Changing Brake Fluid Video

[chevyaz]

This is for all forum Members I followed this video when I changed my brake fluid on my 1994 GMC truck and it was very simple to change it took me about 90 min to complete the whole thing. No problem at all. so save yourself 50.00 bucks and get dirty.

Topic

[EricTheCarGuy]

I’m glad to hear the video helped you. That’s exactly what I was hoping to do when I started ETCG.

[Joshua]

in watching your video, i was wondering my vehicle has ABS, is there anything different that i have to do from a non-ABS to a ABS? i didn’t know if your Subaru had ABS when doing this. and wouldn’t you be putting air in the lines by just attaching the hose to the bleeder and opening it? thanks im wanting to do this on a 2001 Honda CR-V and my wife’s 1995 Chrysler town and country.

[Steve W.]

As long as you make 100% sure you get no air in the system by letting the MC get low the ABS won’t be a problem. If you get air in the system then you may need a scan tool to cycle the ABS to remove the air. As for getting air in the system by opening the bleeders. Not very easy to do unless you apply air pressure to the bleeders. The way they operate keeps air out as long as you keep the reservoir full at the master cylinder.

[EricTheCarGuy]

[quote=”jjager85″ post=57390]in watching your video, i was wondering my vehicle has ABS, is there anything different that i have to do from a non-ABS to a ABS? i didn’t know if your Subaru had ABS when doing this. and wouldn’t you be putting air in the lines by just attaching the hose to the bleeder and opening it? thanks im wanting to do this on a 2001 Honda CR-V and my wife’s 1995 Chrysler town and country.[/quote]

My Subaru does have ABS. As for changing the fluid in an ABS system, ignore the ABS. Just be sure not to run the master cylinder dry and you’ll be fine. You only need to worry about the ABS if you’re servicing the ABS system. Also, do not bleed directly at the ABS unit, that’s only for servicing it. If you’re just changing the brake fluid do it just like in the video and you should be fine.

[Veiko]

Hello Eric.

Some user here told that you have video about bleeding brakes with broken bleeding valve?
https://ericthecarguy.com/forum/8-Service-and-Repair-Questions-Answered-Here/44281-is-it-necessary-to-replace-a-broken-bleeder-valve#54774

Is this video still available and how its called?
I have front right bleeder broken in my caliper and i need to bleed it. Because i rebuilt my caliper.
Dont want to buy new caliper and / or bleeder yet. If i could bleed this one like it is atm i would be happy.

Also in this video about brake fluid change you say somewhere in the middle that if its broken, dont bother with fixing it etc..
“Just crack the line.”

So how to bleed it properly? I cant close the bolt so quickly, while pressing pedal and tightening the bolt. And if i get to it, it already sucks the air in again.

[EricTheCarGuy]

[quote=”venge” post=65943]Hello Eric.

Some user here told that you have video about bleeding brakes with broken bleeding valve?
https://ericthecarguy.com/forum/8-Service-and-Repair-Questions-Answered-Here/44281-is-it-necessary-to-replace-a-broken-bleeder-valve#54774

Is this video still available and how its called?
I have front right bleeder broken in my caliper and i need to bleed it. Because i rebuilt my caliper.
Dont want to buy new caliper and / or bleeder yet. If i could bleed this one like it is atm i would be happy.

Also in this video about brake fluid change you say somewhere in the middle that if its broken, dont bother with fixing it etc..
“Just crack the line.”

So how to bleed it properly? I cant close the bolt so quickly, while pressing pedal and tightening the bolt. And if i get to it, it already sucks the air in again.[/quote]

You kind of answered your own question here. As you pointed out just bleed at the brake line instead of the bleeder when you bleed the brakes. It’s best if you have a friend working the brake pedal when you do the bleeding. It will work just as well as with the bleeder.

Good luck.

[Veiko]

Thank You Eric and others for answering.
I found a video and got a great tip from there, use some wood stick between brake pedal and seat. Then open the valve (line). Let the air out and close the line, pump again and press with stick again etc.
I don’t have helper.

