Cannot bleed the rear passenger drum brake

Tiny
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  • MEMBER
  • 2002 HONDA CIVIC
  • 1.7L
  • 4 CYL
  • 2WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 188,000 MILES
I could bleed the rear driver but not the rear passenger. There's hardly any brake fluid coming out of the brake line. I disconnected it from the wheel cylinder and pumped the brakes.
Wednesday, January 12th, 2022 AT 1:38 PM

11 Replies

Tiny
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Hello,

It sounds like there could be an issue with the brake hose.
Many times, those rubber brake hose collapse on the inside, this creates too much restriction and that reduces brake fluid flow.
It is also possible to have a restriction on anywhere on that line, between the wheel cylinder and the ABS module.

One thing you can try is to remove the brake hose and see if you have better flow from the metal line. If so, then it will tell you the hose is bad.

Please let me know if you have any questions.
Thank you.

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/how-to-bleed-or-flush-a-car-brake-system
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Wednesday, January 12th, 2022 AT 2:07 PM
Tiny
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I removed the rubber hose near the brake drum but still had little brake fluid in the metal hose.
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Wednesday, January 12th, 2022 AT 2:09 PM
Tiny
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So, the issue/restriction could be further up the line.
Do you have any brake related issues before you tried to bleed the system?
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Wednesday, January 12th, 2022 AT 2:23 PM
Tiny
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No, the brakes worked fine. I installed the brake shoes wrong they wouldn't sit right and rub on the drum, so I noticed and sat them the wheel nearly turned.
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Wednesday, January 12th, 2022 AT 2:26 PM
Tiny
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But after I noticed I sat them in the groove, and they held but I noticed later the pedal went to the floor so I wanted to bleed the brakes and it got better but couldn't bleed that side and the wheel just spins even when brakes applied.
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Wednesday, January 12th, 2022 AT 2:28 PM
Tiny
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So, it sounds like due to the flow issue the brake was not engaging properly.
At this point you will have to trace the brake line and see if you see any type of obvious issues, like outside damage. If there are connections you can remove that connection and check for flow again and work toward the module.
Without figuring out the restriction, you won't be able to bleed the brake properly.
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Wednesday, January 12th, 2022 AT 2:29 PM
Tiny
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I only see one connection at the master cylinder for the rear and six at the ABS pump, but they did brake. The brakes were stuck when I installed them, they were too tight in the drum I didn't set them in the grove they where supposed to go.
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Wednesday, January 12th, 2022 AT 2:32 PM
Tiny
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After I set them, the brakes were fine until later when I wanted to bleed them.
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Wednesday, January 12th, 2022 AT 2:34 PM
Tiny
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Right, those two out of the master cylinder should go to the ABS module and then four will come out of the module for each wheel. I wonder if something just got out of alignment and creating this issue.
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Wednesday, January 12th, 2022 AT 2:37 PM
Tiny
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I figured it out. I disconnected the rear left ABS hose and there was fluid, but it was black. The stuck shoes heated the fluid in the lines plugging the line I'm a clean in with a vacuum.
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Wednesday, January 12th, 2022 AT 6:50 PM
Tiny
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That is good. Glad you got it figured out.
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Wednesday, January 12th, 2022 AT 8:15 PM

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