[userid]

i disconnected the flexible hose from the caliper, so now i need to bleed my brakes... how should i proceed doing this? any tips and tricks?

[taoh]

You will need at least one more person to help you with bleeding, three is best if you're all lazy.

Person 1 pumps brakes (slowly, not rapid stomping) for about 20 seconds, then holds down on brake pedal at the last pump.

Person 2 opens bleeder screw to let old fluid and air out, then closes bleeder screw; person 1 pumps again and repeat this until no air comes out of the bleeder screw. (a transparent tube connected to the bleeder screw will help a lot)

Person 3 watches the master cylinder and keeps the reservoir filled with brake fluid to prevent it from going empty and letting air in. (If person 3 not available, person 1 or 2 can do this).



Start bleeding from the brake unit furthest from the master cylinder, then work your way up to the unit closest to the master cylinder. If you have ABS, you will have to bleed the ABS actuator first, then the calipers/drums.

[azn akira]

actually you are not supposed to pump the brakes. it brakes up the air bubbles. so instead of having some big ones you have lots of little ones. that being said i will give the brakes a few pumps on my last couple bleeds . also for some stuck bubbles you can tap the caliper with a mallet, cause sometimes they get stuck inside the caliper.

also when you are bleeding your brakes make sure you dont press the pedal all the way to the floor. this can damage the seal inside the master cylinder, which pretty much means you are going to need a new master cylinder. because on cars more than a few years old (especially if you dont change your brake fluid) corrosion can build up at the end of the master cylinder, because in normal use the master cylinder only travels down like 50% of its chamber. so if you push the pedal to the floor when you are bleeding it the rubber seal will go over the corrosion and can cause it to leak.

as for abs, look at the factory service manual. there are different proceedures for different systems. in the fd for example there are no special proceedures, you just bleed it like normal brakes. on some systems you need a scan tool to cycle the abs. if there is no air in the abs system you shouldnt have to mess with it anyways. so for this you can probably just ignore it.

some cars have different bleeding sequences but normaly you go from the passanger rear, to driver rear, to pasanger front, to driver front.

if you dont feel comfortable doing it yourself just take it to a shop. a good brake pedal is important so if you cant do it correclty yourself its worth the money to have a shop do it

for bleeding your brakes the best thing to get is the power bleeder. mine should be here soon, ups needs to hurry up ><

[k1D3Ck]

Just wondering how often people change their break fluid? And to what?

Thanks

[azn akira]

you should flush your fluid every two years. for most people just any dot 3 fluid is ok. you can get it at any auto parts store. i flush my fluid before and after every track event. or in my fd's case once a year cause its not track ready yet (it will be soon )

[userid]

How much would it cost if i bring it out to the shop and get them brakes bleed?? The car brake is pretty soft right now, not sure if i should drive it anywhere though

[azn akira]

i have no idea, i've always done it myself. im guessing probably an hour of labor at the most.

[ghost]

my dads a mechanic and he says the minimum would be 49.95 depending on the car

but that also depends on where you go as well

[KeN VeRsUs RyU]

If you can change your brake pads you can change your brake fluid.

[userid]

I think i just royally screwed myself...I broke off the bleed screw and half of its is still stuck inside the caliper. Does this mean I need new caliper? If I do, how much would one cost?

[azn akira]

how the hell did you do that? take it to a machine shop they will be able to get it out. worst case they will have to tap a new thread. to keep your brake fluid from leaking out while you have the caliper off, find something to depress the brake pedal just a little bit. just enough to move the piston a little. that will make it so once the caliper is off all the brake fluid wont leak out, creating massive amounts of air in the system. regardless you should flush your entire system with new fluid when you get the caliper back on.

[userid]

I looked it up, a new caliper is 70 bucks,

linky

I don't know any machine shop around my place. This pissed me off, I was just applying a little pressure because it was stuck.

[azn akira]

you should have sprayed it with some liquid wrench first. you must have applied more than a little pressure to break it. umm just look in the yellow pages for a machine shop, or go to an auto repair place