If i look into my car factory repair manual it shows that the last one to bleed is front right and this is where i have the broken bleeder. I will do that last. I wanted to use the order you told in the video but i must do it this way because of broken bleeder. I didn’t broke it, sadly somebody else did it before me because he/she didn’t know probably how to deal with rusted bleeders. But i was able to open all the rest 3 bleeders without breaking them, i will replace them and will bleed the system. I will not bother with repairing / drilling. Unless i cant bleed the system this way for some very weird reason..

The reason i am doing this all is that i have rebuilt my calipers, they were sticking a bit.
I already rebuilt the passenger side caliper.

Cleaned up all the components and replaced all the bushings.
For the cleaning i must thank you again Eric, because of the video you made, it was the video where you got some very rusted rear brakes and used a wheel brush disc to clean things up.
Very useful tips in there. I will let you and others know how it went. It will take few days, have to buy some things first, like brake cleaner and new bleeders.

All the best.

[Veiko]

Eric or somebody who knows.

I have bleed my system already 2 times. My factory repair manual book shows exact bleeding order

The order is this (arrow is the front of the car):

< 4 1 < 2 3 Car stops but only when i press my pedal practically to the end, then the car stops. When pressing the brake pedal slowly or when brakes do not apply yet, i hear some "sssss" at the pedal. Sucking air from somewhere? Hoses? Like i said i have bleed 2 times already, im using one man bleeding pipe, it doesnt need a reservoir with brake fluid. I just dont know what to do anymore. Maybe once i let the brake fluid level too low in brake reservoir, maybe it sucked air into it. But at the bleeders i dont see any air in kit hose. I saw once some very small air bubbles. My car repair manual also shows how to bleed master cylinder, it says with helper (friend) its easy procedure. But i havent done this yet. Any ideas what else to do, what to check, what to look? Fluid is new, i already pumped 2 litres of fresh brake fluid thorough the system Manual says i have to start the engine (idle) and then bleed the system in order above. 2 times i have bleed but still pedal goes to the floor practically, before brakes apply. This is all when idling or driving when engine runs. I dont have ABS, if that matters. When engine is stopped then brake pedal goes hard after 1-2 hits, i mean it doesn't "fall" through the floor. Rear brake pads are changed in last year, i opened the drums , cleaned up springs, pads so all moves. And yesterday i replaced front brake pads and discs and rebuilt the calipers so all moves freely. EDIT This the way i bleed the system. I use simplest one man brake bleeding kit. Just a hose (pipe) with small thing (one way valve or something) that lets fluid / air go into one direction but not backwards, like diode: like this https://www.bullseyecarparts.co.uk/category/detail/1-tools/1-tools-2-vehicle-service/2-vehicle-service-3-brake-service-tools/3-brake-service-tools-4-brake-bleeding/vizibleed-one-man-brake-bleed-kit

1) Start the engine (idling)
2) I put a wrench on the bleeder
3) Then im connecting the kit hose to the bleeder
4) Then i open the bleeder
5) I pump the pedal, till i dont see any bubbles in hose. Only clear fluid.
6) I close the bleeder screw.

And do that for all the wheels.

Now i have been surfing around and see that im doing this a bit wrong.
Pedal must be under pressure always and then open the bleeders and see if air comes out.

It could be right because i may still have air somewhere in system That doesnt want to come out like this. I have to buy more brake fluid before i try this. i used a wood stick between pedal and front seat when i tried something. I dont remember even what i tried.

Also the kit i have may be faulty. It's old (5-6 years) and was cheapest out there when i bought it. But its second time i bleed with it.

I had front and back hoses opened at same time for few days, when i was rebuilding the calipers etc. I just hope that there just still air inside the system and not that i have to replace the booster or MC. So expensive parts.

Dunno, lots of things

Please, any tips would help.

