Long story but last year I installed brembo calipers, ss lines, pads, etc. I bought and used a power bleeder. The brake would depress about an inch before engaging then if pumped once engage right away. I tried bleeding it again probably six times with the buddy system or the power bleeder. Same.

Somebody recently said the master cylinder has a piston that has to travel a little to engage on initial brake which seemed to make sense.

Today I installed speed bleeders and pumped each caliper five times for a bleed. When installing I noticed right away the threads were much more snug. Now FIXED. Brake right away. A few others on here have mentioned the same issue. Try the speed bleeders. They are $15 ea for the stainless steel but even if they don't solve your problem, they are much better made than the OEM.

Good luck.

 

Where did you buy the speed bleeders?

 

Speed bleeder.com brother

 

be aware stainless steel screwed into aluminum calipers can be a real pain if the threads gall. the bleeders will pull the threads right out of the aluminum. don't forget to use some pipe dope on the threads.

also pass rear first, drivers rear, then pass front, then drivers front. on the dual bleeder front brakes do the inside bleeders then the outside

 

SB8125L-SS and SB8125LL-SS?

This would be a PERFECT compliment to my MityVac bleeder!

 

Do not use pipe dope. The site says the threads are pretreated, so this is not required. Also the possibility of pipe dope getting into the oil is best avoided.
Quote
"The pre-applied thread sealant also displaces air and moisture during thread engagement preventing rust."

 

Dave, you beat me to it!


"Patented thread sealing system seals the threads when the bleeding operation is performed, preventing air from being sucked back into the system.

The pre-applied thread sealant also displaces air and moisture during thread engagement preventing rust...which usually results in rounded off corners on the hex or busted off bleeder screws making it necessary to replace the caliper or brake cylinder. The application of thread sealant thus makes it easy to loosen or remove the bleeder screw at any time."

 

if theres a pretreatment then thats fine. as for getting it in the hole common sense would be to use a small amount on an old toothbrush not glob it on.

regardless I'm not a fan of s/s threads on aluminum. just my .02

 

Steel or stainless steel? Neither will "gall", this is a like-materials phenomenon.
But, either will tear the aluminum threads with ease.

Thread sealant, in this application, or anti-seize should be used on aluminum threads.

 

stainless steel. perhaps gall was the wrong word. how about meld? the s/s will rip the threads plumb out of aluminum. seen it happen way to many times. its hard to even tell of your cross threading as the s/s will cut new threads and cause a major mess.

and yes anti seize on all threads is a safe practice unless the specifics say not to for a dry torque application

 

There is a specific thread sealant for this application by PERMATEX.

 

Those are the ones I used. They come with a moly type coating on the treads that should prevent galling.

 

Also an old mechanic gave me a good tip. If your brakes are working good, instead of messing with the bleeder screws to change the fluid periodically, just remove the fluid from the reservoir and refill each year. That way you aren't messing with the system and keep fresh fluid.

 

I used to do that until I changed calipers one day. Even though I had a nice clean reservoir the end of lines/calipers had old discolored fluid still in them.

 

I cannot see how that does too much, as the previous poster to me said the old crappy fluid remains in the system at the business ends of the lines. Those lines are so small in diameter there is no back flow to the master cylinder.

 

and its the water moisture that developes over time that does the damage.

 

Max, I got a set of the SB8125LL-SS ones.
I'll let you know when I get a roundtoit. ( They LOOK right )

 

Should I take from this that I will not be able to get all the air out of the wheel cylinders without check valve bleeders?

 

No ...............
A regular bleed is fine.

 

I second that opinion. Just finished bleeding the heck out of mine. If done right, traditional bleeds work 100%.