Last time I bled my brakes (avid elixr 3’s) everything went well and I was happy with the result. However, over last few rides the rear brake was pulling a bit too much to the bar and lacking power so I decided to bleed it again, except nothing is coming in or out! pushing or pulling plungers at either end moves nothing? I’ve tried pulling the lever, and I can feel a little movement in the syringe but nothing major. sealed up, the system is now putting no movement into the pads. Whats doing? Is it new brake time? (given that a second hand rear brake is probably cheaper than a service at the LBS (unless it is just a bleed?)

Not that I’ve ever done anything this stupid 😳 but have you got the syringe on the correct lever?

definatly correct lever. Is there any difference to the syringes?

nope, both the same. Fluid show easily flow through the system if you have the syringes on each end, the level shouldn’t be held into the bar when doing this part of the bleed

I would hazard that either a seal has given way in a major way, or you have serious amounts of air in the system. Maybe put a syringe or two full of fluid through it before trying bleeding. I got a couple of larger size luer lock syringes from work for this purpose.

Bleed block in, half full syringe at the calliper and empty at the lever, brake lever not against the bar. You should be able to push fluid through the system to fill the lever syringe. If you can’t do this then something is wrong.

Make sure that if it has a lever reach/bite point adjuster inside the lever that it is wound fully anti-clockwise.

if the screw is wound to far in it blocks the top up port.

nicolaisam – Elixir 3s don’t have contact point adjustment. They do have a reach adjustment, but I don’t think that it needs to be changed for a bleed

You’d appear to have a blockage of some sort, possibly a crushed or kinked hose, or maybe the lever is stuck down a little and preventing fluid passing to and from the reservoir(have you sprayed lube in or around the lever, this may cause seals to swell).

If the reach adjust is all the way out it will block the port.

Normally you can push fluid from the lever end to the caliper though.

Bleedin’ Avids indeed. That’s one word for them.
Sell them. But Shimanos or Hopes or Formulas….. 😉

hopper ave… that’s my thinking. I had hayes 9’s before from 2006 to 2010 never bled, never failed, just working! I’ll gove the reach adjust a check though… that sounds like it could be a culpret!

My front elixir cr is the same. I tend to squeeze lever gently for half inch then let it pop back whilst pushing caliper syringe. This gets the fluid moving and bleds as normal after.

nicolai sam has it… the reach adjust was wound in. Wound it anti clockwise a bit and the fluid moved freely! Pulled about 2ml of air out of the system (theres my loss of power then!) topped everything up and they’re working like a dream!

Thanks all for your input! I’ll be back on the trails for the weekend!

they’re working like a dream!

for now.
my bleeding process for my Avid Elixir CRs was to throw them to the back of the shed and buy Shimanos.

for now.
my bleeding process for my Avid Elixir CRs was to throw them to the back of the shed and buy Shimanos.

Good lad. People doing this keeps ’em cheap and plentiful on the second hand market for people like me.

I like Avids. Both Juicys and Elixirs. I have no problem getting a good bleed on them (and actually find the bleed system to be quick, sensible, clean and effective). I like the levers and the feel and find them plenty powerful.

So keep ditching those Avids chaps! 🙂

useful case study……thanks for coming back with the answer