It's the bleeding Peugeot brakes -help!

[Jaguar steve]

Done fluid chages and brake overhauls on literally thousands of cars whilst I was in the Trade.

Changed the fluid for the first time on Mrs JS Pug GTI this morning and cannot for the life of me get a firm pedal back, brakes are OK but the firmness of the pedal has gone and it's mushy, just like there's still some air in the system somewhere.

Bled right through three times now and used over two litres of brand new fluid. Anybody know if there's some oddity or unusual procedure for getting this right on the 206?

[martycossie]

jack up rear beam crack nippls of let fluid out (gravty bleed system)

[Kitchski]

Would it have anything to do with the compensator valve? I'd jack up the rear arms as you do it, or bleed it with the rear wheels still on and on the deck. If the suspension is dropped, the valve will be practically closed which might not be letting the rear end bleed properly.

I could of course be talking total bks. I've never bled a Pug or Cit (with conventional brakes/suspension) yet.

[Jaguar steve]

Thanks Chaps, tried that

[andyjpug]

I put a new master cyclinder on mine last week and had the same problem, so that eventually I decided that I'd have to drain the system down and check everything. Undid the front nearside nipple and started pumping the pedal and halfway through the missus brought in a cuppa. Did up the nipple and went for a swig and when I came back it was perfect!

I can only think that there was still some air in there somewhere and pumping loads of fluid through cleared it.

[number2301]

I don't know if the 206 is the same but on a 205 there's a particular technique to bleeding the rear brake compensator without which you won't fully bleed the system. It's detailed in the Haynes manual.