I had a problem with our 2002 Ford van e-350. It had a spongy brake pedal. We replaced the master cylinder and brake booster. I tried to bleed the brakes also by going to each wheel. And also the way Scotty Kilmer did it by opening and closing the master cylinder brake line. Which is the proper way to bleed? Do I have to bleed all the fluid out if one of the brake lines was open for a day?
Did you bench bleed the new master cylinder? If not it can be real tough to get all the air out.
Does the van have ABS? If so you probably need a bidirectional scan tool to bleed the brakes.
No, I didn't bench bleed it, but another method to get the air out is by pressing the brake peddle and opening the brake cylinder line to let the air out. Then you close the line before releasing the peddle. It probably does have ABS, but why is that necessary to bleed to the lines?
I've never tried to bleed a master cylinder that way so cannot comment on its effectiveness. The ABS solenoids have to be put in the proper position for bleeding which requires a bidirectional scan tool.
How do I know if air is in the line? I also have a Ford the brakes are drum brakes and the truck is in the 250_270 range for miles.
The typical symptom of air in the lines is spongy brakes.
Did you make sure to do the passenger side rear wheel first? You always need to bleed the brakes from the furthest wheel to the closest wheel, which is the driver's side front wheel. You might need to use a bidirectional scan tool if you did it in the proper procedure.