[BRUCE]

I just had a comment about your brake bleed video. If the bleeder breaks and you bleed from the brake hose at the caliper isn’t there a possibility that there could air left in the caliper being the bleeder is at the top? I once corrected a job where the guy had installed the ft. calipers on opposite sides of the vehicle and with the bleeders at the bottom all the air wasn’t getting out. After correcting this and bleeding them out the pedal was perfect! I’m used to working by myself so I gravity bleed and it works great but I also use the hose method if the fluid won’t run.

[Veiko]

What to do then? The hose comes from the top and connects to the side of the caliper.
Yes bleeder is at the top of the hose. Hose is below the bleeder.

Tomorrow i will try the other method, i just dont have enough fluid to do it atm. I mean the 2 person method. Using a wood stick or something between pedal and seat and then opening the bleeders.

But what about the caliper with broken bleeder? Gravity method you say..
I have read about it. I guess i will try this on that broken one.

Like i said, i really hope that it’s just air in system.
I have inspection coming in august and brakes must work perfectly.

I would be very happy if i could get my “hard pedal” back after i bleed again.
If i have to buy new MC or brake booster then my vacation is ruined.

EDIT: i had a little of brake fluid left and decided to take a try today. But again after doing 3 wheels i realized i did it wrong way again: opened the bleeder, put the hose to bleeder and other end into bottle with some fluid, pumped the brakes 4-7 times (didnt count) put a stick between pedal and seat until i didnt see any bubbles (there was still (again) some air bubbles coming out) and closed the bleeder.

But i wanted to pump the pedal, put a stick between seat and pedal and open the valve. Until i dont see any bubbles. This way i can see the bubbles myself also, i dont have to run around the car.

Anyways, please give some more suggestions, what you would do, what you would try.
You are experienced mechanics here.
Tomorrow i will continue.

Btw, my repair manual has a 3 step brake booster operating test instructions. I did the steps in my car and like manual says, if i pass all three, then booster performance is satisfactory.
So it is.

But after this wrong bleeding i did and testing, it seems brakes got better.
Pedal still falls almost to the floor but it seems a little bit less now and i really feel the brakes are alot better.
I skipped the wheel with broken bleeder.

Hoping for the best

[EricTheCarGuy]

[quote=”bruce8492″ post=66349]I just had a comment about your brake bleed video. If the bleeder breaks and you bleed from the brake hose at the caliper isn’t there a possibility that there could air left in the caliper being the bleeder is at the top? I once corrected a job where the guy had installed the ft. calipers on opposite sides of the vehicle and with the bleeders at the bottom all the air wasn’t getting out. After correcting this and bleeding them out the pedal was perfect! I’m used to working by myself so I gravity bleed and it works great but I also use the hose method if the fluid won’t run.[/quote]

I’ve done it, it works. You just need to give it a try. Trust me, it’s a heck of a lot easier than messing with a broken bleeder.

[Joshua]

i did what was shown on my 2001 Honda CR-V, the fluid was a little dirty and i just got the air aqua-tubing from wal-mart then went and got some bigger tubing to slip over that to fit on the bleeders.

Is this still a good idea if the fluid is really really dirty? what about the dirt getting into the calipers?

thanks for your video ETCG!

[Bad_dude]

So my rear driver’s side drum, when I crack the bleeder screw, as I pump, it draws air back into the threaded area. How do I fix that? Replace the screw? How do I get around that?
Thanks.

[EricTheCarGuy]

[quote=”Bad_dude” post=70851]So my rear driver’s side drum, when I crack the bleeder screw, as I pump, it draws air back into the threaded area. How do I fix that? Replace the screw? How do I get around that?
Thanks.[/quote]

Remove the bleeder, put a small amount of grease on the threads and put it back in. That should cure the problem. Don’t use too much grease thought as you don’t want to contaminate the fluid.

[Bad_dude]

I don’t suppose use your favorite 3M silicone?

[Author]

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