I want to learn how to bleed brakes/change brake fluid....where should I start?

[Zack1978]

Hi everyone,
I would like yo learn how to bleed my brakes and at the same time change the brake fluid. I have never done this before, but I know that brake fluid should be changed on a regular basis.
I guess I have the basic concept down, which is open the bleed valve on each wheel, then pump the brake pedal, all the while keeping the master cyl full? I assume that when you push the pedal it shoots the fluid out of the open bleed valve? Am I on the right track? But I want a "one-man" kit.....
Now I know that there are many different brands/types of "one man" brake bleeding kits that portray this as a simple job. Is it best to use a kit like this? Are the kits universal for all cars/trucks? For instance the master cyl on my 2000 Celica GT-S is very close to the lower end of the hood, would the fluid res from the one man kit fit in there? How do these one man kits work? Does the bleed valve on each wheel still need to be opened, even with the "one-man" kit?
What is the best and most complete brand kit to buy? I am not opposed to spending a good amount of money for a kit as long as it is top quality.

Thanks everyone,
Zack

 

[Pin_Head]

Fuggedabout the "1 man" kits. They often fail and take too much time to set up. The 2 person bleeding method is as simple as falling off a bar stool and it always works. Unless you don't have any friends or family use the 2 person method.

2 Person Method:
Have your buddy get in the cab with his foot on the brake pedal and you underneath with a wrench on the bleeder valve.
1. You yell down and he stomps on the pedal and you open the valve half a turn. Fluid squirts out about 2-3 feet, so hold a rag over the bleeder if you don't want to make a mess.
2. When the pedal goes to the floor, he yells down and you close the bleeder before it stops flowing.
3. When the valve is closed, you yell up and he lets the pedal up and yells up.
Repeat as necessary.

 

[Frankencruiser]

speed bleeders work well for 1 man bleeding. Other than that it's the 2 man system described above. None of the vacuum or pressure bleeders work as well.

 

[2mbb]

I use speed bleeders with good success on my FJ60.

I have used a pressure bleeder (Motive Products) on my BMW, but I have a fitting that screws onto the top of the master cylinder. I tried a generic fitting on the FJ60 and it did not work well.

I have also used a check valve such as this one from K/D with some success, too, but you need to make sure the seal is tight around the brake bleeder valve Amazon.com: K-D Tools 2538 One Man Brake Bleeder: Automotive

When I'm changing brake fluid, I use a turkey baster or similar to suck the old fluid out of the maser cylinder. Then I pour in new fluid, then I flush each brake, starting with the one that has the longest brake line path and finishing with the shortest path. On the FJ60 this is Left rear, right rear, left front, right front. If your truck as a LSPV, bleed that too. I push 10 pedal strokes through each bleed valve, filling the reservoir as required. If at any time the reservoir runs dry, you will need to start over. You will probably go through close to a quart of fluid.

 

[tyama]

I'd do what Pin_head says. The thing I'd change is to put a tube that fits pretty tight over the bleeder valve & put the opposite end of the tube into a coke bottle with brake fluid to prevent the back flow of air. It also catches the excess of fluid so it doesn't splash all over. Start with the valve farthest from the MC & work your way to the closest. I think it's the easiest thing for the GF/wife to do for you.

Regards! ty

 

[KLF]

Pressure bleeder. I made my own. Works awesome.

When I change out fluid, I first use it to blow air thru all the lines, to get as much of the old stuff out at possible. Then I dump fluid in the jug, pump it up, bleed away. Never fails to work. I can do the whole system and never spill a drop.

Suggestion: before you bleed in the new fluid, pull all the bleeders out, clean and anti-sieze them, re-install.

 

[OregonLC]

I've heard good things about these reverse bleeders. Pushes air the way it wants to go. Not used one myself, known those who have and they swear by them. I'll try one on my next brake job for sure.

Phoenix Systems | V-12™ The Economy Professional Model Brake Bleeder

 

[rusty_tlc]

Bleeding brakes/clutches is the only thing automotive my wife has ever done other than fueling.

She has the whole "DOWN" "UP" process down pat.

It's great to get your SO out in the garage with you for a while. It's also pay back for the time you spend shopping for furniture and drapes with her.


