Good brake bleeder for 100? Going to do my rear brakes

[Pyrenees]

My 2001 LX 470 is coming up on 185k miles. Lately when driving (foot off the brake) I can hear a "chuff chuff chuff" sound from the right rear of the vehicle, and it's speed dependent. When I push lightly on the brake it goes away. Then as I pull to a stop from about 15 MPH, I hear a slight metal groan from the same area. So I assume my rear pads/rotors/calipers/pins need some help.

I am planning on jacking up the rear of the car, pulling it all apart and putting new OEM pads/rotors/pins in it, lube the bellcrank, adjust the ebrake, blah blah blah. No big deal.

Then it occurred to me, I don't think the brake fluid has been flushed any time recently (and it doesn't look fresh). I have never bled brakes in my life, but I have the FSM.

Do I need to jack up all four corners simultaneously to do the bleed? Any recommended bleeders to purchase or ones to avoid (for the 100 in particular, if that matters)? Should I use my techstream? I figure I'll learn how to do it myself on the 100 and then when it comes time to do the Sienna I'll already have a clue. Thanks!

 

[AlpineAccess]

Having the wheels and tires off makes it a lot easier to access and bleed. Can rotate them too. A Gatorade bottle with a hole in the top, vinyl tubing, some brake fluid in the bottom and someone to push and hold the brakes.

Techstream to activate ABS or a dirt road nearby works too.

The chuff noise could be a sticky guide pin, while waiting for parts you can actually pull that all out and clean it without even removing the caliper. Brass brush and some brake grease and you're set.

 

[KFunk740]

I don't jack it up or take wheels off to bleed brakes. The LC is huge and I'm skinny, so its not hard to get to the bleeders. I may turn the steering from one side to the other to access each front bleeder better.

 

[TXLX100]

You can get a fairly inexpensive vacuum bleeder on Amazon or HF.... requires air though.

 

[KFunk740]

If you've never bled brakes before, know to be extra careful not to break off a bleeder. This applies more to midwestern cars, but brake fluid can make anything rust or get stuck, and those little guys twist right off. On other cars when I started out, I broke off a bleeder or two, tried to extract it and broke off the extractor, then just left it stuck for a while until I finally got new calipers.
If its not too rusty, I just soak the bleeders a day or two in advance, put a box end wrench over the bleeder and whack the wrench with a hammer for initial loosening without hard twisting force. I also got a 'shake 'n break' tool to fit on an air hammer, to pound it a little while turning with wrench. I couldn't fit it into do the rears on the LC, though.
You may not need any of that, and a good solid turn with a deep well socket may get them loose. Just don't wrestle it too much with a socket or let it slip from perpendicular force. I've learned my lesson to be way more cautious though on an any car that hasn't had the bleeders touched in years.

 

[whitenoise]

Its super easy with the right tools. I use a Motive power bleeder with this adapter cap , well worth the investment in order to be able to bleed brakes by myself - I use these tools at least once a year. I don't fill the bleeder with brake fluid, just use it to pressurize the master cyl reservoir and use a catch bottle at each bleeder screw (which I never turn with anything other than a 6 point box wrench). No need to remove wheels, the bleeder screws are accessible from underneath as long as you aren't weight challenged. Use the Techstream procedure to bleed the rears, it also flushes the ABS which is critical to getting the best pedal feel. The fronts are manual bleed.

 

[JunkCrzr89]

Techstream is the best way to bleed them.

 

[Pyrenees]

Techstream is the best way to bleed them.

I know that I asked about techstream, and I know that you followed up about it, but is there a particular thing I need to do with techstream to properly bleed the brakes? I'm kind of a total noob on this. I just ordered all of the parts, and my hundy is up on four jack stands as we speak.

 

[FxFormat]

I use this, one man bleeder tool, just have a little brake fluid in the bottle before so you can't suck air back in. I bleed it with key on, engine off, make sure you keep the MC reservoir from running dry. You don't need to bleed ABS so long as the unit doesn't run dry at any time.

 

[JunkCrzr89]

I know that I asked about techstream, and I know that you followed up about it, but is there a particular thing I need to do with techstream to properly bleed the brakes? I'm kind of a total noob on this. I just ordered all of the parts, and my hundy is up on four jack stands as we speak.

Plug the cord into a laptop that has Techstream and also the OBD port, then:

 

[Pyrenees]

Thanks everyone. I just ordered all of the rear brake components - around $400 for OEM rotors/pads as well as all the silly crap like the anti-squeal shims, new caliper pins, the pad clips, etc.

Hundy is already up on four jack stands. Just not sure yet if I should get a bleeder/vacuum for the brake bleeding or go for the "screw it, I have a mason jar and a couple of straws" approach. Both paths seem appealing in their own way

 

[abuck99]

You dont need vacuums, pump bleeders or fancy tools. All Techstream does is help activate the ABS to flush that circuit, helpful and should be done but not critical if you dont have TS.

All you need is a quality wrench to fit the bleeder, some pvc tube and a bucket to drain fluid in and a helper when you go to bleed the fronts.

