How to Bleed Brakes – Brake Bleed Procedures

When you think your car brakes are not working to its utmost capacity, you should bleed your brakes. Bleeding brakes is a pretty simple thing which you can do yourself without seeking the help of a mechanic. Bleeding brakes will improve the performance of the brakes in your vehicle. Brakes are one of the most important parts of any vehicle and they should be working fine all times. If not, you should bleed them and making them prefect. Here we will explain how to bleed brakes the easy way.

Things you’ll need:

• A car
• Spacer
• 8 ounce can of brake fluid (2 Nos.)
• Plastic tubing
• Turkey blaster (old is also okay)
• Plastic bottle
• Box wrench
• Goggles
• A helper
• Rag

Procedure:

• First of all you should find the master cylinder reservoir. It won’t be that tough to find it. But if you can’t find it, then seek the help of someone who knows at least something about car mechanics. After finding it, remove its top.
• Next you should remove the dark fluid in the reservoir. You can do it easily using a turkey blaster. Don’t use new ones – find out one that is old and which you won’t use anymore. Use it to suck the fluid as much as you can.
• After you are sure that the reservoir is almost clean, you should use the rag to remove any sediment, if left in the reservoir. The rag that you are using should be clean. It must be free from lint as well.
• Now you have got a clean master cylinder reservoir. It’s now time to fill it with the clean brake fluid that we have bought, especially for this purpose. After you finish filling the reservoir, you can close the lid of the reservoir.
• Next, pump the brake pedal of the car. You should do it at least fifteen times. Otherwise there won’t be any use of the pumping process.
• Take the box wrench and make sure that it fits the bleeder bolt of the brake. Now carefully loosen the bleeder valves and leave them closed. If the valves are firmly attached, use some penetrating oil on them a day before.
• It’s time to play with the plastic tubing. One of its ends should be pushed over to the bleeder bolt of the brake. And the other end of the plastic tubing should be put into a clear plastic bottle. After that, put clear brake fluid in the same bottle. The level should be somewhere around two inches.
• Put the spacer under the brake pedal to prevent it from going close to the floor.
• Take the lid of the master cylinder reservoir. Fill it with fresh and clean fluid. After doing that close the lid.
• Call your helper and ask him to sit in the driver’s seat. When you direct him to depress the brake, he should do it slowly with an even force. And when the pedal is at the lowest possible point (when it can’t be lowered anymore), ask him or her to stop depressing.
• Now turn the bleeder bolt. It should be to the left – just a quarter turn would do the job. Now you’ll see fluid going down through your tubing and the bottle that you have employed. Close the valve, once it stops. You should start this process with the rear passenger wheel of the car.
• You should make it clear to you helper that he should allow the pedal to rise up when you say “up”. This will be signal to your helper to remove his /her foot from the pedal. Now, is the time to shout “up”.
• You should repeat the whole steps right from the beginning until you clear brake fluid coming out from the bleeder tube.
• Then you can tighten the bleeder bolt.
• You should repeat the last five steps first on the left-right wheel and then on the right-front wheel. Finally, do it for the left-front wheel.