so i followed the steps as follows in the hanes manual but the pedal does seam up to par as far as the usual amout of pressure. the old fluid is black and i have mixed the old and the new would it be best to drain the system if so how much is required. i assumed the black fluid needed to be dealt with (thrown away) but i was merely trying to get the car running! what are the procedures on drain the system entirely? tips tricks of this trade are much appreciated btw the reason for the bleeding is due to the recent clutch install i did after which the car isnt starting i have a thread about that as well ill leave you guys to it thanks for the help....

 

Yes, drain the fluid. You may even want to replace the clutch line. I would recommend a steel braided clutch line, but then again a regular line would work just fine. Basically you do it the same way as if you were bleeding the clutch system, just don't add more fluid in.

Wipe out the canister of all the black goo that's left (I believe they're rubber particles from the old clutch line, but that's just a guess). Once the canister is cleaned of almost all the black crap, get a big container of DOT3+ Hydrolic fluid and flush the system untill it runs completely clean/clear. Once you've bled the system it should feel worlds different. If it still feels bad adjust the pedal for play and engagment distance.

 

and be real careful with that stuff around paint, it eats it

water neutralizes it, my dad's trick from when he worked on motorcycles was to cover the any painted surfaces with damp cloth so that you dont have to worry about the paint, then make sure you rinse off the car then you're done

 

how do adjust the engagment distance??????

 

Understand that brake fluid absorbes moisture, and contaminates easly. Good pratice is to flush the system every two years. If your fluid is black it is contaminated. Adding new to old will not de-contaminate the fluid. As someone mentioned, the rubber parts are probly disintergrading. You can replace the master, line (use braded), and slave for < $100. The only adjustment is to the actuating rod between the brake peddle and the master cylinder. The thumbnail is readible if you zoom up.