how to replace master cylinder, step by step

[Bill Rowe]

I hear ya loud and clear and was pleasantly surprised but I've driven
the car everyday since replacing the MC and all is still well.  Guess
whatever air bubble is in the system is not enough to have a material
effect.  Let's assume I've got air bubbles somewhere, am I going to hit
the brakes some day and have the pedal go all the way to the floor?  Is
braking going to degrade over time?  Is there a downside?  My 87 5ktq is
one of many cars in the stable and not my daily driver so perfection is
never sought.  Braking may not be 100% but it's pretty damn good and I
have no problem throwing my 6 yr old in the back seat.  Again, am I
lucky or just plain stupid???     

-----Original Message-----
From: Kneale Brownson [mailto:knotnook at traverse.com] 
Sent: Friday, October 19, 2001 11:45 AM
To: rowe at yankeeprinter.com; 'scott hauver'; quattro at audifans.com
Subject: RE: how to replace master cylinder, step by step

How do you bench bleed a brake MC and then unplug the openings to
connect 
the lines without introducing more air?  I'd have to say you got the 
bubbles in just the right spots for them to flow back to the reservoir
and 
be ventilated out.  I look upon opening any part of the brake system as
a 
justification for flushing it completely.


At 10:58 AM 10/19/2001 -0400, Bill Rowe wrote:

>I just replaced my brake MC and I didn't have to bleed the system.
>Bentley goes as far as recommending bleeding the clutch slave cylinder
>after replacing the brake MC but all I did was bench bleed the brake MC
>prior to installation and when I was done all was fine.  Clutch did not
>sink to floor and refuse to come back up and the brake pedal was firm
>and car stops fine w/ no spongy feeling.  I've also replaced individual
>brake calipers and only bled that one instead of all 4 and had no
>problem. Am I lucky or just plain stupid???
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: quattro-admin at audifans.com [mailto:quattro-admin at audifans.com] On
>Behalf Of Kneale Brownson
>Sent: Thursday, October 18, 2001 4:09 PM
>To: scott hauver; quattro at audifans.com
>Subject: Re: how to replace master cylinder, step by step
>
>There's probably little comment on brake MC replacement because it's so
>straight-forward a process, Scott.  You want to drain the reservoir (I
>used
>a small "turkey baster"), disconnect the supply hose to the clutch MC,
>pull
>off the reservoir (careful prying on the plastic or you'll be buying
one
>of
>those too),  disconnect the lines coming off the MC and remove the two
>bolts holding it to the brake booster assembly.  Installation follows
>the
>famed "reverse of removal" steps.  New MC's usually come with new seals
>to
>use when reinstalling the reservoir.  Then you bleed the system as
>usual,
>preferably using a pressure bleeder
>
>
>At 09:22 AM 10/18/2001 -0600, scott hauver wrote:
>
> >I have checked the archives and a few lister sites for how to replace
a
>
> >brake master cylinder and have not found it.  Would someone point to
>this
> >or reply with step by step instructions, any special tools, and any
>tips
> >to be sure to do it right the first time.  Thank you in advance.
> >
> >Best regards,
> >
> >Scott Hauver