DIY brake bleeding?
10-08-09, 11:48 PM
#2
Well if you do it right while changing brakes, you usually dont need to 
You DO pinch off the brake line before you press the piston back in right? Also, I believe I remember seeing a plug for the caliper that allows you to bleed it with ease by yourself.
(I just re read your post, my answer is a little on a tangent
)
You DO pinch off the brake line before you press the piston back in right? Also, I believe I remember seeing a plug for the caliper that allows you to bleed it with ease by yourself.(I just re read your post, my answer is a little on a tangent
)
10-09-09, 08:15 AM
#4
Driver
You can do it, but you need a friend to help, not a one man job.
Front: Do it like you would on a normal vehicle: pump, hold, bleed.
Rear: Have someone at the rear bleeder screw. Turn the vehicle to the on position, apply the brakes with steady pressure, do not hold it all the way to the floor. Then have the person at the rear loosen the bleeder screw and bleed while the person inside the vehicle keeps pressure on the pedal. The ABS pump will do the work for you.
***Make sure you have a bottle of brake fluid inverted into the reservoir when you do this, the pump can evacuate a large amount of fluid quite quickly.
****If you are unsure then take it to the dealer and they can do it with a scan tool, expect to pay for 2 hours labor. It takes that long to do it properly, and it is the best way to do it(hint,hint). The dealer bleeds each line separately by actuating the pumps in order to avoid trapping air in the lines. Something that happens pretty easily whrn you do it by hand.
Front: Do it like you would on a normal vehicle: pump, hold, bleed.
Rear: Have someone at the rear bleeder screw. Turn the vehicle to the on position, apply the brakes with steady pressure, do not hold it all the way to the floor. Then have the person at the rear loosen the bleeder screw and bleed while the person inside the vehicle keeps pressure on the pedal. The ABS pump will do the work for you.
***Make sure you have a bottle of brake fluid inverted into the reservoir when you do this, the pump can evacuate a large amount of fluid quite quickly.
****If you are unsure then take it to the dealer and they can do it with a scan tool, expect to pay for 2 hours labor. It takes that long to do it properly, and it is the best way to do it(hint,hint). The dealer bleeds each line separately by actuating the pumps in order to avoid trapping air in the lines. Something that happens pretty easily whrn you do it by hand.
10-09-09, 09:22 AM
#6
I'd say it's the same as on most other cars, with one exception. You have to have the ignition on, or else the fluid won't flow. Took me forever to figure that out, but once I did, it was a breeze.
I would never pinch a brake line when retracting a caliper - I crack open the bleeder screw and let the "extra" fluid drain out through it.
Leon
I would never pinch a brake line when retracting a caliper - I crack open the bleeder screw and let the "extra" fluid drain out through it.
Leon
10-09-09, 09:44 AM
#7
start from rear passenger, then rear driver, the front passenger, then the front driver corner.
for the rears, turn key ignition to "on" position, car doesnt have to be running, just power to the brake distribution system. 1 person in the car, press the brake pedal. person at the back brake releases the brake bleeder screw. for the rears, u dont need to pump the brakes, just 1 press, and the brake pump will pump fluid out. keep an eye until the brake fluid is clear and no air bubbles. do the same to the other rear brake corner.
w/ engine off and key out, for the fronts, 1 person in the car, pump the brakes 3 times, then hold steady pressure on the brake pedal. other person opens the bleeder screw, and let the fluid drain out of the bleeder screw until the person in the car can feel the brake pedal has hit the floor. keep pressure on the brake pedal. close the bleeder screw back up. repeat process 4-5 times until fluid is clear, and no air bubbles.
make sure to top off brake fluid, but u should be ok, just keep an eye on the resevoir after every brake corner has been done. the resevoir on the GS is pretty big.
the point is to see clear fluid drain out and no air bubbles in the line.
for the rears, turn key ignition to "on" position, car doesnt have to be running, just power to the brake distribution system. 1 person in the car, press the brake pedal. person at the back brake releases the brake bleeder screw. for the rears, u dont need to pump the brakes, just 1 press, and the brake pump will pump fluid out. keep an eye until the brake fluid is clear and no air bubbles. do the same to the other rear brake corner.
w/ engine off and key out, for the fronts, 1 person in the car, pump the brakes 3 times, then hold steady pressure on the brake pedal. other person opens the bleeder screw, and let the fluid drain out of the bleeder screw until the person in the car can feel the brake pedal has hit the floor. keep pressure on the brake pedal. close the bleeder screw back up. repeat process 4-5 times until fluid is clear, and no air bubbles.
make sure to top off brake fluid, but u should be ok, just keep an eye on the resevoir after every brake corner has been done. the resevoir on the GS is pretty big.
the point is to see clear fluid drain out and no air bubbles in the line.
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10-09-09, 11:15 AM
#10
no comment... and I'm not talking about the steel lines, I'm talking the rubber one behind the caliper. Look up ANY write up on how to change brakes and its shows how and why and what damage that COULD happen. I've NEVER done the pinching before till recently. I've never had a problem with not pinching, but what I've found out that could happen is just not worth it...
I wont go into it any further. as to create an argument/discussion. and why you say "another" joke. Did I misrepresent something in the past?
I wont go into it any further. as to create an argument/discussion. and why you say "another" joke. Did I misrepresent something in the past?
Last edited by Mr Jokster; 10-09-09 at 11:19 AM.
10-09-09, 06:25 PM
#11
If you are unsure then take it to the dealer and they can do it with a scan tool, expect to pay for 2 hours labor. It takes that long to do it properly, and it is the best way to do it(hint,hint). The dealer bleeds each line separately by actuating the pumps in order to avoid trapping air in the lines. Something that happens pretty easily whrn you do it by hand.
"Do it right, do it once."
10-09-09, 07:02 PM
#12
From what I have searched on this forum. One member regretted bring his car to the dealership for a brake fluid change or flush however you want to call it. He responded, "All they did was just sucked out the brake fluid from the reservior with a machine and filled it up with new brake fluid and that's it". That's why his brake pedal feels soft and not hard. And that was his rant about that. According to "ALLDATA" you are suppose to use a scanner from Toyota/Lexus which is MasterTech I believe. And let the scanner do the job. There is a regulator (I think that's what it is) where you can switch to rears and to fronts. You would select one and bleed one side and to another. Needless to say, I just wanted to see has anyone done a DIY on brake bleeding themselves would like to share what worked for them.
10-09-09, 07:07 PM
#13
I also heard people saying that you can bleed the rears by turn the key to on and push once and hold the brake pedal and let the abs motor do the work. But wouldn't it burn the motor? And as for the fronts you just take out the key and bleed it normally like any other car. True?
