Whether for the front or rear brakes, the brake bleeding procedure is basically the same. If you were doing all four discs, you would start from the furthest away from thea.b.s module, to the shortest distance. Bleeding brakes yourself can be very rewarding, Once you master this procedure, it can also be very satisfying. Lets get rolling.
Obivously, if you were doing a brake service, you would do that particular wheel, but the brake bleeding procedure can be done with the wheels on.
A few things to consider before proceeding with this, is to make sure you always never ever let the master cylinder run dry, or the a.b.s module. This can put the module out of calibration. Never let your foot hit all the way to the floor.Every time you bleed youre brakes, choose a brake fluid of a diferent colour, if you are not brand fussy. like myself.
Seeing the new fluid coming through the clear tube. will ensure nice fresh brake fluid.
Dont force brake fluid through the master cylinder, always add from the cap.In order to do this, place a rag around the top of the cap, so when opened, any drips wont go all over your paintwork.
Take out a little filter with your pointy nosed pliers, squeezing gently out from the inside of the filter..Spray it with a little brake clean. Dry it with a rag, Place aside, then place a small funnel into the brake flyuid resorvior.
When you open your .4 brake fluid, only pierce a small opening with your pick, as to allow easier pouring of the brake fluid. Pierce another hole opposite, for air venting. ITs usually a tin foil seal.
There are several what they call one man brake bleeder kits, or you could just use a drink bottle. with a tube coming down sitting in some brake fluid on the bottom, acting like a check valve, as to not allow air to come back up the tube
A professionally made one man brake bleeder kit will typically have a screw fitting lid with two nipples on top of it. The tube with another tube coming down to the bottom of the container, will connect to the brake caliper bleeder screw. The other tube will go into your drip pan.
Three quarter fill the container with old brake fluid. Theres no need to waste clean brake fluid for this. I have an old container with old brake fluid .I find this useful as a cleaner and other uses, but make sure you label the bottle. .
When choosing a brake fluid, always choose a dot 4. Ive always found brand is not a huge consideration, but i always go with Valvoline. Its a fresh dark blue colour. When bleeding your brakes, you will not miss its distinctive colour coming through that clear tube. The next time i need to bleed my brakes, i might use an orange coloured fluid. Most auto parts stores supply different colours for this purpose.
Open the bleeder screw, not too much, tightly fitting your tube on the bleeder csrew nipple.. To stop air entering, place some general multi purpose grease around the nipple and tube.. Its thick, and will form a good seal around the bleeder screw. Have your flare nut spanner around the bleeder screw ready for closing.
Have your good old drip pan ready.
Give the brake pedal a few pumps, not allowing the pedal to hit the floor. This takes a little practice. If it seems a little hard to pump, loosen the bleeder screw a little more. Go to the desired wheel, and check your tube for air bubbles, and to see if the colour is starting to change.
While doing this, always keep a close eye on the master cylinder reservoir. Keep that level in a good range.If you are doing the farthest away wheel, you might have to use a bit of brake fluid. Its cheap to buy, so dont worry if you need to.
Once the colour is good, and you see no air bubles in the clear line, close your bleeder screw. You are done. Once you do this same procedure for all the other wheels, place the little rubber cap on top. This will stop any dirt you may have.Pump the brake pedal a few times until it feels hard.
If the brake pedal does not feel hard, there is a leak somewhere. Tis exact thing happened to me,. when i did up the banjo bolt, there was brake fluid gushing out . The coppor washers were very flat, and not in good shape.. I replaced them, problem solved. Make sure that brake pedal pumps hard before you call the job done.
Before taking the car out for a test drive, make sure in your garage, the brake pedal pumps. If it is still feeling soft, and hitting the floor, you still have a leak., or there might be air in the system somewhere.
Dont panic if this keeps happening. . There is most likely air in the system Using grease around the nipples ive always found works flawlessly… If you have given your caliper a service, check for fluid around the banjo bolt. o rings and seals. .
If you have any questions, or you feel this post could be improved upon, please leave your comments below. Thankyou for reading
doug.
