Congratulations for being the only man on RUclips who can explain how to bleed brakes in plain and simple English. Great video mate, very concise. All the best 👍
This is a very nice and straightforward tutorial, the only thing I would have mentioned is to pump the brake a few times to build pressure before driving, as you may not have full brake pressure right away after bleeding, and won't be able to stop quickly. Thanks for the video!
You're 100% correct on this, and I forgot to mention about pumping brakes. Its become so habitual for me to check for firm brake pedal after doing any type of brake service.
Yep but also make sure when pressing it that you dont press it all the way down right away.. and just do half presses to build the pressure back faster.
Very helpful, I like the way you explain WHY you are doing things. As Bob said - clear and concise - good information and no wasted time. Thanks for putting this together for us.
Must have been an older truck with a carburetor. Removing spark plugs and blowing air into the cylinders to get the fuel out usually does the trick. On fuel injected vehicles, you can crank the vehicle with the gas pedal all the way down. This engages whats known as "Clear Flood Mode" and it will disable the fuel injectors to circulate air in the cylinders.
So I see plenty of air coming through that hose. I know it’s not coming from inside the brake system. Is there any concern of air being introduced to the system via the bleeder?
The air is not coming from the system. So, there shouldn't be any concern for that except that if your system already has air in it, you'll have a hard time getting air out of it because the brake bleeder is not sealed to suck the air from the system.
No concern at all, the air bubbles are coming from the threads of the bleeder valve. Its difficult to get air into the system this way unless you force air in via pressure.
It's advised to always close it but people keep it open to make sure that they still have fluid while bleeding the brakes. It's also advised to lift the vacuum pump higher than the plastic bottle because if you don't, the fluid being sucked will enter the hand pump and break it. It's also advised to keep the line going to the bleeder at higher height than the bleeder screw so that air in the system comes out more than fluid. Another thing that he missed is to test the connection to the bleeder to make sure that no air is entering from that connection. You can simply pump and watch the pressure. If there's no leak, the needle shouldn't go down until you open the bleeder. If there's a leak, the needle will start going down and then you'll need to find a way to stop the leakage with some sealant or a zip tie depending on where the leak is(zip tie works best if the leakage is on the 90 degree connector. Sealant works best if the bleeder screw has a leakage at the connection with the caliper).
Yes it wasn't that dirty but the idea is to change out your fluids before they get dirty/contaminated. Following manufacturer service intervals really pays of in terms of longevity of a vehicle.
You are right on point because contaminated brake fluid will mess up the sensor in an ABS and some of those ABS specially the hybrid vehicle and electric vehicles cost an arm and a leg, one example is Tahoe hybrid with used ABS from eBay a whooping 1000 dollars. You can’t even buy new ones since manufacturing has stopped on them ABS actuators .I own an EV/ HEV repair shop and I always stress how important periodic brake fluid change to prolong life of the ABS system. Sometimes a fresh fluid change can reverse an ABS system that has started throwing codes. Sometimes moisture in the fluid causes sensor to go haywire. Luckily though they operate on very low current nothing gets fried
@@petersonautorepair My fj cruiser says you need to use a diagnostic tool to bleed the MC if the MC is empty or a line removed, or very low. Any thoughts?
It's much better to reverse bleed the brake lines because air bubbles always want to escape by rising to the high point which is the master cylinder reservoir. Follow this up by doing a 1 person blessing by opening the bleeder valve and pushing down on brake pedal forcing the fluid down into a bottle that has new brake fluid in the bottle so when you release the brake pedal the hose can only suck up the fluid. The air bubbles will escape on the bottle of fluid by rising when you push down on the brake pedal.
If you're only removing the brake fluid from the reservoir and refilling it, you will not need to bleed the brakes. Do not press the brake pedal at all during this process otherwise you could introduce air into the brake system. Thank you for watching!
Its been a year. Given the amounts of fluid removed, I would leave it off....make note of the level before you siphon the reservoir.... Its important due to pad wear. If it's, low and you fill it and someone pushes the pistons back later it could over flow....
