror so it was higher than the master cylender loosened the bleeder and put the other end of the hose on the bleeder. then took the bolt out of the master cylender ( banjo bolt) filled the funnel with brake fluid and when it started running out of the hose I put it back together at the master cylender. then tightened the bleeder .removed the funnel and hose and bled a small amount of air out of the bleeder because when you put it back together at the master cylender you get a little air. that was the only way I got mine bled.

 

I was just trying to bleed mine last night. Pumped and pumped and pumped and finally gave up. It became abundantly clear that there was simply no way to bleed the brakes the conventional way. I needed to bring in the big guns. So, today while at work, I purchased a vacuum pump that also doubles as a brake bleeder. I had the brakes bled and ready to go in under 15 minutes. I hooked it up to the bleeder screw and pumped up the vacuum to 30 inch pounds. I then cracked the bleeder screw and watched the fluid level in the master cylinder drop as the air escaped from the hoses.

It was awesome! Sure, it cost a fair bit of coin, but you can't beat having the right tool for the job.

The one I purchased looked similar to this mityvac unit.

 

It's all in the Condition of the Master Cylinder.
You can bleed brakes "Conventionally" ... its time consuming.

The Vacuum method is great for saving time on the job; but it's not the only way to go.

A single-line One-way valved "One Man Bleeder" line works; too.
But, you need to have a Cleaned-out Master Cylinder and be willing to take the time doing the Pumping and adding of fresh fluid.

 

My lines and master cylinder get clogged up every 6-8 years and
have to be flushed out. The owners manual for a Suzuki LJ-20
little jeep that I owned once actually said to change the brake fluid
every 2 years, believe it or not!

 

Steve, here's a little factoid from behind the parts counter for you. The most often neglected service to any vehicle is flushing the brake fluid. I believe most manufacturers recommend changing it out every couple of years due to it being hydroscopic. My Ford is getting new fluid this summer... since it won't be going anywhere at these fuel prices.