In need of a bit of advice guys.

Car is RX450h 2013 - I bled just one of my front brakes as I had to replace a seized caliper and didn't use the Techstream software/procedure. As soon as I started bleeding and turned the car on it said "Brake malfunction", "ABS Malfunction", there is a constant beeping sound when the car is turned on and now the brake pedal is super firm and the car doesn't stop as good as before.

I tested the brakes on a long stretch and now when I brake hard, the car kind of steers to the right (I serviced the left brake caliper). Does that mean that there is still air in the brakes? I bled until there was no air bubbles and didn't leave the brake reservoir go under minimum. Do I need to bleed the same brake again with Techstream attached and erase error codes?

I guess it's worth mentioning that the vehicle had no errors prior to bleeding the brake.

Thank you in advance.

 

You need to bleed it again and maybe a third time and probably also bleed the other front wheel as well. You still have air in the system. Probably in the new caliper itself.
How were you bleeding them? Have you done this before? You don't need Techstream to just get the air out after a brake job. Techstream helps activate and bleed the ABS and Electronic brake force distribution unit.

If doing it by yourself you need to have a vacuum assist to pull the fluid through to do it properly, or do the 2 person method which I do not think works as well.
If you still have issues it is time to have a shop bleed them again so it is done properly. This is too important a safety issue to neglect or have done improperly.

 

The way I bled it was by having a friend pump the brake pedal a few times then hold it down while the engine is on, then I opened the bleeding valve half turn, let it run until there were no bubbles in the fluid, then closed the valve. Topped up the brake fluid (it had gone down to between max and min level) and did the same procedure again just in case. I've ordered Techstream to bleed that brake properly. Do you think I may have damaged anything by bleeding the brakes this way as if there was still air in the system as you say, I would expect the brake pedal to be soft, but now it's very hard.

 

Nothing was damaged. You just need to get the air out of it. I have had instances where I had to bleed the entire vehicle 3 times to get the correct pedal feel and be confident that all the air had been removed.

This MityVac tool will make the job easier and more effective

There are other similar products available in your Country if MityVac is not sold there. I actually use their fluid extractor to pull vacuum and bleed the brakes. They also have a fluid holder that sits on top of the master cylinder so it holds much more fluid and you can bleed more without having to jump up and add more fluid as often.

 

Something odd here. My experience with 2011 RX450H is that there is no need to repeatedly pump the brake pedal. The system is all electric. Just hold down the brake pedal and the system will start pumping the fluid. Just open and close the bleeder valve while the assistant keeps pressure on the brake pedal. Incidentally the brake pump works even with with ignition off.

I did not have a need to bleed for air [I was just flushing old and adding new fluid], but I did observe that the location of the reservoir is near the passenger side. So to bleed the farthest slave would be driver rear.

Mystery part for me ... You may need the service equipment to open all chambers of the ABS module to make the bleeding process quicker, but should not be essential as Clutchless pointed out. Is there a need to reset the warning/lock-up? Out of desperation or without the advanced OBDII reader, one can disconnect the 12v battery in the trunk. Note there can be consequences for disconnecting the 12v [loss of data etc].

Salim

PS: Remember to put a blocking on the floor to limit the foot pedal movement to normal range. If your vehicle is old, you can damage the master cylinder seal.

 

Update-1:

Tried disconnecting the battery, left it off for 10-15 minutes, when I started the vehicle afterwards it stated that it's booting up the system, had to press the start button again in order to actually bring it to the normal "ready" state, but the errors reappeared as soon as I tried to drive. The funny thing is, when I start the car for first time after not driving it for a few hours, the brake pedal feels normal at first, but then as soon as it "realizes" that there are errors, it starts beeping and the pedal gets super firm.

I also called my local Lexus dealer and asked how much they would charge me for the job I did myself (new calliper and sliding pins/shoes) and they said that would cost £800 Don't regret doing it myself even after having those errors..

I've ordered Techstream cable/software but it will arrive in almost 10 days. I'll keep you guys updated.

 

A local independent car repair shop can bleed your brakes as they all (or most) have access to Techstream or similar software to work on the millions of Toyota vehicles they repair. The average price is $120 in Alexandria, Virginia, USA. I think I had Mr. Tire bleed them on my Lexus HS250h last time.

 

Do you have any code reader that can read abs codes? Wonder if the abs sensor or wiring is not functioning (or not put back properly - no offense, but we have no way to know what your skill level is) . Check fuses?

 

I have a Techstream cable/software arriving in around 10 days and will read error codes as soon as it arrives.

I haven't touched anything related to ABS (sensors, fuses etc..) All I did was having my friend press the brake pedal 3-4 times, then hold it down, then I bled the front passenger brake until there were no bubbles in the brake liquid, closed the bleeding valve, topped up the master cylinder and that's about it. Then the errors stating "Brake Malfunction" and "ABS Malfunction" appeared.

 

Don't get into the trap of overthinking this. You replaced the caliper and now have air in the system that must be removed. A proper bleed will take care of it.
End of story.

 

Thanks for the reassurance. Only thing I'm a bit worried about is that hopefully I haven't damaged any ABS/Brake pumps/actuators as we bled the brake with the engine turned on and the brake pedal is now very firm when the car reads the errors after start-up. These parts prices are stellar round here in the UK.

 

I had to take apart my left front caliper cause it was sticking. When i went to bleed brakes i opened Lf bleader a 1/2 turn and had my wife push pedal down slowly air came out at first as usual and then she held pedal and electric brake pump started to run and i let it do this a few times till I saw no air in clear tubing i had hooked up to bleeder. I did same thing to RF and no air. Now brakes work fine but brake malfunction light and buzzer will not shut off. I currently do not have acces to techstream or other obdii tools today. Is there any other way to shut of light and buzzer

 

Bleed them again. You did something wrong. I think it is best done with a vacuum tool that pulls the fluid from each bleeder. Then you can do it by yourself and do not need an unskilled helper who may push the pedal incorrectly. Mightyvac sells a couple of nice ones, that is what I use.
Did you bleed them with the engine on? It is best to bleed them with the engine off. You do not want the pump to activate, that was probably your problem.
Some do it with the ignition in accessory mode.
Is this a 350 or 450h? It makes a difference.
If it is a 450h - take it to a shop. The hybrid system has unique challenges.

 

Quick update in case someone else stumbles upon the same problem. I intentionally didn't report back straight after fixing the car as I wanted some time to pass, but after over a thousand miles, there are no issues and the fix was actually really easy once I got my cable and techstream software installed.

Once I scanned for errors, the only error present was C1342 - Hydraulic System Malfunction (FL). Cleared the error and car was back to normal straight away and hasn't had any issues since.

I'd like to also thank everyone who answered above and tried to help. Safe driving

 

I recently heard from the Car Care Nut YouTube channel that it’s important to not open the drivers door on a Toyota Hybrid while transferring brake fluid as the car will activate the electric brake fluid pump to energize the brakes. This is most likely what caused this issue as you stated there was a helper inside the car and you started the engine during the fluid transfer.

Im glad Techstream was able to help you clear the error code and get you back on the road safely.