What is the best way to go about this? Google is awash with conflicting advice (as usual) on the merits of either 2 person methods or vacuum methods.
I would really like some advice from someone who knows....
Sorry in advance if I have missed any posts or a "how to" on the subject
Thanks
Paul
There is a thread-
Brake bleeding.
by Wilky1974 » Wed Aug 19, 2015 7:49 pm
Cannot seem to find a direct link to it but there was lots of advice on there.
If you enter - brake bleeding into 'search' you will get several pages , go to page 2 and find the Wilky thread and 'go to thread'
Briefly:
Vacuum is overkill,for diy in my opinion.
One man tube systems are low cost if you do not have help.
Auto bleed valves which I had before MR2 are really unnecessary.
My wife and I, a jar and tube is what I used most recently, really is easy and simple.
Make sure you can release all 4 of the bleeding valves before you start.
Get a 1 man kit off ebay - they are about £3, basically its a tube with a 1 way valve on the end and a locking bit of plastic for the caliper end.
To bleed the brakes:
Use brand new brake fluid with the correct DOT rating - its also hydroscopic so an open container means it will spoil over time
Start by removing as much as you can from the master cylinder and top up with fresh fluid
You need to bleed the calipers starting from the furthest away so passenger rear, driver rear, passenger front, driver front.
You might be able to get away with reaching around the wheels to get to the bleed ports, if not you might need to jack the car up onto stands with the wheel off, you can turn the front wheels to get more clearance etc
Attach the 1 man kit to the bleed port and lock it on, put the tube into an empty jar/bottle
Open up the bleed nut on the caliper - can't remember the size sorry
With the 1 man kit you can now simply pump the pedal, you should notice that the pedal goes harder as it starts to work against the 1 way valve
Keep checking the master cylinder isn't low on fluid - otherwise you will add a lot of air in the system!
Once you notice the colour of the brake fluid is more of a light golden rather than darker colour you can then retighten the bleed port on the caliper, then remove the bleed kit etc
Repeat for all other calipers
Be aware that brake fluid is very corrosive, make sure none gets on paint etc - also make sure you wear gloves
Also worth noting that the master cylinder has a push on lid so some of the vacuum/pressure bleeders might not work as there isn't a cap you can screw on etc.
thanks both, really helpful!
Theres got to be a joke somewhere in "all I need this weekend is a jamjar and some rubber tubing"
That's all I use. Plastic tube, a jar, an 8mm ring spanner and fluid. Easy peasy
Word of warning to others doing brake bleeding:
On earlier cars the bleed nipple needs a 7 mm spanner. Whether it's 7 or 8 mm, they can be very difficult to crack free if it hasn't been done for some time. Best to use a 1/4" drive six pointed socket (most tiny sockets ARE six pointed) to crack it free. This lessens the very real (and common) possibility of rounding the thing off. Then, by all means, use a spanner.
Very true. Now that you mention it, I use a small vice grip for my near side front I think s:) :) s:)
I even have new valves in my garage... Just laziness that is.
I usually try and use a flare nut spanner to avoid rounding things off.