I once flushed the brake lines of a '95 Ford Contour I had until 2015, but I did it a bit differently. I emptied out as much of the old fluid from the reservoir first, as in the prescribed method, but then, before I added new fluid, I bled out the old fluid from the lines until the entire system was as bone-dry as I could make it. Then, I added new fluid into the reservoir and bled it on through the lines until all the air was gone. I did it that way because I didn't want any of the new fluid to accidentally mix with the old, even a little bit. They are different densities by that point and I didn't know how visible the boundary between the new and old fluids would be. So I thought leaving an air gap between the new and old fluid in the beginning and bleeding it on through, would ultimately be safer. What's your take on this?
You were lucky that you didn't end up breaking your brake system. Air is not just bad for braking. It also creates moisture and corrosion. Emptying the whole braking system means that you opened your system to full air access and no matter how well you bled your brakes, there are parts that will still keep air pockets and damage your system in the long run. It's way safer to have old brake fluid in small quantity in the braking system than having countless air trapped with new brake fluid.
It will not make a difference since gravity will pull fluid out of the brake reservoir naturally since its at a higher point than the bleeder valves. The vacuum pump expedites the process
The bubbles (in this video) are coming from the relatively loose connection of the hose to the nipple, because it's easier to draw air around the nipple than hydraulic fluid through the brake line. Air can also be drawn in around the nipple threads if they're not well sealed. To answer your question, and if you really want to be sure, remove the wheel and use a spring clamp on the hose to nipple connection to prevent any leakage around that joint. If you're still getting air bubbles, remove the nipple and wrap some layers of teflon tape around the threads before reinserting it in the caliper. :o)
Don’t remove all break fluid out of the master cylinder. I would remove up to low line, top it off and then do the rest of it at the wheels while checking the fluid level. If you remove all the break fluid out of the master cylinder as per video you will never stop chasing the air bubbles unless you remove the master cylinder and bench bleed that first before bleeding at the wheels. Ask me how I know lol. Teflon tape around the bleeder or not sealed connection on the bleeder makes sense. But do not remove all the break fluid at the master cylinder and let it go dry to begin with.
The only note I would add... When you start, make a dot on the master cylinder reservoir as to the level... When you're done that's where you want to be filled at. Too much and it's possible at the next brake change to push excess fluid up and out of that plastic resevoir
I used 4 uncles vacuumed pümp to bleed my brakes in my 2019 glc 300 there was so much air coming from the Threads I couldn’t tell if the lines were air free or not and the fluid was not dirty enouph to tell it was totally new fluid, so did what I could and after I thought it was done took it out and the brakes worked fine but not sure on air in line or completely new fluid.
Yeah it can be a little confusing. There will always be air during a vacuum bleed as the air will leak through the threads of the bleeder valve. I am typically looking for large amounts of air, but it usually can bleed out pretty quick. Even if there are small bubbles in the bleeder line after bleeding out 4-6 oz of fluid I can be sure that I circulated enough in the system to get the air out. This is assuming there are no other problems in the brake system. Since this vehicle was bled per maintenance, there wasn't any air in the brake system in the first place.
Great information. I bought a 1991 Camaro RS in 2021 with 28,972 miles and everything is original including it's brake fluid. Using that calculation it would mean my fluid is now 30% water. Ouch.
ABS module bleeding requires the use of a bidirectional scantool. These usually start at around $1500 and isn't something that most people have lying around. I can create videos on this topic, however, it will be scantool specific
The air bubbles are coming from the threads of the bleeder valve. Since gravity naturally forces fluid through the system, its difficult to get air into the system unless force air pressure into the bleeder valve.
Was planning to do the brakes on my car, and change the brake fluid but I can only do this from a layby. Doing one side at a time, when doing the brake fluid can I change it one side at a time or must stick with the sequence.
@@MOE13576 I left it open, and i just has a water bottle hang on the wheel and press the brake to get all the old fluid out, it is that simple and easy. just make sure you refill more fluid to keep the level.
