brake pedal to the floor

[Tonka]

I think I may have found something else relevant. Should the rear wheel cylinder be located at the top or bottom of the backing plate ? I found a rear brake exploded diagram here: and it seems to show the cylinder at the top, my rear wheel cylinders are at the bottom, that's how they've always been. Where should they be ? Maybe my rear brake backing plates are on the wrong sides and upside down ?

[ggzilla]

Maybe. Why dont you ask at Datsun1000.com?

[Tonka]

Only because I've started asking on here and anyone else with a similar prob may one day read the whole thing to the end in search of a solution and wonder what eventually happened, so I'm trying to help them too. I only just found that link from googling my problem.

 

Thanks again for your help.

[ggzilla]

We here dont have Datsun 1000s. I think there are only 3 guys in Pacific Northwest that have them.

 

But Datsun 1200 has the wheel cylinder below the brake line, and no problems with bleeding.

[wayno]

One must remember that brake lines go down to the brake cylinders/calipers, yet we are able to bleed the air out of them anyway, when bleeding the brakes the fluid and air move so fast threw the lines, that when you open the bleeder, the air/fluid moves possibly 4 feet(over a meter) or more, so when air is in the wheel cylinder and the bleeder is opened, it's like the dam busted, everything comes out fast, air will move faster than fluid in the wheel cylinder, so it comes out first.

Sure, in between opening the bleed screw, the air will move to the top, but when stepping on the brake and opening the screw, it don't stay on top for long.

 

As for the wheel cylinders being on the bottom, my leyland mini cooper wheel cylinders are on the bottom, and the bleeder is on the bottom of the cylinder itself, so I suspect it depends on the vehicle.

[datzenmike]

Reminds me. '79 Cutlass. Caliper bleeders were seized. Removed caliper and brake line, turned upside down so brake line hole was up and filled the caliper from the brake fluid bottle. Put line on loosely and installed. Bled lines from the loose fitting.