I've never heard of blowing the lines out with air. That seems like it would be likely to result in a lot of bubbles in the system. I just start with the brake slave cylinder (or caliper) furthest from the master cylinder and bleed until the fluid is clear then work my way back to the master cylinder. Some kind of system to capture the old brake fluid is really helpful if you are purging the system.

 

[toy4xfun]

Fuggedabout the "1 man" kits. They often fail and take too much time to set up. The 2 person bleeding method is as simple as falling off a bar stool and it always works. Unless you don't have any friends or family use the 2 person method.

2 Person Method:
Have your buddy get in the cab with his foot on the brake pedal and you underneath with a wrench on the bleeder valve.
1. You yell down and he stomps on the pedal and you open the valve half a turn. Fluid squirts out about 2-3 feet, so hold a rag over the bleeder if you don't want to make a mess.
2. When the pedal goes to the floor, he yells down and you close the bleeder before it stops flowing.
3. When the valve is closed, you yell up and he lets the pedal up and yells up.
Repeat as necessary.

you forgot the buddy has to pump the hell out of them!
he will know when they are pumped up good, tell him to pump them till it feels like his leg is going to fall off!

 

[Pin_Head]

you forgot the buddy has to pump the hell out of them!
he will know when they are pumped up good, tell him to pump them till it feels like his leg is going to fall off!

You don't pump them.
Just one down and up stroke at a time.

If you pump them you suck air back into the system. It takes about 6-8 strokes until you see clear fluid on the first one and then less on the others.

 

[OregonLC]

This may be urban myth, but I've hear that MC failures are often caused by 2-person brake bleeds. Reason: after XX,000 cycles the MC piston creates a small shelf at the end of its typical throw. When you bleed your resistance goes to zero so you push the piston past this ridge a couple of hundred times and score the seal. I've had MC's fail shortly after bleeds on Honda products, however I don't have any solid proof of the correlation.

 

[KLF]

This may be urban myth, but I've hear that MC failures are often caused by 2-person brake bleeds.

Bingo. I don't think it's a myth at all, and I've had it happen to me.

 

[Pin_Head]

after XX,000 cycles the MC piston creates a small shelf at the end of its typical throw. When you bleed your resistance goes to zero so you push the piston past this ridge a couple of hundred times and score the seal.

This sometimes happens (in my experience it is rare; maybe a few % of the times), but in my view this is a bad master cylinder and you would want to find out and replace it when you are doing the brakes rather than having it fail in an emergency when you need all the braking effort.

 

[toy4xfun]

You don't pump them.
Just one down and up stroke at a time.

If you pump them you suck air back into the system. It takes about 6-8 strokes until you see clear fluid on the first one and then less on the others.

well you learn some thing new every day, all the old timers i ever worked around pumped them, not saying they were right, but never had a problem doing it this way.

when i worked at sears, they had a nice power bleed machine.

also we have run across the older GM cars with the combo valve that when they developed a leak the easiest way to get the metering valve back to center was to open all bleeders and push the pedal to the floor. close the bleeders up and bleed them as normal.

 

[Pin_Head]

I worked for a couple years at a dept. store shop that averaged about 6-8 brake jobs a day. We had a high end power bleeder, but nobody used it because it took as long to set up as it took to bleed them with 2 persons. A lot of times, it was the service manager working the pedal. Another reason is that we always had 2 people signing off on checking the job for brakes and for oil drain plugs.

 

[Runamuck]

I have a break issue (74FJ55). Just got the tires changed, got in it and the brake pedal went to the floor. Checked the fluid and the cups are still full. Drove home and pumped them to stop. Got in drive way and did not see any drips on the ends of the lines. When the key is off, I can pump them and they are hard but when I turn the key the go to the floor. All drums with a brake booster.

Any suggestions?

 

[Pin_Head]

I have a break issue (74FJ55). Just got the tires changed, got in it and the brake pedal went to the floor. Checked the fluid and the cups are still full. Drove home and pumped them to stop. Got in drive way and did not see any drips on the ends of the lines. When the key is off, I can pump them and they are hard but when I turn the key the go to the floor. All drums with a brake booster.

Any suggestions?

Start a new thread.

If there are no leaks, start by adjusting the brake shoes. Tighten the adjusters one at a time until the wheel can't turn and then back off 3 clicks. When done properly there will be a dragging noise when you spin the wheel.

 

[Junk]

If you want to learn how, ask some local cruiserheads to show you. There's a ton of them around. That's what this type of forum is all about.