Hey,
I think I need to bleed the brakes on my 100 series and I was wondering what I needed to proper bleed the brakes. How many quarts of fluid should I buy? Do I have to take off the wheels? Any tips or tricks on making it easier?
I already have a pretty good idea on the procedure, but every car is different so I'd rather be safe then sorry.
Hey,
I think I need to bleed the brakes on my 100 series and I was wondering what I needed to proper bleed the brakes. How many quarts of fluid should I buy? Do I have to take off the wheels? Any tips or tricks on making it easier?
I already have a pretty good idea on the procedure, but every car is different so I'd rather be safe then sorry.
Do you mean flush the brakes? I find that with a FZJ80 MC, 1 qt is sufficient, unless you're fluid is really brown. I've done it w/ a vacuum bleeder, but find the good ol' fashioned way works the best...get a buddy to pump the brake pedal on your command, use a piece of 1/4" clear pvc tubing, and 10mm wrench to work the bleeder screw open/closed. Don't forget to bleed the load sensing pressure valve. Check the FSM for the proper bleeding order. On my 4runner, you don't need to pull the wheels at all, but on my honda, you do. It depends on the caliper design.
One trick I use is to bend the pvc tubing up a little just at the bleeder nipple. This way, if the person pumping the pedal gets out of sink and you close the valve too late, it won't suck in air since there's a little fluid there. Tell the person to pump the pedal. Open the valve to allow the old fluid to exit, then have your buddy tell you when the pedal is down (and have him hold it down until you close the valve w/ the wrench and tell him it's okay). Also, use a turkey baster to suck as much of the old fluid out of the master before you start flushing and refill w/ new fluid. Never let the master go close to dry. I generally will go about 15 pumps of the pedal, then refill. Put rags or newspaper all around the master in case fluid drips, as brake fluid eats away paint. I like the Valvoline dot 4 synthetic fluid...semss to stay clearer, longer than the Castrol dot 4. DO NOT use dot 5 (silcone based), as you can't mix it w/ dot 3 or 4. I stay away from cheapo dot 3.
