Installing Brake MC with Reservoir - PITA?

[Chimi]

Hi All,

I'm swapping out a brake master cylinder. I bench bled the MC, but it's giving me a ton of trouble trying to install the MC with the reservoir actually attached. It's hard to line up with the brake booster and to get the brake lines actually attached to the MC with so little wiggle room. Anyone have any suggestions or ideas?

[FredK]

What's the logic in installing the MC with the reservoir on top? If you're trying to avoid bleeding the calipers just to get the car moving, AND you are dead set on not bleeding them, then you're probably best off removing the reservoir, taking care not to push on the MC input shaft and keeping the rubber holes topped off with fluid. Once it's secured with the hard lines attached, you can throw the reservoir on.

You won't have introduced much air if any.

The brakes will still probably feel bad until you bleed the calipers.

[Chimi]

I had it in my mind that once I bench bleed the MC, I need to keep the reservoir with fluid connected to the MC to prevent air from getting into the system while I'm trying to mount it. Am I following correctly in that I can to this instead:

1. Bench bleed the MC
2. Drain reservoir and remove
3. Install MC
4. Re-install reservoir and fill with fluid