@@outdooralchemist thanks I did the same method like 2 months ago I can't remember if I had the cap on or off..I have to do it again because it didn't work (typical with c1500 trucks)..this time I'm using a pump.
replaced clutch master cylinder & slave on wife's car, the THE BRAKE & CLUTCH SHARE THE SAME RESERVOIR after bleeding the clutch cylinder the clutch pedal is hard now, will bleeding brakes need to be done? any help is appreciated.
Hey I know this is an old video but can somebody help me with a question can I start at any wheel of do I have to do the same pattern start at back and work your way around
Start with the further from the master cylinder and work your way to the closest. Each manufacturer has different designs/recommendations on the order, however, if you dont have access to that information try starting on the rears and move up to the front. Sometimes manufacturers will recommend pass front, pass rear, driver rear, then driver front in that order. Just really depends.
Butt when you are bleeding the brake shouldn't there be no air coming out of the bleeder valve before you close off? In this video it seemed like a lot of air was still being vacuumed out. Only asking because I am going to do it soon.
1. the 90degree fitting isn't sitting airtight on the nipple - better use a hose and attach it with a zip-tiser 2. Air is constantly sucked in from the bleederscrews thread 3. My conclusion: vaccum-pump bleeding is confusing, i prefer gravity bleeding when i'm doing it on my own
When doing the reservoir do you completely remove all fluid? My reservoir is very slimy and brown. Would I have to bleed the master cylinder too? I have a fiero.
Yes I empty the reservoir out completely. Its important to fill it back up before doing any bleeding or pumping of the brakes, otherwise you could introduce air into the brake system. If you do this by accident then the master cylinder will need to be bled. I am planning on making a video regarding this topic.
The problem with that system is, you have an uphill battle with air being drawn in through bleeder screws. One way of addressing that is removing screw and adding Teflon specific to petroleum products. The second way is just to replace bleeder screws with Russell speed bleeders.. compression methods are 50 50 % success rate at home. Two person is better..
Thomas - sounds like conflicting replies, but both are right. If you use a vacuum tool like Peterson, you can leave the master Cylinder reservoir cover off - better to keep an eye on the fluid in the reservoir. If you draw all the fluid out, you'll suck air into the brake line with your next pump of the vacuum tool. What Brad is saying is that if you use the old "pump at the pedal" method with one person pushing down the brake pedal and another turning the bleed nipple, the master cylinder will commonly squirt a shot of brake fluid out of the reservoir every time you push down on the pedal. That can make a mess of the engine compartment, to say nothing of the fact that brake fluid can be very corrosive. So using the old method, its best to leave the cap on the reservoir, but keep checking to make sure it has fluid in it. :o)
At 4:42 your wrench is there that you opened the bleeder valve with, at 4:45 it's not. Did you remove it in between for a particular reason? I'm new to some of my own automotive work, wondering why I wouldn't have it left it there to close the valve back.
Typically I leave it there so I don't need to remove the tool from the bleeder valve to reduce brake fluid spillage. It ended up being easier for me to remove the wrench and film it without!
@@petersonautorepair Gotcha, thanks for the video! Gonna give this a shot soon. Been doing some of my own work, saving some cash. You and your colleagues have been a god-send!
@@toddzilla No problem, these videos are fun to make! I enjoy sharing the knowledge, let me know how it goes and if there is anything else you'd like to see on this channel! Thanks again
How can you tell when/if the air is out of the brake lines? With the vacuum pump it seems like air bubbles never go away. (I am flushing out relatively new brake fluid so there isn't a distinct color difference)
The bubbles (in this video) are coming from the relatively loose connection of the hose to the nipple, because it's easier to draw air around the nipple than hydraulic fluid through the brake line. Air can also be drawn in around the nipple threads if they're not well sealed. To answer your question, and if you really want to be sure, remove the wheel and use a spring clamp on the hose to nipple connection to prevent any leakage around that joint. If you're still getting air bubbles, remove the nipple and wrap some layers of teflon tape around the threads before reinserting it in the caliper. :o)
You dont always bleed breaks in this order. If you have anti lock brakes (ABS) you bleed it farthest from the ABS module which controles the fluid directed to each line. You need to bleed the air from the abs module as well and betten the module and the master cylinder otherwise you rintroduce bad fluid, contaminants and air.
