MG Car Repair: brake bleeding, bleeder valve, brake bleeder

Question
hi howard. i am restoring a 75 mg midget. im almost done i am just working on the brakes. when i took the little caliper bolt off the back of the wheels and pumped the brakes nothing came out, so i refilled the master cylinder with fluid and tryed again and STILL nothing happened? WHAT DO I DO??? can i fix this without buying a new master cylinder??

Answer
Hi Allen,
You don't want to buy anything until you find out what is wrong. I take it that the brake pedal goes to the floor.

First you should confirm that the brake pedal is retracting all the way back by reaching under the pedal and pull. It should not move. Then loosen a brake line on the master cylinder and have someone slowly push the pedal down and watch for fluid coming out around the loose line fitting. If you see fluid coming out have them stop movement on the pedal (do not let the pedal up) and you tighten the fitting and have the pedal pumped a few times and have them hold the pedal down and open the other line fitting a little and note if fluid comes out. If it does close the line and then tell the person to let up on the pedal.

Now go to the left rear brake bleeder and have someone pump the pedal up and hold it down. Open the bleeder on the left rear wheel and then close it and have the pedal pumped up and held down and open the bleeder again. Each time you do this you should get either a puff of fluid and air or just fluid. If you get any air you have to keep doing the procedure until you see just fluid coming out and then move to the right rear wheel and do the same. Keep checking the master cylinder reservoir and never let it get too low.

When you do the right rear wheel then go to the right front wheel and do the same at the bleeder valve. When you see just fluid move to the left front wheel last and do the same. By the time you get to the left front wheel you should start feeling a good pedal. Be sure you ALWAYS close the bleeder valve BEFORE the person pushing on the pedal lets up on the pedal.

If you never got any fluid from the lines at the master cylinder then you do have a bad master cylinder and it either needs to be rebuilt or get another master cylinder.
Howard