Originally Posted by
stevef
I've been around Islanders a while and the brakes can be a real problem to bleed sometimes if the hydraulic lines have been drained.....
....The biggest problem - BN having the bleed nipple at the bottom of the brake unit... no wonder air can't be purged easily.
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As an aside and coming from someone with no A/C wrench (spanner) experience......
The first Triumph motorcyles with a rear disc brake also had the bleeder on the bottom (a nutso idea unless you can invert gravity) and the solution was to bleed the caliper inverted before placing it on the machine. This was done by inserting a smooth wooden block slightly thicker than the disc between the pads while supporting the caliper with the bleeder on top, and then bleeding it normally. Once done, slip the block out carefully and install the caliper on the machine, pump the pads into place, and give it one more bleed cycle just to play it safe.
I'm pretty sure A/C mechanics are required to follow a specific protocol issued by the manufacturer, but maybe I'm wrong, or maybe something could be worked out with the manufacturer to allow this procedure in the interest of safety and simplicity. I'm not giving anyone instructions here- only relating something similar as an analogy.