pushing brake fluid back into the M/C

[skrapper]

when i do brakes on a automobile i use a c-clamp to push the fluid back into the M/C. on my 77 xs 650 when i try to squeeze the fluid back to the M/C all that happens is the lever get really firm i can hardly pull it at all. shouldn't the fluid come out the little hole in the bottom of the M/C. i tried to clean that hole out with a small drill but all i get is clouds of rust. i just need to know if the fluid is supposed to return through that hole.

thnx skrapper

 

[mrtwowheel]

Yes, but don't get your holes mixed up. There should be two holes, one is the return hole............. You need to clear the right hole and flush the system.

Brake fluid-------nasty stuff.

Scott

 

[Max Midnight]

If you are getting corrosion out of the bleed holes then perhaps it would be prudent to pull the piston and establish what the cause is.

 

[gggGary]

Yup tear down that MC, it's full of spooge, after 40 years it might be due. Little bill has great how to's in the tech section.

 

[gggGary]

The second hole is TINY do not use a drill it needs to stay tiny. the hole s is made by using a relatively big drill to JUST break into the piston bore, it would be easy to deform the lip causing it to catch on and wreck the piston seal. there is a plastic tab that covers the small second hole from view, it's there so that it doesn't spray brake fluid in your eye and all over the bike with the cover off. Brake rubber parts are NOT compatable with brake cleaning fluid, that is just for METAL brake parts, do not soak your rubber in brake cleaner. It will swell and turn to junk.

 

[skrapper]

thanks to all. would a 1/16 inch drill bit be to big to clean the hole? or would torch tip cleaners be better. i'm trying to avoid taking M/C apart. it doesn't leak and pumps fluid well. it just doesn't let it return. i think that's why my front brake drags.

 

[gggGary]

I will be very blunt.

Do not be stupid! Overhaul the freaking brake, top to bottom, read the how to's in the tech section, if you are careful often no parts are needed. And if parts are needed well hell it's just your life, you know?

 

[5twins]

Yes, it needs to come apart and be cleaned out. The last one I did had so much crud in it I was surprised it worked at all. Well, it didn't work very well. It was doing the same as yours. The brake was dragging. It was so bad, you could barely push the bike around the driveway. You appear to be a lot like that owner. He won't fix anything until it really fucks up big time. The phrase "preventive maintenance" is not in his vocabulary.

If you like wasting time then go ahead and poke that hole clear. It will plug back up in a short time because of all the crud in the MC.

 

[skrapper]

when i left it the other night i had the M/C pressurize with a c-clamp on the caliper. today the blockage has resolved itself. you or i might not recommend this fix for everyone but i feel comfortable with it. but i'm an old farmer who has used baler wire to fix things that shouldn't have been fixed. i put the bike back together and test drove it. i put an 18t sprocket on the counter shaft and that makes a world of difference. a few years ago i put a 15t sprocket on it.

View attachment 63169

thanks to all

 

[Max Midnight]

Conclusion: No point in offering advice to someone who doesn't want to listen.

 

[5twins]

This is where the term "barn job" comes from, lol. You see a lot of that type work around here.

 

[skrapper]

i listened and thanked everyone. just because i didn't take you advice doesn't make you right or me wrong. i just think i know more than you do. i may be proven wrong. but there is no cause to use disparaging terms about me or my mechanical judgement or ability.

 

[figure8]

"I just think I know more than you do"
This will not end well.....

 

[skrapper]

post count does not necessarily indicate knowledge or wisdom

 

[figure8]

Never said anything about post count....I just know a couple members offering advice here are very knowledgable and what you said was pretty bold. It's your call what to do, but there not saying it just for the hell of it.

 

[skrapper]

i'm not going to win this argument. live and let live

 

[figure8]

Fair enough, just understand that's exactly why there saying what they are. So you'll live! I'm done now.

 

[gggGary]

We are answering your questions AND the for next guy that comes looking for answers, The chooper forums are full of guys that give "hammer and chisel" advice. I have done farmer fixes on brake systems and "put off" brake work before. I have "gotten by" a few times and also been bit HARD. I won't give advice that is likely to get a rider in trouble. It's your bike, your work. Please be safe out there.

 

[5twins]

These are 30+ year old bikes. If the brake system is original, it needs a total disassembly and cleaning, both the MC and the caliper. That's all we're telling you. Yours will most likely keep giving you trouble until you do it right. You "fixed" it for now but that probably isn't going to last.

I think these stock systems are very nice and very well made. I've refurbed quite a few without having to replace any parts. All they needed was the cleaning, and they needed that badly. They worked good as new afterwards. However, if you want a good solid, hard lever feel, you usually need to replace the line. If you don't mind the lever feeling like you're squeezing a sponge, then fine.

 

[racerdave]

Why would anyone want to listen to guys with decades upon decades of experience on a particular machine, when he is capable of fixing anything farm life can throw at him with bailing wire? All us know it alls better run out for some bailing wire. It is planting season you know. Equipment will be braking soon and there could be a ruch on bailing wire at the implement stores.