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How To Bleed Brakes The Easy Way

How To Bleed Brakes: A Quick Introduction

This is a step-by-step instruction guide for bleeding your brakes. Each step of the way you will be given instructions and pictures to see exactly what to do and when to do it.

We have written this with the beginner do-it-yourselfer in mind. Please be sure to take our safety advice seriously. Your brakes are the most important feature on your vechicle. We want you to save your money on labour costs; but more importantly, we want you to enjoy worry-free driving.

How To Bleed Brakes: Step 1

Spongy Brakes. If you have experienced a spongy feeling when you use your brakes, you might have air in the brake lines. This often occurs after you have had a caliper changed. The only way to rid yourself of this problem is to Bleed The Brakes.

Find The Master Cylinder. The first thing you want to do is to find the master cylinder in your vechicle. Pop the hood and check on the driver's side; this is where most are located. The first wheel you will jack up and work on is the farthest from the master. In this case it will be the back wheel on the passenger side.

How To Bleed Brakes: Step 2

Safely Jacking Up Your Car. Since most of us will not have access to a lift, we will show you how to safely jack up your car.

Take a long flat-head screw driver and pry off the hub cap.

Loosen the wheel lugs while the car is still on the ground. This will avoid the chances of rocking the vechicle once it has been jacked up.

Check your owner's manual to find the premium jacking spot under your car. Secure the back wheel; we used two pieces of fire wood. Place your jack under the premium spot and jack it up.

Now that you have your car safely jacked up, you can remove the lug nuts from the wheel hub.

The wheel should now slide off effortlessly. We are now ready to bleed the brakes.

How To Bleed Brakes: Step 3

Locate The Bleeder Valve. The bleeder valve for your brake fluid is on the top of the caliper. You should be able to turn it in order to open it.

How To Bleed Brakes: Step 4

Work Together. For this to work at all, you need someone you can work with. One of you will be in the driver's seat of the car, while the other one will be openning and closing the bleeder valve. Here are the step-by-step instructions:

  • If you simply open the valve while the helper is pressing the pedal, the fluid may be ejected with dangerous force. At best, it will make a mess. For that reason, always put a length of tubing on the valve, directed into a container, before opening the valve. Used brake fluid is toxic, dispose of it properly. Loosen but do not remove the master cylinder cap before the procedure, and check regularly that the fluid does not get too low. Put a piece of wood under the brake pedal so it does not go all the way to the floor, as that may damage seals in the master cylinder, due to accumulated crud.

  • The person in the car starts to pump the brakes
  • After pumping the brakes 4 or 5 times, they hold them in the lowered position.
  • While the brakes are being held in the down position, the person in charge of the bleeder valve opens the bleeder valve by turning it.
  • If there was air in the system, the person at the bleeder valve should see air bubbles coming out of the valve with the brake fluid.
  • When the bleeder valve is open, the person in the car should feel the brake pedal move further towards the floor
  • The person in the car must hold the brake pedal to the floor until the bleeder valve is closed.
  • Close the bleeder valve and repeat the process until there are no more air bubbles coming out with the brake fluid.
  • Remember! If the master cylinder is on the drivers side in the front, the first caliper we will work on is the one in the back on the passenger side. Then we move to the back on the driver's side, then to the front on the passenger side, and finally to the front on the driver's side.

How To Bleed Brakes: Step 5

One Final Check. This is your last chance to check your work before you test it on the road. Check all of your brake hoses for leaks and cracks. Check the shims and how the pads and rotor are sitting in the caliper. Remember, we don't want anything to be loose!

How To Bleed Brakes: Step 6

Put The Wheel On. Once you are satisfied with your work on the brake parts, it's time to put the wheel back on. Put the lug nuts on while the car is still jacked up. Do not try to fully tighten them yet, just enough so they are snug.

Remove Jack Stand And Lower Jack. Once the lugs are firmly on the wheel, its time to lower the jack. If you used a jack stand, raise the jack, move the jack stand, and the lower the jack. When the wheel is on the ground, tighten the lugs using a torque wrench to the specified torque for your model of car.

How To Bleed Brakes: Step 7

Don't Drive Away Yet! Remember to top up your brake fluid, you have obviously lost a considerable amount in the process of bleeding the system.

How To Bleed Brakes: Step 8

Important! If you have changed the pads or the rotor today in addition to bleeding your brakes, the piston of your caliper is in the starting position. This means that you have to get in the vechicle and pump the brakes about 3 or 4 times until the pedal comes up and feels firm to touch. If you don't do this, you won't have any brakes!

If you have any questions about the procedure or the best parts to use for your specific vechicle, feel free to contact us. We are here to serve you! Click Here To Contact Us.

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