Brake’s won’t bleed on 87 LX

John Birone

15 Year Member
Nov 19, 2012
52
10
18
Raleigh, NC
I have the car running after it sat for the majority of the last 20 years. New fuel tank and components, new radiator, all new fluids except for brake fluid. I sucked the fluid out of the master cylinder and replaced with new. When I started bleeding at the rear passenger, got a little then it stopped. Same thing at the driver side rear and front passenger. Front driver bled normally. Front passenger brake isn’t working at all based on the rust after a few drives, and I’m guessing the rear drums aren’t working either. Do I have clogged lines? Pulled the front and rear bleeder valves and pumped brakes, still nothing. How hard to replace lines?
 
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20 years is a while
You might have frozen rear wheel cylinders
That means they will be hard or impossible to bleed
You completely removed the bleed screw and pumped the crap out of them right?
Try clamping the other front rubber brake lines, so you can concentrate on just that one wheel (or thr rears at least)
Do not have 3 valves open when having trouble bleeding (okay for a new one and or to gravity bleed)
 
I would start at the the master cylinder, break the fittings loose and gently push the peddle, if the fluid flows move to the next fittings which would be the distribution block and so on. This is a two man job unless you rig up a power bleeding system, remember all your doing is checking flow so don't use a lot of pressure.
If I had to guess I would say rubber lines or the distribution block is wack.
It would be a good idea, based on the 20 year sitting factor, to replace the rubber lines anyway.
This is just an opinion and not based on any actual mechanical experience.
 
After sitting 20 years I would not trust any of the components. Get a new MC, front calipers, rear wheel cylinders and all new rubber lines. Blow out the hard lines, go through the combination valve (disassembly, clean, inspect, and reassemble), bench bleed the MC, swap everything out, and put new quality brake fluid in it. Stopping is a priority so don't go cheap here and in all honesty you can get all of this for the stock Fox brakes pretty damn cheap.
 
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Brakes hoses do collapse too. I know that sounds odd, but it's happened twice on my work van.
Even disconnecting the hose completely from one caliper and pressing on the brake pedal didn't push out brake fluid.

Me personally, i'd start my pb blastering every brake fitting.
You are going to try and undo them and they aren't going to spin, they are going to twist the hard brake line and make your problems much worse.
Work them back and forth slowly, be patient. Once they are all done, put a compressor nozzle on each line.

Like aero said, you need a full rebuild at this point, if you don't get every piece a garbage in the lines out, it will be bad news later.
 
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I would trust all the components and just replace what is needed
Granted it might need a new master cylinder or anything else
But it might be okay with just a good bleed and new fluid
Keep in mind that the proportioning valve (block or combi valve roughly the same thing)
Might stick during the bleed process, supposed to be self centering but sometimes they do not
If it sticks and turns on the light, I'll tell you how to try to get it to reset
 
Thanks everyone. I’m looking at new rubber hoses for sure, and I may just go ahead and get the Cobra booster and master cylinder so nice I plan to eventually put discs out back. Hopefully the hard lines aren’t clogged. New drum components and pads up front and hopefully I’m good. Only other thing is the calipers, and I’ll see how they look once it’s apart. Just has neck surgery yesterday, so going to be a while.
Another issue is my hood. I hit a car 25 years ago and crumpled the hood. Replaced that, the bumper and fender, but hood wouldn’t fasten securely and flew up on me. I’m trying to get it to latch securely. Can someone show me a pic of the support bar from the lower radiator support to the latch and the angle of the latch? I have a bend in the support and latch angles back toward engine. Thanks!
 
This thread has some good pictures of the core support and hood latch assembly.

 
This thread has some good pictures of the core support and hood latch assembly.

Thanks Aerocoupe! Very helpful. I took my front end off a 93 2.3so it makes perfect sense. Mine has a bend in it and the latch seems to have been pulled at an angle, making the hood not latch securely. If I can’t straighten the rod I’ll just remove it. Huge help!
 
So I have a new MC, soft lines, calipers, and am part way through the job (calipers and soft lines installed, MC off and distribution block opened and cleaned). Distribution block seemed clean, though I’m not sure I put the rubber plunger back on in the right direction. The line nuts are trashed, though. I’m thinking of buying the hard line kit from LMS and just replacing everything. Any other way to replace the nuts, or should I spend the extra money and replace it all?
 
Just replace it all with SS.

Finelines.com and Classic Tube all have full or partial kits available depending on what you want to change out. Classic tube will sell the individual lines if you call up and ask.
 
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I'm not so sure i would replace the entire system, but if some of the lines are butched, i'd probably buy it as a kit.
Unless you know how to flare brake lines and have access to a quality flaring tool, it can be a serious headache.

I forgot which tool i have, but it's not that great, i probably get about 65% right...
 
I would advise
Get a new proportioning valve to start with, so you do not beat your head against the wall
Bench bleed the master cylinder first
Then let it gravity bleed
Then start the manual bleed procedure
Someday I will post pics of how to power bleed one like yours with a old MC cap
All you do is, drill a 1/16 hole thru tour MC cap and the rubber gasket
Put the cap back on, take shop air and blow lightly about 1 inch above the little hole
That will (air over hydraulic), force fluid out the lines
You can even bleed the MC that way if you get pissed enough
The 4 wheel drive Aerostar MC recall, taught us to come up with this procedure
Beat the hell out of Ford warranty flat rate after that
They paid around 2 hours to do that recall, and you could do it in 40 minutes using that modified MC cap procedure
Good luck