Hello all,

let me start by saying I am the least qualified person to work on cars, but I'm also poor, so taking anything to a mechanic is usually my last option.

So I went to put new brake pads on my girlfriends cabrio, discovered that the the rear driver side was missing a pad on the outside and the inside pad was horribly worn. Therefore I had to replace the caliper because the piston had ceased and was leaking brake fluid. Took about a day to find the part and get back to working on the car, got the old caliper off, taped the brake line up so no dirt would get inside it and then got to working on installing the new caliper.

With the new caliper installed, I was ready to bleed the brakes, but forgot to put some brake fluid in my "drainage" bottle. The bottle with the tube running in it from the bleeder valve. So the first few times I bled the brakes I may have been putting some air in the line rather than removing it.

Anyways, rookie mistake realized, I pressed on undeterred. My helper and I continued to bleed the brakes for about an hour using the method of:
close the bleeder valve, pump about 10 times and hold the pedal down, release the bleeder valve. Air would come out every time but after about an hour, no fluid had made its way through the line.

I checked one of the other calipers, to see if fluid will come out of it when the brake was pressed, and had no issues. I took the brake line off the replaced caliper and pressed the brake pedal, nothing but air.

I had filled the brake fluid resevoir prior to changing the caliper, all throughout the bleeding attempt the level didn't change.

I am trying to figure why that one line connected to the replaced caliper won't build pressure and/or push fluid.

Let me remind you that I am mechanically inept, but i feel as though I've done almost everything correct thus far. Please have mercy on me and help me with my problem!

Thank you!

-matthew

 

I would trace the line back up to the master cylinder, and make sure you don't have any brakes or kinks in the line. The method i use to bleed brakes is a glass jar with some clean brake fluid in the bottom, and a hose. Connect the hose to the caliper and put the other end in the fluid in the jar. Open the valve on the caliper and have your friend pump the brake pedal until you stop seeing bubbles. You will see the level of fluid go up in the jar, and the clear clean fluid in the jar will become cloudy. You can now close the valve on the caliper and take for a test drive. there is no need to open and close the valve repeatedly during the process, and this is probably what is slowing you down. hope this helps.