How to Bleed Brakes
Brakes that properly function are very important to any automobile, so every time yours start to feel spongy, there’s one thing you can do: bleed them. Bleeding brakes assures that they stay refreshed and reliable all the time. Here’s the right way to do it.
What You’ll Need:
Car
Clear plastic tubing
Spacer (such as a 1 x 4 piece of lumber)
Old turkey baster
Two 8-ounce can of brake fluid
Box wrench
Clear plastic bottle
A helper
Eye goggles
Rag
Procedure:
Locate the master cylinder reservoir of your vehicle and remove the reservoir’s top.
Get an old turkey baster, one that you don’t use anymore. Put it in the reservoir and suck out the dark fluid, as much as you can.
After most of the fluid has been sucked out, use the rag to clean sediments from the reservoir. The rag should be clean and lint-free
Fill your master cylinder with the clean brake fluid. When you’re done, put back its lid.
Pump the car’s brake pedal a few times, at least 15 times or more.
Get your box wrench, making sure it fits the bleeder bolt. Carefully loosen the bleeder valves, but leave them closed. One tip: if the valves are very tightly screwed, loosen them by putting some penetrating oil on them the day before.
Get the clear plastic tubing, and push one end of it over the brake bleeder bolt. As for the other end, put it into a clear plastic bottle. Put in some clear brake fluid in the bottle, at least one or two inches high. This prevents the air from getting sucked back in the brake cylinder.
Get your spacer, and put it under the brake pedal. This will stop it from going too close to the floor.
Take off the master cylinder reservoir’s top, then top it off with fresh fluid. Put back the lid.
Ask your helper to sit in the driver’s seat. At your signal, he or she must depress the brake pedal slowly, using an even force. Tell your assistant to hold it down, and should shout “down” when the pedal is as far down as possible.
Begin with the rear passenger wheel. Turn the bleeder bolt, going to the left a quarter turn. Air and oil fluid will then go down your tubing and into the bottle. As soon as the fluid stops, close the valve.
Say “up” to your helper, a signal that means he or she must remove his or her foot from the pedal, so it can move upwards.
Keep repeating this process, and stop only when you see clear new brake fluid coming from the bleeder tube. Depress the brake pedal five times, topping off the master reservoir with fluid after every time. Don’t allow the reservoir to be too low, or it might be sucked in the master cylinder.
Tighten your bleeder bolt.
Repeat the last five steps on the left right wheel, then on the right front wheel. Finally, do it for the left front wheel.
Some Tips:
Wear safety goggles to protect your eyes. Also, be careful not to spill it on your car’s paint or the paint will be ruined.
Use the brake fluid recommended by your manufacturer. Otherwise, you might encounter brake failure and car damage.
Make sure the wrench is the correct size for the bolt.
Having fresh brake fluid all the time will play a big part in car safety. Just get this task over with soon and you can start driving around again.