People who like to take care of their vehicles and give them the best chance of lasting a long time. We have lots of customers who are on top of maintenance and always want to be sure they are following manufacturers recommendations. The manufacturer designed, engineered, and built the vehicle. They are the ones who will know what to do and when to ensure the vehicle lasts.
@@petersonautorepair Well you obviously don't live in the north east where they spread salt all winter. Either you change calipers or brake lines about every year on most everything. That's when our fluid gets changed. If we want to or not. And It's usually on the crappiest weather day to boot. Still good info though.
@@dcummings7253 You’re correct, I’m located in Texas. However, I spent the first 6 years of my automotive journey in the Chicago area and have plenty of experience with salt/rust. Its basically what I was trained to work on. There we would rinse the underneath of the cars to keep the salt off, works great!
@@petersonautorepair It works for a while. If you can do it often enough. Cars just barely last long enough to get payed off where I live. Like I said good info man. Keep making videos .
Thank you for commenting! If there is air in the master cylinder, then the master cylinder will need to be "bench bled". I can definitely make a video on how to complete this if you're interested!
DOT 3 was the spec for this Lexus. Sure I could have used DOT 4, however, DOT 5 would have destroyed the brake system as its not compatible with DOT 3/4.
@petersonautorepair DOT 4 and 5.1 have been recommended for cars with ABS. DOT 5.1 just has a higher boiling point. How would it destroy the brake system?
Congratulations for being the only man on RUclips who can explain how to bleed brakes in plain and simple English. Great video mate, very concise. All the best 👍
Thank you so much! I got so carried away with working on cars I never uploaded anymore videos, that will change!
Finally, a brake bleeding video from someone with experience, not guesswork.
this kid is sharp, sounds like he knows his stuff, good video mate
I appreciate that!
This is a very nice and straightforward tutorial, the only thing I would have mentioned is to pump the brake a few times to build pressure before driving, as you may not have full brake pressure right away after bleeding, and won't be able to stop quickly. Thanks for the video!
You're 100% correct on this, and I forgot to mention about pumping brakes. Its become so habitual for me to check for firm brake pedal after doing any type of brake service.
Yep but also make sure when pressing it that you dont press it all the way down right away.. and just do half presses to build the pressure back faster.
Should you put the cap on the master cylinder every time for every wheel?
Very helpful, I like the way you explain WHY you are doing things. As Bob said - clear and concise - good information and no wasted time. Thanks for putting this together for us.
This is great feedback, thank you so much for the kind words!
Last time I bled my brakes my wife helped by pumping the pedal, my truck's engine was so flooded with gas it took all afternoon to dry out
Must have been an older truck with a carburetor. Removing spark plugs and blowing air into the cylinders to get the fuel out usually does the trick. On fuel injected vehicles, you can crank the vehicle with the gas pedal all the way down. This engages whats known as "Clear Flood Mode" and it will disable the fuel injectors to circulate air in the cylinders.
So I see plenty of air coming through that hose. I know it’s not coming from inside the brake system. Is there any concern of air being introduced to the system via the bleeder?
The air is not coming from the system. So, there shouldn't be any concern for that except that if your system already has air in it, you'll have a hard time getting air out of it because the brake bleeder is not sealed to suck the air from the system.
No concern at all, the air bubbles are coming from the threads of the bleeder valve. Its difficult to get air into the system this way unless you force air in via pressure.
did you keep reservoir open without cap during the bleeding?
This
It's advised to always close it but people keep it open to make sure that they still have fluid while bleeding the brakes.
It's also advised to lift the vacuum pump higher than the plastic bottle because if you don't, the fluid being sucked will enter the hand pump and break it. It's also advised to keep the line going to the bleeder at higher height than the bleeder screw so that air in the system comes out more than fluid. Another thing that he missed is to test the connection to the bleeder to make sure that no air is entering from that connection. You can simply pump and watch the pressure. If there's no leak, the needle shouldn't go down until you open the bleeder. If there's a leak, the needle will start going down and then you'll need to find a way to stop the leakage with some sealant or a zip tie depending on where the leak is(zip tie works best if the leakage is on the 90 degree connector. Sealant works best if the bleeder screw has a leakage at the connection with the caliper).
