1998 Ford Contour - Master Cylinder

You may need to bench bleed the master cylinder and treat it like a new one since you unhooked it. It will have air in it now.

Did you bleed the wheel cylinders from longest tubing run to shortest.

Did you keep the MS full while bleeding.

If you answered what? to any of these questions, get help!

Bleed the master cylinder on the bench. Then bleed all four wheels, starting at the wheel farthest from the master cylinder and working to the closest.

You've almost certainly introduced air to the entire system by removing lines as you've done.

Issue is, brake fluid is not usually distributed side and side; rather, front and rear. Start over with the basics of bleeding.

I've found the best way to bleed brakes on newer vehicles equipped with anti-lock braking is to use a vacuum bleeder. They are inexpensive and available at most auto parts stores.

As a former auto mechanic I have used the two person method and pressure bleeders. Sometimes getting that elusive air bubble out takes many attempts using the two person system. The vacuum bleeder system can be performed with one person and seems to always work. You just have to keep an eye on the master cylinder reservoir to make sure it does not go dry.

Hey all, I am the original 'Guest' poster. Firstly I wanted to thank all for the responses, I continue to battle the brake system on this Contour. After repeated attempts, I still fail to have fluid supplied to the left side. Half the the brake system works and boy, you can really tell it's not working properly. I do now hear an audible "swhooshing" sound coming from the booster when pumping the brake pedal. I do also see that there is corrosion (leaking fluid) on the booster as well so I'm left to believe the problem originates there. I guess the question is, If the booster is clearly not functioning properly, could that in and of itself prevent the flow of fluid to the left side?

Again, thanks to all for the input.

Mark.

Up till now, unless I missed it, no one has mentioned the proportioning valve that should be located just after the master cylinder. You can crack the lines, one at a time, coming out of that valve and make sure you are getting some flow there. You probably have one line going to the rear which later goes into a T fitting at the rear, and two lines coming out that go to the left and right. To save the expense of using a T for the front, they use the proportioning valve as the T. If you get flow at all the outputs, then you probably have a smashed, bent, or clogged tube going to the wheel. It's not that complex of a system.