Well I just got it fixed and quick test drive confirms brakes are great again. MBGA.
Anyway, everyone here was right around the issue but no one hit the bulls.
After pete's comment, I disconnected the flex lines on the car side. Both had plenty of fluid flow there - which is what prompted my comment. Plus, they were the only different part since the car rolled into the workbay, so easy to point fingers.
However, I started taking them back out of the car, and I noticed that brake fluid was flowing through both no issue. Hmmm. So I put them back together. Filled the master back up and put some pressure on it with the bleeder. There's a hard line mounted to the caliper that goes from the flex line to the caliper. I cracked the end of it that goes to the caliper. Fluid. Double hmmm. Could it be the calipers?
I took the bleeders all the way out. Still no fluid. I poked a pick tool into the bleeder hole thinking something may be plugging it there. Still no fluid. I tried angrys advice and opened a rear bleeder at the same time, still plenty of fluid at the rear none at the front.
Finally, while seeing red I decided to show these calipers who was boss. By simply looking at the disks, I could tell the calipers were working before, they just aren't flowing fluid to the bleeder. Reinstalled bleeders, tight on driver side loose on passenger. Stomp pedal. At first pedal is hard but then I feel something release and the pedal goes down. Sure enough, tons of nasty fluid is coming out of the caliper now. Hooray! With the pressure bleeder i was able to get out all the nasty old fluid and bleed that side.
At this point, I thought angry had nailed it, and there was some sort of safety switch that might flip if you've only got pressure in front or rear circuit and I had just reset it. But... You guessed it still no fluid at the driver side bleeder.
I repeated the stomp procedure with the exact same results. Weird. I'm thinking the brake fluid hasn't been serviced in years (decades?) And the calipers were gummed up by the bleeder ports or the fluid in the ports had turned to syrup.
But at least now the system is bled, the master and soft lines are all replaced, a ton of nasty fluid is eradicated from the front calipers, and the car drives great. Phew.
I've commented to my wife that bleeding brakes seems to always hit me with something weird. I feel nearly every single time that I do it that there is something in the system I'm not understanding, even though the systems are relatively simple. It's very frustrating.
Anyway, thanks for listening. One of these times bleeding brakes will go easy for me. I'm sure of it.
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