No brake pressure

[BlueBeauty64]

I’m really at a loss here fellas!

1. Replaced wheel cylinders
2. Replaced brake pads
3. Completely bled the brake lines
4. Master cylinder not leaking

STILL no pedal pressure! ???????

[PwrWgnDrvr]

Do u get pressure if u pump the pedal several times? Did u adjust the shoes properly? Is the m/c new or old?

[BlueBeauty64]

Pumped several times, no pressure.
I think the front brakes are adjusted fine; (tire turns with slight drag)
Rears, not sure, was doing it outside shop next to major travel road.
Should they also have slight drag?
MC was new when put on several years ago. Truck sat for a while.
It empties when bleeding brakes

[my5thmopar]

Did you bleed the master then block the ports. You should have a rock hard pedal before putting lines back on.

[earlymopar]

When you push the pedal do you hear anything like air bubbling in fluid? If so, I would check the push rod adjustment between the pedal and the master cylinder. If this is out of PROPER adjustment, you will never get the brakes adjusted.

- EM

[PwrWgnDrvr]

Pumped several times, no pressure.
I think the front brakes are adjusted fine; (tire turns with slight drag)
Rears, not sure, was doing it outside shop next to major travel road.
Should they also have slight drag?
MC was new when put on several years ago. Truck sat for a while.
It empties when bleeding brakes

Yes, slight drag front and rear - very slight.
What do u mean the m/c "empties" when bleeding? Never let the bowl empty out!
New m/c yrs ago and sitting for awhile means it is NOT new now! They rust and rot when they just sit.

[BlueBeauty64]

[/quote]
Yes, slight drag front and rear - very slight.
What do u mean the m/c "empties" when bleeding? Never let the bowl empty out!
New m/c yrs ago and sitting for awhile means it is NOT new now! They rust and rot when they just sit.
[/quote]

M/C was never completely emptied, just was acknowledging the fact the fluid was passing
From M/C to brake lines

[Kaegi]

have you pulled the wheels and check to see all you cylinder to shoe push rods are engaged with the shoe?
does fluid stream out of whl cyls when bleeding?

[Wildergarten]

They (brake hydraulics) rust and rot when they just sit.

Not with DOT 5 silicone fluid. I use it in both the clutch and brake systems and have never had to replace a cylinder since.

[PwrWgnDrvr]

They (brake hydraulics) rust and rot when they just sit.

Not with DOT 5 silicone fluid. I use it in both the clutch and brake systems and have never had to replace a cylinder since.

Yup, that's the ticket.
Too bad you're the first in 40+ yrs that I've known to do that in a swept.
Did DOT 5 exist when the swepts were built?

[Wildergarten]

Too bad you're the first in 40+ yrs that I've known to do that (DOT 5) in a swept.

I did it 25 years ago, with braided stainless hoses at the same time. If you saw how steep our place is, you'd do it too.

Since I did the changeover, DOT 5 has never leaked. It doesn't wreck paint if you spill some. It doesn't corrode metal when it's hit with moisture. It never pits wheel cylinders that are hard to replace. You don't have to purge it annually. That means you don't have to find a way to get rid of it. It has a higher temperature rating than DOT 4. It is said to be incompatible with antilock brake systems and with silicone rubber caliper boots, but the latter only happens if the pistons leak. Maybe that's why it was developed for the military.

DOT 5 fits my lifestyle of frequent use in distances too short to get the brake system hot enough to purge moisture along with infrequent road driving.

Other than all that, I don't know why anybody would use DOT 5 in a truck or tractor when the main reason people hate it is that they don't know to purge the system with methanol before adding it. I don't know why anybody would use a corrosive hydroscopic fluid in a clutch linkage either. I've read all sorts of BS about DOT 5, but most of it is when compared to 5.1 for racing. Who's racing here? Yet DOT 5.1 is back to the glycol ether with all of its attendant problems (they should have called that DOT 6). The issue really bothers me because I'm seeing DOT 5 slowly going off the market, principally because people can't seem to read labels. I can forsee the day when it's unobtainable and then I'll have to go back to the glycol ether and deal with frequent pressure bleeding or lose my system. Else, who wants locking brakes with a truck full of logs on a muddy hillside???

As far as I can tell, there is no excuse for using anything else in a tractor.

Sometimes I just shake my head.

Did DOT 5 exist when the swepts were built?

Nope. It was first developed for the military in the late '60s. That should yield a clue.

[PwrWgnDrvr]

DOT 5 is factory standard in my Harley :)
Will always be able to get it at the HD (Hundred Dollar) store.

[Jim100]

is methanol rubbing alcohol you get at the drug store?

[WD]

is methanol rubbing alcohol you get at the drug store?

That’s isopropyl alcohol. You can get methanol at any hardware store. Handle carefully, not only poisonous, highly flammable.