Having trouble getting my front brakes to bleed on my banshee. Just replaced the front brake lines with ones from atv racing that don't use any of the stock tubing and now I cant get the things bleed. When I release the bleeder screw with the brake lever pulled in I get fluid to come out, but the lever will not get tight. I have tried the tube to the screw to the bottle method and still no results. Am I doing something wrong or could there be a leak somewhere? If it was a leak would I see bubbles in the master cyclinder? Any help would be appreciated I am about tired of pumping this lever.

Thanks in advance
David Chapman

 

I've never bled brakes before, but from what I understand, the brake lever should go all the way to the handlebars when you open the bleeder screw.

http://www.off-road.com/~kga/august/brake/brake.html

 

Well since they are disk brakes I'm not sure what I'm dealing with but I'll try to help.

First pull in the brake lever and hold it there(don't pull it back out until your done) now open the bleeder valve and let the fluid come out for about 3 seconds.(bubbles should come out) now close the valve and let the brake lever come out SLOWLY, repete this for the next side and keep doing it till you have good pressure. Just remember never let the brake lever go back out when you have the valve open or air will get right back in there.
(Also make sure the brake resivoir is filled at all times, and you can hold the brake lever with rope or wire when your on the oppisite side of the ATV)

I HOPE THIS HELPS...LET ME KNOW WHAT HAPPENED AFTER.

 

Here's the right way to do it.
I know that i'm right (this summer I worked in a brak ecompany, and we bled brakes hundreds of times).

First of all, open the cap of the little tank over your master cyl., and add as much fluid as you can. then squeeze the lever, open the bleeder, when you're at the end of the lever travel, close the bleeder (if you can even a bit before), and do this as many times as necessary (that's when you don't see any air bubbles exiting from the bleeder). It should be OK. Ride for 1 hour or so, and do it again. If there's no more air, you're done. If there is air, bleed. If you have to do it really a lot of times (like 5 times), then air is entering your system (awful). Check it all over.
If the lever is soft, that might also mean that the original caliper isn't rigid enough (but, this is rare...at least in sport aTVs).
The ultimate solution is to hit very gently with a metal hammer from the lowest point to the highest (probably the tank over the master). It will make air bubbles unglue from the hoses and go up. But that's very slow and not as effective as the original bleeding (described at the beginning).
Please, don't reply to tell me I'm wrong...i won't care.

 

Well there is a couple of things that i would try first, you need to start with the wheel furthest from the master cylender. All i do any more is to crack open the bleeder without all pumping it up. Just open the bleeder and wait for the fluid to come out,let it run for 20 to 30 secs. Make sure that you dont let the master cylender go dry or you have to start all over again. Ive done this method many times with no probs yet to speak of. The method of pumping it up is faster but not always better

 

Dont you have to have the lever pulled into the handle bars while the bleeder valve is open or air will get in the lines??

 

no, there are only 2 ways for air to get in your lines while doint this, 1 let the resavore run dry, 2 forget to tighten bleader and try to pump it up again, ive been bleadin breaks like this for years, this also works on most cars too, and it doesnt take 2 ppl to do it

 

1 LAST QUESTION AND THAT'S IT......Don't you have to have the resivoir cap and diaphram on in between your fill ups of the brake fluid or can the cap and diaphram stay off, because I hate having to unscrew the cap and screw it back on all the time.

 

not doin it the way i explained, take the cap off open the bleeders after about 30 secs close each bleeders top the fluid off and try it

 

a great trick to the trade is to take a peice of clear hose and jamb it on the bleeder and pump the eccess fluid directly back into the rez. This allows you to see the air\fluid while making sure no air will get in from reverse suction at the bleeder. It also saves a mess and money.