Hey guys, over the last few days I decided to overhaul my rear brakes. I just bought a 2000 xj and it needs some lovin’.

The Jeep had no rear brake hard line when I bought it and the drums/shoes were toast, so I decided to overhaul everything. After 4 nights of opening new cans of worms, I now have new shoes and hardware, wheel cylinders, drums, rear hard line, passenger rear line and the hose/junction that attaches to the axle. In the process I also stripped the threads in my proportioning valve (brake fluid was spitting out when pumping the brakes) but I got it to seal using Teflon tape. I plan on getting a new proportioning valve soon, so the Teflon tape is just a temporary fix. I thought I’d just bleed the brakes and be done, but noooo... no brake fluid will come out of the bleeders at all. My brake pedal is nice and firm. I’ve tried bleeding using the soda bottle with a hose and brake fluid method, as well as a vacuum pump and have yet to see a drop of brake fluid come out of the bleeders. The brake fluid reservoir is full and the level hasn’t dropped at all. Any idea what could be going on here?

 

The prop valve is probably stuck. If you had no rear line attached the spool inside will move to close off the rear circuit.

 

Thanks for the reply, how would I go about getting it un-stuck? Also, when I hooked the new line up and stripped the proportioning valve, brake fluid spayed from the connector that comes off of it so I assumed fluid was getting through

 

If the prop valve is tuck over, you'll usually have a brake light on. You probably need to open up a front brake bleeder to get enough brake pedal movemen. Also double check you didn't kink or flatten the new line to the rear.

https://itstillruns.com/proportionin...-12040941.html

 

That was going to be my suggestion. Open a front brakeline to get fluid moving. It will probably reset the proportioning valve shuttle.

 

Just had a “you gotta be kidding me” moment. Remember how I said that the previous owner disconnected the rear line? Welllll they also apparently decided to solder shut the connector coming off of the proportioning valve to the rear hard line. I drilled it out and sanded it down and immediately got flow to the rear brakes.

here is a picture before I drilled it out more and sanded it.

 

Flash it with heat and melt the rest of that solder, wipe it off or blow it off with air pressure. Done.