Very nice video. That was the cleanest used brake fluid I've ever seen😁😁😁
Yes it wasn't that dirty but the idea is to change out your fluids before they get dirty/contaminated. Following manufacturer service intervals really pays of in terms of longevity of a vehicle.
You are right on point because contaminated brake fluid will mess up the sensor in an ABS and some of those ABS specially the hybrid vehicle and electric vehicles cost an arm and a leg, one example is Tahoe hybrid with used ABS from eBay a whooping 1000 dollars. You can’t even buy new ones since manufacturing has stopped on them ABS actuators .I own an EV/ HEV repair shop and I always stress how important periodic brake fluid change to prolong life of the ABS system. Sometimes a fresh fluid change can reverse an ABS system that has started throwing codes. Sometimes moisture in the fluid causes sensor to go haywire. Luckily though they operate on very low current nothing gets fried
Hey, thanks for making a clear & concise how too on this, I feel confident in my ability to do this myself now!
Absolutely, glad I could help you out!
@@petersonautorepair My fj cruiser says you need to use a diagnostic tool to bleed the MC if the MC is empty or a line removed, or very low.
Any thoughts?
It's much better to reverse bleed the brake lines because air bubbles always want to escape by rising to the high point which is the master cylinder reservoir. Follow this up by doing a 1 person blessing by opening the bleeder valve and pushing down on brake pedal forcing the fluid down into a bottle that has new brake fluid in the bottle so when you release the brake pedal the hose can only suck up the fluid. The air bubbles will escape on the bottle of fluid by rising when you push down on the brake pedal.
Hi Joe, how do you reverse bleed?
Thanks very much for that very concise, informative and fluff-free vid!! Helped a ton!! Thank you!!
You're welcome! Let me know what else you'd like to see!
Great tutorial, straight forward to the point.
good video, question....if I just take off the break oil from the reservoir and just add new break oil ..i have to bleed my breaks also?
If you're only removing the brake fluid from the reservoir and refilling it, you will not need to bleed the brakes. Do not press the brake pedal at all during this process otherwise you could introduce air into the brake system. Thank you for watching!
Reservoir cap on or off
Why is it nobody is answering this very important question 😢
Its been a year. Given the amounts of fluid removed, I would leave it off....make note of the level before you siphon the reservoir.... Its important due to pad wear. If it's, low and you fill it and someone pushes the pistons back later it could over flow....
I once flushed the brake lines of a '95 Ford Contour I had until 2015, but I did it a bit differently. I emptied out as much of the old fluid from the reservoir first, as in the prescribed method, but then, before I added new fluid, I bled out the old fluid from the lines until the entire system was as bone-dry as I could make it. Then, I added new fluid into the reservoir and bled it on through the lines until all the air was gone. I did it that way because I didn't want any of the new fluid to accidentally mix with the old, even a little bit. They are different densities by that point and I didn't know how visible the boundary between the new and old fluids would be. So I thought leaving an air gap between the new and old fluid in the beginning and bleeding it on through, would ultimately be safer. What's your take on this?
You were lucky that you didn't end up breaking your brake system. Air is not just bad for braking. It also creates moisture and corrosion. Emptying the whole braking system means that you opened your system to full air access and no matter how well you bled your brakes, there are parts that will still keep air pockets and damage your system in the long run. It's way safer to have old brake fluid in small quantity in the braking system than having countless air trapped with new brake fluid.
Do you recommend starting a slight vacuum (via the pump) prior to loosening the bleeder valve?
It will not make a difference since gravity will pull fluid out of the brake reservoir naturally since its at a higher point than the bleeder valves. The vacuum pump expedites the process
Great video, detailed instructions. Thanks a lot for sharing!
How do you know if you got all the air out the system if there's constant stream of bubbles?
