I should add I was using new banjo washers each time, all from the same supplier, they needed annealing from new.
Another possibility assuming you don't have opposing pistons in your caliper is that the sliding portion of the CALIPER is sticking. I.E.. when you pump the lever the piston pushes it's pad and pulls the opposite pad onto the disc via the sliding part of the caliper. If the sliding part of the caliper is sticking it can spring back as soon as the lever is released giving the impression that there's air in the system or that the master cylinder is faulty. I would check this out before stripping the master cylinder. Hope this makes sense ☺
Caliper all good, was cleaned and serviced, as I always do yearly / new pads, which ever comes first. Caliper not even attach to the bike, hanging free, with block of wood to keep pistons from moving.
I don't believe it Took off all of the calipers today, one at a time, brake lines still attached, to clean the pistons and pads. Cleaned the pistons using clean cloths and plenty of brake cleaner, pushed the pistons into the caliper to refit back onto the bike. Calipers and pads refitted and now very little if any pressure at the brake lever . Done this routine maintenance job many times and also do it when I replace the tyres and never had this problem before. Just got the vac pump out to bleed the brakes and realised I've got no fresh dot 4 fluid, so off to Staffordshire Triumph tomorrow morning to purchase some and whilst there I'll ask Paddy the service manager if they've come across this problem before. Just hope it's a brake bleeding exercise and it's not the abs module They say things come in 3's so that's Mr O and myself,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,who's going to be number 3
Doesn't matter if it is or isn't, caliper i Bloody Annoying, isn't it !!! Interested in what they have to say
Ok then, front brake bled and now pressure at the lever Would have completed the job sooner if I could have found the correct 90 degree elbow that fits onto the bleed nipple sooner I asked at Staff Triumph today when I went for some fresh brake fluid if they have had come across this problem before and they hadn't. They asked the usual questions, is there a leak anywhere on the system or did the pistons pop out whilst I was cleaning them etc. The answer was no their questions. Going to take the bike out down the road to test the brakes, hopefully everything will be ok. Ron,,,,,,,get them bled mate
If unable to be pressure, try reverse bleeding by syringing fluid in calliper up to master cylinder, and/or crack seal of brake pipe out of master cylinder to bleed out any air.
Mr Orange, There must be a sticky piston in your brake caliper, lightly lube it and work it back and forth then try bleeding again. Bleed by pumping the lever slowly, it may take several top ups of master cylinder before the air is moved/bled out ...! Regardless of whether you see any air coming out of the bleed nipple, open nipple - squeeze - close nipple before lever hits the stop ...! Release lever slowly...!
Done it, what a absolutely fecking feckin fecker of a job. Totally stripped everything, including master cylinder piston out, and reassembled. Eventually did it by pumping pistons out, then pushing them back in with the bleed nipple open. Thanks for all the input guys, may be of use to others in the same situation. I will never just push pistons back in again, will always crack the nipple open and refill reservoir. Always.
Nothing!!!! But couldn't get it to bleed, so stripped and a refill worked. Whatever went wrong was sorted, still don't understand how pushing pistons back in can feck it up???? S'all good now
Glad it's sorted, the only thing I can think is that the reservoir filler cap has still been on when you have pushed the pistons back and it has created a vacuum within the system causing an airlock.
