I'm installing a new master cylinder in my Accord and I'm wondering what are the steps to "bench bleed" it. I've been told that this minimizes the amount of air that gets into the system while replacing the master cylinder. Are there any special tools required? What are the steps?

Thanks!

 

1) put the maser cyclinder in a bench vise
*for step 2 you might need to buy adaptors or brake lines from the store. i will assume we will use unbent hard lines from the auto parts sstore.*
2)thread the hard lines into the master cylinder.
3)bend the open ends of the hard lines you just threaded into the cylinder, into the reseviour.
4) fill the reseviour

*in case i've lost you up to this point, you should have the new master with it's reseviour clamped in a bench vise (right side up).
the hard lines connected to the master cyclinder and it's ends looped around into the reseviour.

5) using a screwdriver or a large punch bar, push the piston from the back side of the mater cyclinder. with the screwdriver/punch, you are doing what the brake pedal pushrod would do when you step on the brake pedal.

6) repeat step #5 untill you no longer see bubbles come out the open end of the hard line.

 

^ Yeah, I googled a couple of links and found pretty much those same steps. I tried doing it but didn't have the equipment I needed (i.e., a bench vise, extra hard lines and the fittings for the lines). I ended up just holding it in my hand and using flexible tubes punched through the "plugs" that came w/ the master cylinder instead of hard lines & fittings. It worked OK, I suppose, but not great. I pushed a bit of fluid through by hand, but still had some air in the cylinder when I installed it. I flushed it through and seems to work fine now. Definitely much better than before. I'll probably need to bleed it again, though, in a couple hundred miles.