The bubbles (in this video) are coming from the relatively loose connection of the hose to the nipple, because it's easier to draw air around the nipple than hydraulic fluid through the brake line. Air can also be drawn in around the nipple threads if they're not well sealed. To answer your question, and if you really want to be sure, remove the wheel and use a spring clamp on the hose to nipple connection to prevent any leakage around that joint. If you're still getting air bubbles, remove the nipple and wrap some layers of teflon tape around the threads before reinserting it in the caliper. :o)
Thank you for taking care of this!
I think they just assume based on the fact that the new brake fluid is coming in after some point
Don’t remove all break fluid out of the master cylinder. I would remove up to low line, top it off and then do the rest of it at the wheels while checking the fluid level. If you remove all the break fluid out of the master cylinder as per video you will never stop chasing the air bubbles unless you remove the master cylinder and bench bleed that first before bleeding at the wheels. Ask me how I know lol.
Teflon tape around the bleeder or not sealed connection on the bleeder makes sense. But do not remove all the break fluid at the master cylinder and let it go dry to begin with.
The only note I would add... When you start, make a dot on the master cylinder reservoir as to the level... When you're done that's where you want to be filled at. Too much and it's possible at the next brake change to push excess fluid up and out of that plastic resevoir
Does the car have an ABS system?
I used 4 uncles vacuumed pümp to bleed my brakes in my 2019 glc 300 there was so much air coming from the Threads I couldn’t tell if the lines were air free or not and the fluid was not dirty enouph to tell it was totally new fluid, so did what I could and after I thought it was done took it out and the brakes worked fine but not sure on air in line or completely new fluid.
Yeah it can be a little confusing. There will always be air during a vacuum bleed as the air will leak through the threads of the bleeder valve. I am typically looking for large amounts of air, but it usually can bleed out pretty quick. Even if there are small bubbles in the bleeder line after bleeding out 4-6 oz of fluid I can be sure that I circulated enough in the system to get the air out. This is assuming there are no other problems in the brake system. Since this vehicle was bled per maintenance, there wasn't any air in the brake system in the first place.
Great information. I bought a 1991 Camaro RS in 2021 with 28,972 miles and everything is original including it's brake fluid. Using that calculation it would mean my fluid is now 30% water. Ouch.
Better get to bleeding!
Doing mine soon. Thanks for the video.
After finishing the bleeding process, how do you clean the vacuum pump hose lines ?
just water, no soap no nothing
Thank u for the details on how to do it.
You’re welcome 😊
When i start to pump i need to fill up the reservoir and put the cap tight? or i have to remove the cap
Keep the cap off otherwise u are working against the pressure needing to bleed the brake lines
Clear, concise and good information. Thank you!
You're welcome, glad you enjoyed the video
What about abs module, how do you replace fluid thats inside?
ABS module bleeding requires the use of a bidirectional scantool. These usually start at around $1500 and isn't something that most people have lying around. I can create videos on this topic, however, it will be scantool specific
nice brother thank you
Great explicit video.!! Thanks !!
Glad it was helpful!
Taking the wheel off makes it much more easier
There are many different ways to do the same job :)
What about the air bubbles and getting air in the system? You never mentioned how to avoid that.
The air bubbles are coming from the threads of the bleeder valve. Since gravity naturally forces fluid through the system, its difficult to get air into the system unless force air pressure into the bleeder valve.
Was planning to do the brakes on my car, and change the brake fluid but I can only do this from a layby. Doing one side at a time, when doing the brake fluid can I change it one side at a time or must stick with the sequence.
good video more detail thanks, one quick question, should I keep the brake fluid tank open when I do the bleed?
Same question here..
@@MOE13576 I left it open, and i just has a water bottle hang on the wheel and press the brake to get all the old fluid out, it is that simple and easy. just make sure you refill more fluid to keep the level.
@@outdooralchemist thanks I did the same method like 2 months ago I can't remember if I had the cap on or off..I have to do it again because it didn't work (typical with c1500 trucks)..this time I'm using a pump.
replaced clutch master cylinder & slave on wife's car, the THE BRAKE & CLUTCH SHARE THE SAME RESERVOIR after bleeding the clutch cylinder the clutch pedal is hard now, will bleeding brakes need to be done? any help is appreciated.