With key on the rear brakes will auto bleed when pressure is applied to the brakes- Wedge a board or some pvc pipe between the seat and brake pedal, go back and crack the bleeder and bob’s your uncle. Do both rears this way. Keep in mind your pumping a lot of fluid so keep your eye on the reservoir and keep topping up. Dont let it get so low it draws air. Just close the bleeder, go check and top off and keep bleeding till nice clean fluid flows. Try not to let pump run longer than 15-20 seconds at a time.

While your at it bleed the fronts too, but you need a helper here. They press on brake, you crack bleeder till fluid stops flowing then you close bleeder, they let off brake. Repeat this process several times until the fluid is clean.

Be sure to follow fsm procedure to evacuate the booster before starting.

 

[TrillyPop]

Its super easy with the right tools. I use a Motive power bleeder with this adapter cap , well worth the investment in order to be able to bleed brakes by myself - I use these tools at least once a year. I don't fill the bleeder with brake fluid, just use it to pressurize the master cyl reservoir and use a catch bottle at each bleeder screw (which I never turn with anything other than a 6 point box wrench). No need to remove wheels, the bleeder screws are accessible from underneath as long as you aren't weight challenged. Use the Techstream procedure to bleed the rears, it also flushes the ABS which is critical to getting the best pedal feel. The fronts are manual bleed.

Agree. Motive bleeder is what I use for all brake flushes. Makes for an easy one man job. Don't put fluid in the Motive, just use it to create pressure and top off the MC as needed...eliminates the cleanup. Always start with the caliper furthest from the MC and work your way towards it. I don't bother flushing the ABS pump on any of my cars, including track cars.

 

[Pyrenees]

So, here's the long story of how my first-ever (like, in my life) brake bleeding went.

I was going to order the power probe BA10 but they were like $50 and it seems like they may have discontinued it. Then I read the reviews on the Harbor Freight vacuum bleeder (sucks fluid out of the calipers rather than pressurizing the master cylinder): Pneumatic Brake Fluid Bleeder with Auto-Refill Kit - https://www.harborfreight.com/brake-fluid-bleeder-92924.html . For $29 I figured why not, and the reviews were excellent. Got the car up on the jack stands and took the wheels off.

Sacrificed our turkey injector to suck as much old brake fluid out of the master cylinder as I could, and promised the wifey that I'd buy her a new one later.

Then I realized the rear bleeder nipples had received way too many ugga-duggas from He-Man or whomever bled the brakes last (which, as I'll get to in a moment, was a helluva long time ago). I have no rust on the vehicle, but those suckers wouldn't budge, I put a box end 10mm wrench on one of them (first mistake) and tapped it with a hammer to break it free. I succeeded in partially rounding the bleeder nut, then I stepped back and thought about all of the previous times that I had hurriedly tried to do something only to make it worse. Soaked it with PB blaster, came back in a couple hours, this time with a six-point 10mm deep socket. Didn't move. FSM says the torque spec on these is something like 7-8 ft-lbs so I was paranoid of snapping it off. Sprayed it with PB and quit for the day.

Came back the next day, hit it with more PB, didn't budge. Just because you can sear a steak with a blowtorch doesn't mean it isn't useful for other things. Fired that puppy up and waved it back and forth on the caliper, not the screw. Got it toasty and put more PB on it. SUCCESS! Got the bleeders open. The front ones were easy, no idea what the difference is. Oh, did I say I got the bleeders open? Well, that was kind of a lie. I kept unscrewing the RR bleeder and no fluid came out. Eventually the whole bleeder came out and rusty brake fluid dripped out of the caliper. There was no hole on the inside of the bleeder screw. I'm thinking, why did He-Man put a non-bleedable bleeder screw into this thing? I start poking around in the exterior hole with an opened paperclip and it dawned on me that the tiny hole on the inside of the bleeder screw in fact existed, but it was covered in rust. That brake fluid was so old that it absorbed enough water to create rust.

Whatever, I figured. Glad I'm changing the fluid. Or... am I? I opened the master cylinder cap and set it aside, stuck the bleeder tube on the vacuum kit on the bleeder, fired up my trusty 3-gallon pancake compressor and... let's just say it can push the 100 PSI that is required for the kit to work, for about 10 seconds. After then the vacuum dropped precipitously and the little compressor couldn't keep up. As it released the vacuum, air got into the calipers. My 10 year old compressor had met its match. Did a couple of hours of research online, drove to Lowes, said "screw it, I'm not going to buy something disappointing" and bought a 33-gallon, 110-lb compressor that barely fit into my Forester.

Back at home, with adequate pressure, the old brake fluid and rust chunks flowed neatly into the canister. I started with the back ones, went to the fronts, but went back because of all the bubbles I kept finding. I realized I was probably sucking air in through the bleeder screw threads so I tightened them down until the flow stopped, then opened them maybe 1/4 turn after that. The bubbles slowly went away. I used almost exactly 2x of the 32oz Valvoline synthetic Dot3/4 fluid.

The brake pedal feel is SO MUCH BETTER now. Bleed your brakes, guys.

