Juicy 3's; Bleeding trouble after reservoir seal replacement

NickPearson

I recently bought a second hand bike with a set of Avid Juicy 3 SL's and noticed after a few days that the seals on the lever reservoir were leaking so I got my hands on a couple of service kits and replaced the seals.

After replacing the seals I filled up the system with new fluid and followed the bleed procedure but there always seems to be some air left in the system that I can't get out: when I'm bleeding the hose/lever end (ie: after having bled the caliper and pushed new, de-gassed, fluid through) I seem to be able to coax out endless bubbles from the lever by pulling out the syringe and working the lever.

I've followed Avid's bleed procedure very carefully (and repeatedly) using both the videos on Youtube and the instructions in the manual but wihout success.

I'm starting to think I may not have replaced the seals correctly but the service kits didn't come with instructions and I haven't been able to find any online - any ideas as to what I might be doing wrong?

The Rookie

If the seal is leaking you could be sucking air back into the resevoir....

Simon

nicklouse

or you may not have sealed the fitting to the bleed port.

cooldad

nicklouse wrote:

or you may not have sealed the fitting to the bleed port.

I did a bleed of a friends Elixers in a car park before a ride last weekend. (Don't ask but he undid the bolts holding the caliper together. Turns out they didn't actually need a bleed initially as it was just a sticky piston. Bit late by then though)
No matter how long In screwed the fitting into the bleed ports, it just carried on turning - caliper and lever end. What was I missing?
Got it sorted in the end, by pumping loads of fluid through but ...

NickPearson

If the seal is leaking you could be sucking air back into the resevoir....

The new seals appear to be doing their job - there's certainly no evidence of any fluid leaking out. I'll see if I can think of a way of testing this if I don't make any progress soon.

or you may not have sealed the fitting to the bleed port.

Now that you mention it the seal between the nipple and the tubing attached to the syringe isn't perfect - the tubing tends to just slip around the nipple when I'm trying to unscrew it but I can't see any air passing through there. Does anyone know what kind of glue would be appropriate to use around DOT fluid?

Got it sorted in the end, by pumping loads of fluid through but ...

Will give that a go again!

Am away for a few days but will post results back next week. Thanks for your responses!

NickPearson

Finally got around to having another go at the brakes last night; sealed up the syringe nipple to the tube and flushed lots fluid through the system. Result: still spongy.

Air is definitely getting into the system somewhere during the bleeding (but I'm not losing any fluid from anywhere visible).

The idea of just buying some new brakes is becoming more and more appealing.

Anonymous

I just found Juicy 3s are spongy, full stop. Maybe not when you first get them, but very soon after that and even after subsequent bleeds, done properly, spongy.

They stop yes, but they just feel rubbish and are inconsistent. They don't properly self adjust like the Elixir stuff does, so you spend ages fiddling if they're not quite right. And don't get me started on the pad spring clips and annoyance of fitting them!

Gave up in the end and got some X0s as there was a half price deal on them at the time. Utterly different and anything that usually upsets brakes (knocked lever without wheel in, new pads, worn pads), couple of flicks on the lever and it's solid breaking again. Juicys I'd be stripping them down to get them back to life.

NickPearson

In a way your response is quite reassuring - it gives me a better idea of what I'm dealing with. As you say - they do stop but they feel very wrong!

The urge for a new set of brakes is gaining momentum. Plus, just found a deal for Elixir 5's. Think the XO's may be a bit out of budget for a while after an unexpected £600 car repair bill this weekend.

386ka

What year are the Juicy's?

NickPearson

They came on a 2008 Specialized Pitch Pro so I assume they're from the same year.