today i blew the brake line going from the proportioning/metering valve that feeds the front 2 wheels on my 1998 dodge ram 1500 5.2. replaced the line no problem but when i went to bleed it, it didnt work real well. the passenger side bled fine but the drivers side doesnt. after i bleed the passenger side the pedal starts to feel a bit stiffer. once i go to the drivers side, it bleeds ok for a bit but then no fluid comes out even when the pedal is depressed. once that happens the pedal goes right to the floor like i never bled the brakes. i broke the bleeder screw off of the driver side so im cracking the back bolt that connects the line to the caliper. the bleeder screw it not leaking. the master cylinder is kept full. the truck has 2 wheel abs and it looks like it goes to the back wheels. abs and brake light are on. cant figure out why it doesnt want to bleed. brakes were stiff and felt good before the line replacement so i dont think i have a master cylinder fluid bypass problem.

 

somewhere around the master cylinder/proportion valve thing, there is a little button that can be pushed. i'm not sure if this helped me, but it entertained me for a couple of minutes.

from another post....
11 my brakes bled ok. not great but ok. i used the wife in seat pushing the pedal method. i think the abs interferes with it slightly. i bled out a large amount of fluid and refilled the master cylinder several times to achieve a flush of the rear lines.

12 after bleeding - the ABS light was on. a google search said to crank the truck, then press and hold the brake pedal for 10 seconds to allow the proportioning valve to recenter. this worked for me.

https://dodgeforum.com/forum/2nd-gen...-pictures.html

 

when you did that, did you lose brake pressure after a while before resetting the valve? if thats the case, why would it only affect the driver side and not the passenger side if they both come off the same line?

 

i never lost pressure. i just had poor flow to the rear.

 

well whatever that did, it worked. i bled the brakes one more time, pumped the brakes then i held down the pedal for about 15 seconds to reset the valve like you said and it felt great after.

 

You cannot fully bleed a caliper that way. Air bubbles float in brake fluid much as they do in water. That's why the bleeder screw is located at the top of the caliper piston cylinder. But hey, if you're satisfied with the results, nice!

 

Don't mess around with brakes. You need to do it right. A rebuilt caliper is under $20. Just replace it and your trouble should go away.

 

You can get the bleeder valves separate as well. (at least, I got some from advance when I did my brakes....) Getting it out isn't too difficult, chems are your friend though.

 

I used to do the "wife in the cab pressing the brake" method, but after getting tired of listening to her complain, I started just gravity bleeding them. Then, I got tired of the mess, so I bought Speed Bleeders. They work well and you can run a hose from them to a coffee can or something to catch the fluid that squirts out.