Hey I know this is an old video but can somebody help me with a question can I start at any wheel of do I have to do the same pattern start at back and work your way around
Start with the further from the master cylinder and work your way to the closest. Each manufacturer has different designs/recommendations on the order, however, if you dont have access to that information try starting on the rears and move up to the front. Sometimes manufacturers will recommend pass front, pass rear, driver rear, then driver front in that order. Just really depends.
Thank you very much, you were very helpful.
Glad that the video was helpful! Thank you for watching :)
Butt when you are bleeding the brake shouldn't there be no air coming out of the bleeder valve before you close off? In this video it seemed like a lot of air was still being vacuumed out. Only asking because I am going to do it soon.
1. the 90degree fitting isn't sitting airtight on the nipple - better use a hose and attach it with a zip-tiser 2. Air is constantly sucked in from the bleederscrews thread 3. My conclusion: vaccum-pump bleeding is confusing, i prefer gravity bleeding when i'm doing it on my own
When doing the reservoir do you completely remove all fluid? My reservoir is very slimy and brown. Would I have to bleed the master cylinder too? I have a fiero.
Yes I empty the reservoir out completely. Its important to fill it back up before doing any bleeding or pumping of the brakes, otherwise you could introduce air into the brake system. If you do this by accident then the master cylinder will need to be bled. I am planning on making a video regarding this topic.
If the reservoir is slimy install a new one. The reservoir should be pristine.
The problem with that system is, you have an uphill battle with air being drawn in through bleeder screws. One way of addressing that is removing screw and adding Teflon specific to petroleum products. The second way is just to replace bleeder screws with Russell speed bleeders.. compression methods are 50 50 % success rate at home. Two person is better..
KUDOS !!! You are best !!!! Thanks !!!! KEEP GOING!!!! kudos
Did you leave the reservoir cap off or put it back while bleeding the system? You did not say or show.
Leave it off. You'll have to continually fill it throughout the entire process. Do not introduce air into the system.
But do not pump the brake with cap off.
Thomas - sounds like conflicting replies, but both are right.
If you use a vacuum tool like Peterson, you can leave the master Cylinder reservoir cover off - better to keep an eye on the fluid in the reservoir. If you draw all the fluid out, you'll suck air into the brake line with your next pump of the vacuum tool.
What Brad is saying is that if you use the old "pump at the pedal" method with one person pushing down the brake pedal and another turning the bleed nipple, the master cylinder will commonly squirt a shot of brake fluid out of the reservoir every time you push down on the pedal. That can make a mess of the engine compartment, to say nothing of the fact that brake fluid can be very corrosive. So using the old method, its best to leave the cap on the reservoir, but keep checking to make sure it has fluid in it. :o)
Thank you again for the awesome reply/description Jon!
Thank you sir.
I’ve always heard to start with caliper closest to master cylinder.
At 4:42 your wrench is there that you opened the bleeder valve with, at 4:45 it's not. Did you remove it in between for a particular reason? I'm new to some of my own automotive work, wondering why I wouldn't have it left it there to close the valve back.
Typically I leave it there so I don't need to remove the tool from the bleeder valve to reduce brake fluid spillage. It ended up being easier for me to remove the wrench and film it without!
@@petersonautorepair Gotcha, thanks for the video! Gonna give this a shot soon. Been doing some of my own work, saving some cash. You and your colleagues have been a god-send!
@@toddzilla No problem, these videos are fun to make! I enjoy sharing the knowledge, let me know how it goes and if there is anything else you'd like to see on this channel! Thanks again
DONT use a box wrench! All brake fittings need a flare wrench to avoid stripping!
@@donwadd9143 6 point box end wrench is perfect for bleeder screws. Flare wrenches are weak and can spread open, rounding off the hex.
Well done video.
Good Job!! Nice info.
Glad you enjoyed it, thanks for watching!
