Squishy brakes

So this weekend i finally got around to painting my rear brake calipers. i did the fronts a few months ago. Anyway i had them off overnight for the paint to cure and thought i sealed off the brake lines well enough. well in the morning the brake fluid reservoir was empty. i bled all the brakes starting left rear, right rear, front left, front right and from the first pump fluid came out of all the lines with no bubbles. But my brakes dont start to engage until i'm about half way down on the pedal when the truck is on. there must be some air in the top of the system. I know nothing about that part of the system. Is there a way to bleed the master cylinder or whatever it may be called to get my pedal back to touch sensitive like it was before?

 

I would try again and start at the farthest from the master cylinder.. the RR. Then LR, RF, LF.
Sounds to me like you might have had the order wrong.

 

ok ill redo in that order and see what happens

 

late reply, but I have squishy brakes and was wondering... how did you fix it?

 

No, No, No....you start at the master cylinder if you drained it. Very few have bleeders, so you have to crack the line. Go back and forth between the lines a few times just to make sure. Then bleed the calipers. Best way is hose off bleeder into bottle with some fluid in it. Most vehicles are RR, LR, RF, LF. Not a Volvo, that's why look in the book if not sure. To override the ABS if you don't have a scanner, (works on most vehicles,) find a spot were you can skid, like a small field, do about 25 and slamm on the brakes so the ABS activate, and do this a few times. Afterwards, bleed the calipers again if still a little spongy. Might have to skid and bleed a couple times.

 

If the master cylinder was empty, then you need to start by pulling it and bench bleeding it. Otherwise, you'll never get all the air out.

 

Basically what I'm saying is the same thing, but why take it out if you don't have to. You bench bleed a new one because it's already out of the vehicle and easier.......yea same thing. If you have a well built car like a Datsun, the bleeders are there to make it a lot easier,

 

Yep! You can bench bleed it right there on the vehicle. No need to remove.

 

I guess I've never trusted that the pedal would move the piston the full length of travel.

 

At this point I wouldn’t. You don’t want it in it’s natural pattern that it’s already worn in. Going to beyond that can ruin the seals inside the master cylinder now that it’s no longer brand new. When I bleed the brakes I stick a 2 x 4 under the pedal so that it doesn’t travel past it’s typical throw.