Front brakes Dragging/Seized

[Detman101]

DANGIT DANGIT DANGIT!!!

Got dragged kicking and screaming to that stupid womens convention in DC with the wife. Her friend HAD to frickin bail out the last free night of the week that I would have had. :x :x :x :x

So repairs will have to wait until next monday since the wife isn't working today thru sunday (grumble). This weekend is gonna suck....


Dm of mD

[Hoomgar]

I feel for you buddy Really. But just remember, she is worth it. Right? :?

You'll get-r-done man

[Detman101]

I took the master cyclinder all apart and cleaned it out with with brake fluid and brake cleaner and put it back together and remounted it back on the bike. I have pumped and pumped the handle but cant get any presure in the brake handle. I gonna mess with it some more today.

I did the same thing this weekend and can't get any pressure at the master cylinder lever.

Someone told me that I need to "Bleed the master cylinder" by taking off the banjo bolt at the master cylinder and sticking my finger over the hole and squeezing the lever until the fluid starts to come out of the spigot leading off of the master cylinder where the banjo bolt hooks into it.

I tried it for about 5 minutes but my brake lever won't come all the way back out to where it gets a full squeeze. It only comes out about halfway like the spring is stuck or something. I took apart the Master Cylinder and cleaned out the little spooge holes like it says here....

http://www.xs11.com/forum/showthread.php?s=c5a9ccbd57c887b88b1d45afc0910bc2&threadid=14

But I still can't get the "piston" off because I can't find this "Snap-ring" that the clymers manual talks about. I think that I can't see it because the piston spring will not fully extend and the piston is halfway stuck inside the MC housing.

Any advice anyone?

Dm of mD

[Detman101]

Before you start to bleed your brakes, tape a block of wood to the throttle grip, behind the brake lever, to prevent over-extending the lever. Use short strokes. If you find your pumping does not push fluid through the bleeder, and you think you have overextended the lever, you will have to dis-assemble the master cylinder and re-position the plunger, if it survived the movement. Clean the master cylinder well prior to disassembly.

Great, does anyone have any tips on taking that piston out? I can't seem to find the snap ring that the manual talks about because the piston is stuck halfway in the housing. Can I pull the plunger out with a pair of channel locks or needle nose pliers???

Damnit, why won't the lever come more than halfway back out?

[Hoomgar]

I can't picture it in my mind but can you see it from the other end? Where the banjo goes on? Maybe you can push it back out that way? Sounds like the whole master cylinder needs to come apart now.

I think we need Earl 8-[

[Detman101]

Crap. I can't see anything but what looks like a rubber foreskin on a metal *@%^$*@%^$*@%^$*@%^$*@%^$ in a hole. (IE: the rubber boot rolled up around the piston end)
:roll:
Man, this sucks. How the heck am I supposed to get that piston to extend back out so I can get at this snap-ring the clymers is talking about?

Ugh...i'm thinking that if I found all that nasty crud inside the bottom of the master cylinder....the piston has GOT to be dirty too if not worse than the MC base was. I tell ya man, it was nasty...just nasty!

[Hoomgar]

See if you can figure out how to take it apart bro. Pull it off the bike and take it apart. Maybe rebuild it while your at it. It sounds like it is going to need that anyway so no shame in pulling it apart now.

[Detman101]

Greaaaat.

More stuff I don't have the money for. *sigh*
Darn. This sucks. I've already gotta shell out 50 bucks for pads...now this.

[Detman101]

Heyyyyy you know what?
When I cleaned out the MC I didn't run a wire into my spooge holes like this guy on the XS1100 website said to.

I didn't do like in this picture...


Instead I just cleaned the muck from around and on top of the hole.
Do you think that if I go ahead and stick a wire in and poke around inside that vent hole the problem will clear up??

Dm of mD

[Detman101]

Found more advice on bleeding the Master Cylinder....but I don't quite understand it.


Master Cylinders

In most circumstances, you will not need to bleed a master cylinder. This is usually only done when the master cylinder has been replaced or left open for several hours. New master cylinders should be bench bled before being installed on the vehicle. Regardless of whether you are bench bleeding the cylinder or bleeding it in the vehicle, you will need to make or purchase a set of short brake lines which screw into the master cylinder and loop back up into the reservoir. Use the outlet fittings in place of bleeder screws to bleed the master cylinder. These fittings should be opened while pressing the piston or brake pedal and closed when the piston is allowed to return. If you are bleeding the master cylinder on a bench, use a round rod inside the master cylinder to press the piston. When finished, install the new master cylinder and bleed each wheel completely.

[Detman101]

Bump for the end of the day...

[ddz]

I also had brake issues.First i took off the calipers & removed the piston(compressed air is the best)Then removed the rubber ring that was in the caliper.Under where it sat was pretty dirty forceing the rubber to swell into the piston causing dragging brakes.All i did was clean out the groove where the rubber sat into & all was good.Best part is it cost nothing but some break fluid .Except when bleeding the system out my piston on the MC would stick about halfway also, so i bought the rebuild kit & all was well.dont remember how much but was cheap at BB Hope this helped
Good luck
Vinny

[Hoomgar]

I am following with you dood but don't know what else to say at this point. I'd need that thing in my hands at this point in order to be able to fix it. I can only help on here when I know for sure and we just crossed into the unknown as far as my personal experience goes. I sure do hate to see you hanging

Maybe start scanning eBay for a replacement?

[Rico]

Been there done it.

OK, the boot can be removed when the pisten is depressed.
Work out one side then the whole thing will come out.

The snap ring is down there. I had to put the MC in a vise, press the plunger THEN grab the snap ring with some long nose snapring pliers.

My Clymer seemed to explain things very well.

Rico

[Detman101]

Been there done it.

OK, the boot can be removed when the pisten is depressed.
Work out one side then the whole thing will come out.

The snap ring is down there. I had to put the MC in a vise, press the plunger THEN grab the snap ring with some long nose snapring pliers.

My Clymer seemed to explain things very well.

Rico

AH HA!!! SO that's how you get at the snap ring!!!
I didn't want to pull or tug on the boot too much because I didn't know if it held back brake fluid and would rip and leak. I will get that rubber boot off of the piston tonight!!! I've got my snap ring pliers ready and a pair of long-stem needle-nose pliers that have been filed down to a needle tip with grooves for grabbing the snap-rings in my carb diaphragms.

That piston comes out TONIGHT!!!

Prayerfully I can get the piston out, clean it up, clean the calipers and have the whole thing back together and bled by 9:00 tonight.

Thanks everyone, I'll report back when I finish.
It may be a day or two...