How can you tell when/if the air is out of the brake lines? With the vacuum pump it seems like air bubbles never go away. (I am flushing out relatively new brake fluid so there isn't a distinct color difference)
The bubbles (in this video) are coming from the relatively loose connection of the hose to the nipple, because it's easier to draw air around the nipple than hydraulic fluid through the brake line. Air can also be drawn in around the nipple threads if they're not well sealed. To answer your question, and if you really want to be sure, remove the wheel and use a spring clamp on the hose to nipple connection to prevent any leakage around that joint. If you're still getting air bubbles, remove the nipple and wrap some layers of teflon tape around the threads before reinserting it in the caliper. :o)
@@jonganzer7478 thank you!
Thanks for taking care of this!!!
@@jonganzer7478 So are you saying he only knew the air was bled because the new brake fluid started coming in?
@@jonganzer7478 Teflon tapes anywhere near brake fluid is definite No, No, No - i was told!
You dont always bleed breaks in this order. If you have anti lock brakes (ABS) you bleed it farthest from the ABS module which controles the fluid directed to each line. You need to bleed the air from the abs module as well and betten the module and the master cylinder otherwise you rintroduce bad fluid, contaminants and air.
What brand brake bleeder did you buy?
Thanks for sharing 🙏🏿
Nice informative video, I subscribed Thanks.
No compressor needed?
Thank you really helpful
Engine on or off ? Never used a hand bleeder before
Engine off :)
nice job
Nobody changes brake fluid at manufactures recommended times who does that?? Other then that info on the tool is good.
People who like to take care of their vehicles and give them the best chance of lasting a long time. We have lots of customers who are on top of maintenance and always want to be sure they are following manufacturers recommendations. The manufacturer designed, engineered, and built the vehicle. They are the ones who will know what to do and when to ensure the vehicle lasts.
@@petersonautorepair Well you obviously don't live in the north east where they spread salt all winter. Either you change calipers or brake lines about every year on most everything. That's when our fluid gets changed. If we want to or not. And It's usually on the crappiest weather day to boot. Still good info though.
@@dcummings7253 You’re correct, I’m located in Texas. However, I spent the first 6 years of my automotive journey in the Chicago area and have plenty of experience with salt/rust. Its basically what I was trained to work on. There we would rinse the underneath of the cars to keep the salt off, works great!
@@petersonautorepair It works for a while. If you can do it often enough. Cars just barely last long enough to get payed off where I live. Like I said good info man. Keep making videos .
Good video
Should you push in the brake piston to empty the old fluid from the caliper too?
Will a vacuum bleed pull air out of a master cylinder?
Thank you for commenting! If there is air in the master cylinder, then the master cylinder will need to be "bench bled". I can definitely make a video on how to complete this if you're interested!
@@petersonautorepair How you would know if there is air in the master cylinder ? That's something I never heard of - Bench bled -
The tools no so help full, cause still keep the air inside, there is more better just star the engine & press the break to pump out the old oil.
No need to pump the brakes during the bleed?
No need as we are using a vacuum pump to draw out the brake fluid. The brake pumping method is used when no vacuum pump is available.
@@petersonautorepair Thanks for the quick reply and helpful video!
Nice 👍
How do we know you succeeded, you didn't show the test drive.
Trying to build the suspense ;)
Dot 3....really? Why not dot 4 or 5? On a lexus
DOT 3 was the spec for this Lexus. Sure I could have used DOT 4, however, DOT 5 would have destroyed the brake system as its not compatible with DOT 3/4.
@petersonautorepair DOT 4 and 5.1 have been recommended for cars with ABS. DOT 5.1 just has a higher boiling point. How would it destroy the brake system?
@timoklap Because DOT 5 is silicone based and DOT 3, 4, and 5.1 are all glycol based. DOT 5 is not compatible with any of those 3 brake fluids
This guy is handsome
Thank you for your comment!
I'm a stickler for detail you forgot to say you put the jack stand on his car after you jacked it up. It's my OCD sry..
HyGroscopic
I bought a cheep one was not worth the package.
Sub
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Ok Thanks
No problem
removing the wheel makes it sooooo much easier
You leave the reservoir cap on or off to do this?
Off boss