Replaced Rear Brake Pads -- Bleed Brakes? (1 Viewer)

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Do you guys always bleed your brakes after a rear pad change? I just replaced the rear pads on my 97 LX450 and I didn't have time to bleed the brakes even if I was inclined to do it. The brake fluid was an the MIN line when I started and just above the MAX line when I finished. I have been doing brake work on cars for a while and as a general rule I don't bleed brakes after replacing brake pads, partly because it is a pain. So is anyone lazy like me and awaiting disaster? If not necessary every brake pad change, what interval is best for replacing brake fluid?
 
Yes and I use a MityVac. It's a vacuum pump that allows you to bleed the brakes without the need of an assistant to pump the brake pedal.
 
No. Not unless you've introduced air in the system or if it hasn't been done in a while.

The level of brake fluid will vary depending on the amount of wear on the pads.
 
No, it shouldn't be necessary. Just make certain that the brake fluid level in the resevoir is full after you have replaced the pads and pumped the brake pedal a couple of times.
 
No, I don't bleed the brakes after changing pads as long as no air was introduced into the system. Don't see a valid technical reason to do so, but if someone has one please post it up. You would have to state how air was introduced into the system. Otherwise, there is no point.

The new Pads would be thicker meaning that the existing pressure would be more than sufficient.

I did flush the Brake fluid with one of the Vac systems as I replaced brake lines and that would require bleeding, so I flushed the whole system and swapped to synthetic.
 
As mentioned above, not needed unless you introduce air into the system. I can't seem to understand how can one possibly introduce air just by changing the pads. Maybe I'm missing something. Although there are other vehicles that require this service for some reason. If bleeding brake is needed every time the pads are replaced, then IMHO, there's some thing wrong.

:cheers:
 
I like all those post that say that it is not necessary. I do recall at one time on this or another forum someone suggesting that by compressing the piston you are possibly disturbing any gunk in the break line towards the master cylinder, but that never made a lot of sense to me given how slowly I compress the piston and the length of line to the MC.

Like I said before, I generally haven't worried about bleeding unless I am getting poor pedal feel or decreased braking performance.

Thanks for the responses.
 
I just did front and rear. I had the cap off the resevoir to help with pushing the pistons back in. There was enough wear front and rear that some fluid spilled out and when I was done the brake fluid was at the brim. I sucked some out, down to the mid-line, everything's been good since.
 
I have had that happen on my Saab, where I'll get fluid pushed out and I just do the same thing, siphon off to proper level and all is good.
 
Annual flush

I like to flush all the lines yearly--all the crud that comes out convinces me it's worth it; and we're only talking about a half hour of labor. Did this on a 1991 to present and NEVER had to rebuild a caliper. You'll feel the difference in pedal response as well.
 
I like to flush all the lines yearly--all the crud that comes out convinces me it's worth it; and we're only talking about a half hour of labor. Did this on a 1991 to present and NEVER had to rebuild a caliper. You'll feel the difference in pedal response as well.

Same here. I empty the brake and power steering resevoir and refill with new fluids during every oil change. Before the brake change, I half empty the brake fluid reservoir before pushing back the brake calipers. I then empty out the entire brake fluid reservoir and refill with new fluid. I bleed the brakes until the fluid that comes out is clear. You would be surprised at the dark fluid that is pumped out of the calipers. (Note: It is really easy to bleed the brakes without a helper using MityVac). Since brake fluid is hydroscopic, it is always a good idea to flush the brake fluid on a regularly basis. Moisture in the brake fluid not only rusts the system, it also decreases the brake effectiveness due to the water boiling. In my twenty years of working on cars, I've always flush the brakes whenever I rotate the tires, and I've never had to rebuild a brake caliper due to piston seize.
 

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