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On 6 Dec 97, VWMAN18 wrote:
> I replaced the master cylinder on the Fastback this afternoon. I haven't had
> time to properly bleed the brakes as of yet (I won't be driving it till I
> do.). Problem is, one of the rear wheel cylinders has its bleeder valve
> broken off. The brake lights aren't working now either. Could the rear
> circuit still be full of air? I would like to get this fixed by tonight.
The short answer is that if you bleed the other side, you will
PROBABLY get all the air out. If you're experienced with this you
will be able to tell by how the pedal feels when you are done.
In a pinch it is possible to bleed by puling the drum off and popping
off the uphill piston and seal and bleed thru the bore.
The long answer is that this should be fixed eventually. You can
replace the complete cylinder, which is what most people do, or
rebuild the cylinder and replace the bleeder valve in the process,
which is what I do. Most people will have no luck at getting the old
bleeder valve out. If rebuilding is done carefully I find that I can
even successfully reuse all the old rubber as long as nothing was
destroyed in the process of pulling the cylinder out of the backing
plate.
Special note and caution: I have never broken off a bleeder valve
that still had the rubber cap in place. Most people don't realize
that these caps play an important part in slowing down the corrosion
that freezes the valve threads and causes us to break them off.
I have rebuilt cylinders in stock: 7/8" dia., which is
correct for 68-73 and possibly a bit earlier.
Jim
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Melissa Kepner Jim Adney
Laura Kepner-Adney
jadney@vwtype3.org
Madison, Wisconsin
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