To begin with, let's dispel that common story that bench-bleeding is some sort of mysterious, difficult black art. It's not; it's very simple. And if you're a typical home mechanic without specialized equipment or a vacuum pump, bench-bleeding makes it a lot easier bleeding at the wheels after installation, sometimes even making wheel bleeding unnecessary.
Keep in mind that this vehicle is a 1991 Integra and does not have ABS. Your car may be slightly different. Maybe easier, maybe harder. Consult a proper workshop manual, or know what you're doing before you begin. ABS systems especially can require special bleeding techniques in order to do a proper job. The jobber I bought my rebuilt MC from asked me if I had ABS, so I assume the ABS master cylinders may be different in some way.
Many of us have experienced it at some time or other: You're sitting at a light, pressing softly on the pedal, just enough to hold the car still, and the pedal slowly begins descending, all the way to the floor. You think you're imagining it, but down it goes. Just to be sure, you let the pedal rise again and stomp on it, but now it stays up! What's going on?
This series is divided into seven sections:
Part 1 - Why it goes bad and what it feels like (and why your pedal goes to the floor)
Part 2 - Removal and replacement
Part 3 - How to bench-bleed the new Master Cylinder
Part 4 - What the Master Cylinder looks like inside
Part 5 - How the Master Cylinder works, and why the pushrod needs to be set correctly
Part 6 - How to check the pushrod freeplay (a link to the bottom of Part 2)
Part 7 - How to adjust the pushrod freeplay
How To Replace A Brake Master Cylinder
The brake master cylinder, indeed the whole brake system, is probably the most important part of your vehicle. It is a fairly easy job to replace and something a beginner can easily do.
Most of the time, if a brake component needs replacing, it leaves a trail to follow. This trail is made of stinky brake fluid. That's the good news. Following a trail of brake fluid will usually lead you to a current or future brake problem. There are lots of brake components that can go bad. You've got wheel cylinders, master cylinders, discs, boosters, ABS systems and even brake pads. Any of these things can make your brakes more exciting than you ever hoped. Excitement is not something we want out of our brakes.
How to replace a Brake Wheel Cylinder
Tools and Materials
1. Line wrenches
2. Jack and jack stands
3. Drip pan
4. Fresh brake fluid
5. Brake cleaner
6. Drill
7. Wheel cylinder hone
8. New wheel cylinders
9. Rubber gloves (Optional)
How to Replace a Clutch Master Cylinder
I want to do this! What's This?
The clutch master cylinder is similar to the brake master cylinder in its function. The master clutch cylinder is usually located inside the engine of your vehicle. Generally speaking, it is the component with the smaller cylindrical reservoir connected inside the car’s firewall in front of the steering wheel. With the proper tools and materials, a clutch master cylinder can be replaced using the following steps.
