How to Bleed Your Brakes Like a Pro

The car braking system is a crucially important part of a car. It is not so important how fast your car accelerates if it cannot stop after that.

There is no need to explain that it is necessary to keep the braking system in working order. At every hint of deterioration in braking force, you should contact the service or independently carry out diagnostics and troubleshooting.

Today we decided to consider exactly the self-pumping of the brake system. What you need:

• Brake fluid - A high-quality product that provides effective braking to your vehicle.

The brake fluid must have the following properties:

• meets and exceeds SAE J-1703 specifications;
• excellent force transfer, low compressibility;
• not aggressive to rubber parts prevents corrosion of metal elements of the brake system;
• has a stable viscosity at low and high temperatures;
• has a high boiling point of 222 °C;
• suitable for the disc, drum, and other braking systems, including those with ABS;
• compatible with all DOT3 brake fluids.
• Special open-end wrench.
• Rubber tube.
• Glass or plastic bottle.
• Partner

What do you need to do?

The pumping process usually takes place in two stages:

1. You must determine the liquid that your car needs.
2. Directly the pumping process.

Now let's talk about each of these stages in more detail.

Stage 1.

First of all, you need to determine the type of brake fluid that is poured into your car’s system. If the fluid is unsuitable, the parts of your brakes or the whole system may be damaged and not function properly. DOT stands for United States Department of Transportation. It was the Americans who were the first to propose the parameters for the classification of brake fluid. World concerns did not oppose this initiative, and subsequently, all classes of brake fluids began to bear the name DOT. Now there are 4 classes of brake fluid: DOT-3, DOT-4, DOT-5, DOT-5.1 (ABS). The composition of these liquids is almost the same. It includes polyesters and glycols; this allows fluid interchange and mixing, but there are a number of differences.

IMPORTANT! If you need to mix different fluid types, namely DOT-3 and DOT-4, add the higher grade fluid to the lower grade. That is, if the system is filled with DOT-3, then you can add DOT-4.

If you do not have a service book from your car, you can find out the type of brake fluid by looking at the filler cap of the brake master cylinder. The lid will say something like: USE ONLY DOT3.

Stage 2.

To start work, one of the partners must go down under the car, and the other gets behind the wheel. Use a spanner wrench to loosen the tightening of the bleed fitting. Then, put a hose on the fitting, and immerse its free end in a container partially filled with working fluid. The assistant must vigorously press the brake pedal all the way to the stop 4-5 times and keep it pressed.

In this case, liquid with air bubbles will flow out of the hose, and the brake pedal will go forward. As soon as the liquid stops flowing out of the hose (in this case, the brake pedal should reach the stop), we wrap the fitting, and only after that, the assistant can release the pedal.

You need to repeat the pumping until the liquid coming out of the hose becomes light.

Then, remove the hose, wipe dry the bleed nipple and put a protective cap on it. Similarly, bleed the brakes of the remaining circuits.

When pumping, you need to monitor the fluid level in the tank and add fluid. After pumping, we bring the fluid level in the brake hydraulic reservoir to normal. After finishing pumping, don’t forget to close all covers and put covers on the fittings.

IMPORTANT! Start the car before starting the operation so as not to damage the vacuum brake booster.

For vehicles with ABS, it is recommended to disable it by removing the fuse from the appropriate block.

How To Bleed Your Brakes Like A Pro FAQ

• Why is brake bleeding needed?

When disassembling the elements of the brake system, air enters it, which causes a pressure release. As a result, the brake pedal appears "dead", and the braking quality is significantly impaired. Driving such a car becomes unsafe.

• When do you need to bleed the brakes?

We recommend carrying out the procedure as planned, every two years or 50-60 thousand kilometers. In addition, the brake system must always be bled after repairs or a replacement of the following car brakes parts:

1. Replacing the brake pads;

2. Replacement or grooving of brake discs;

3. Replacing the brake hoses;

4. Service pistons calipers;

5. Service of the main brake cylinder.

If you are looking for these spare parts now, visit our website, where you will find any parts for your car.

• In what order do you need to bleed the brakes on the car?

The procedure for bleeding the brake system depends on the location of the master brake cylinder.

For left-hand drive vehicles:

1. Right rear
2. Left rear
3. Left front
4. Right front

For right-hand drive vehicles:

1. Left rear
2. Right rear
3. Left front
4. Right front

For vehicles with brake force distribution valve:

1. Left rear
2. Right rear
3. Brake force distribution valve
4. Left front
5. Right front

• How much does it take to bleed the brake fluid?

Basically, the brake system contains from 0.55 to 1.0 liters of fluid, it depends both on whether the car has an ABS system and on the size of the car. The period of replacement of brake fluid in most cars is 2-3 years of use or 40-60 thousand mileage.