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Hayes pressure problems

842 views 3 replies 4 participants last post by  Anti-Gravity 
#1 ·
Hi all,

I got a new set of Hayes brakes in the fall. I don't remember exactly which model. Comps I think. 6" rotor front and rear. They sat on the shelf until I was ready to build up the frame, which was this weekend. I checked when the shipped that the line pressure was good, but during buildup I noticed that I had lost lever resistance in the lever.

So I try to bleed. I'm following the instructions. Lever pointing at the sky. No more bubbles. close the bleed valve. Still no pressure in the line. So I bleed them again. And again. And again. Wrecked one set of pads becuase I forgot to take them out. Grr.

Any ideas what I'm doing wrong? Might I have unseated a hose connection at one end, causing a leak? No oil coming out of the system, but I think air is getting in somewhere.

What are the common places for leaks? That bleeder screw on the lever looks like a pretty weak link.
 
#3 ·
Try This

Make sure you "flick" the lever a few times when you bleed...just to make sure all the air is out. I had that same problem with a set of Hayes 9's once, but in the end I wound up sending them back to Hayes and they replaced a few things. But try the "flick" thing first, that usually solves the problem.
 
#4 ·
Burpee said:
Hi all,

I got a new set of Hayes brakes in the fall. I don't remember exactly which model. Comps I think. 6" rotor front and rear. They sat on the shelf until I was ready to build up the frame, which was this weekend. I checked when the shipped that the line pressure was good, but during buildup I noticed that I had lost lever resistance in the lever.

So I try to bleed. I'm following the instructions. Lever pointing at the sky. No more bubbles. close the bleed valve. Still no pressure in the line. So I bleed them again. And again. And again. Wrecked one set of pads becuase I forgot to take them out. Grr.

Any ideas what I'm doing wrong? Might I have unseated a hose connection at one end, causing a leak? No oil coming out of the system, but I think air is getting in somewhere.

What are the common places for leaks? That bleeder screw on the lever looks like a pretty weak link.
You may need to take apart the master cylinder to check the cartridge. I had a set of those and the master cylinder bladder had come unseated and was allowing air into the resevoir and line. The system would have pressure at first, but after a few squeezes of the lever, it would turn to mush. First make sure you are in fact getting all the bubbles out before you try this. Good luck.
-Ryan
 
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