Originally Posted by JimBlake

Normally, if you don't bench-bleed the MC, you'll have troubles getting all the air out. It's possible (I've done it), but you might use a couple liters of fluid before all the air is out.

I replaced a MC before I knew anything about bench-bleeding. It was a royal PITA, I still had a soft pedal, and had to run back out to buy another liter of fluid. After getting a ton of fluid without any bubbles, I finally got a few air bubbles then it was OK.