 

[JunkCrzr89]

So, here's the long story of how my first-ever (like, in my life) brake bleeding went.

I was going to order the power probe BA10 but they were like $50 and it seems like they may have discontinued it. Then I read the reviews on the Harbor Freight vacuum bleeder (sucks fluid out of the calipers rather than pressurizing the master cylinder): Pneumatic Brake Fluid Bleeder with Auto-Refill Kit - https://www.harborfreight.com/brake-fluid-bleeder-92924.html . For $29 I figured why not, and the reviews were excellent. Got the car up on the jack stands and took the wheels off.

Sacrificed our turkey injector to suck as much old brake fluid out of the master cylinder as I could, and promised the wifey that I'd buy her a new one later.

Then I realized the rear bleeder nipples had received way too many ugga-duggas from He-Man or whomever bled the brakes last (which, as I'll get to in a moment, was a helluva long time ago). I have no rust on the vehicle, but those suckers wouldn't budge, I put a box end 10mm wrench on one of them (first mistake) and tapped it with a hammer to break it free. I succeeded in partially rounding the bleeder nut, then I stepped back and thought about all of the previous times that I had hurriedly tried to do something only to make it worse. Soaked it with PB blaster, came back in a couple hours, this time with a six-point 10mm deep socket. Didn't move. FSM says the torque spec on these is something like 7-8 ft-lbs so I was paranoid of snapping it off. Sprayed it with PB and quit for the day.

Came back the next day, hit it with more PB, didn't budge. Just because you can sear a steak with a blowtorch doesn't mean it isn't useful for other things. Fired that puppy up and waved it back and forth on the caliper, not the screw. Got it toasty and put more PB on it. SUCCESS! Got the bleeders open. The front ones were easy, no idea what the difference is. Oh, did I say I got the bleeders open? Well, that was kind of a lie. I kept unscrewing the RR bleeder and no fluid came out. Eventually the whole bleeder came out and rusty brake fluid dripped out of the caliper. There was no hole on the inside of the bleeder screw. I'm thinking, why did He-Man put a non-bleedable bleeder screw into this thing? I start poking around in the exterior hole with an opened paperclip and it dawned on me that the tiny hole on the inside of the bleeder screw in fact existed, but it was covered in rust. That brake fluid was so old that it absorbed enough water to create rust.

Whatever, I figured. Glad I'm changing the fluid. Or... am I? I opened the master cylinder cap and set it aside, stuck the bleeder tube on the vacuum kit on the bleeder, fired up my trusty 3-gallon pancake compressor and... let's just say it can push the 100 PSI that is required for the kit to work, for about 10 seconds. After then the vacuum dropped precipitously and the little compressor couldn't keep up. As it released the vacuum, air got into the calipers. My 10 year old compressor had met its match. Did a couple of hours of research online, drove to Lowes, said "screw it, I'm not going to buy something disappointing" and bought a 33-gallon, 110-lb compressor that barely fit into my Forester.

Back at home, with adequate pressure, the old brake fluid and rust chunks flowed neatly into the canister. I started with the back ones, went to the fronts, but went back because of all the bubbles I kept finding. I realized I was probably sucking air in through the bleeder screw threads so I tightened them down until the flow stopped, then opened them maybe 1/4 turn after that. The bubbles slowly went away.

The brake pedal feel is SO MUCH BETTER now. Bleed your brakes, guys.

Hope you bought new bleeder screws.

 

[Pyrenees]

Hope you bought new bleeder screws.

Was I supposed to? I only started to round one of them. The rest were fine. I read mixed reviews about speed bleeders.

 

[JunkCrzr89]

Was I supposed to? I only started to round one of them. The rest were fine. I read mixed reviews about speed bleeders.

Considering the one that’s rounded and the bleeder hole clogged with rust, I strongly suggest replacing all 4 with new from Toyota. They’re cheap.

 

[abuck99]

Applause for your DIY bleed. One demerit point for not having new Toyota bleeder screws on hand and 2 demerit points for reusing old ones. Speed bleeders are unnecessary. Also its important to clean ( with brake cleaner) the brake fluid from the end of the bleeder nipple when you're done bleeding the caliper, then place a new rubber cap on the end of the bleeder. A little tiny dab of silicone brake grease under the cap will help keep moisture out as well.

FWIW I'm not a fan of using pressure bleed tools on our aged brake systems with Atrac & ABS, old brake lines and fittings, seems like a recipe for causing leaks or worse. I said it earlier, the rears auto bleed by the booster pump you just need a appropriate length stick to keep the brake pedal depressed so you can just go back and crack the bleeder, bleed away then close it, go back up front fill the reservoir some more and then do the other side- so easy no special tool required, no air bubbles etc.

 

[flintknapper]

Was I supposed to? I only started to round one of them. The rest were fine. I read mixed reviews about speed bleeders.

You don't need 'speed' bleeders but new bleeder screws in the rear would be a good idea. Change them out when you get time.

Part # 47547-12030

 

[AlpineAccess]

Nice, sounds like a good project!