One man brake fluid flush
#1
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One man brake fluid flush
Flushed the brake fluid on a 2004 Chevy Silverdado SWB.
Here are the steps:
Get a large roll of paper towels and Windex nearby (brake fluid can be destructive- any brake fluid that goes where it is not supposed to needs to be quickly diluted and wiped up immediately. I use paper towels as I don't want to reuse a rag that has brake fluid on it.
Lift the hood and wipe down the brake master cylinder
Siphon off 2/3 of the old fluid in the master cylinder, try to siphon from the bottom as the worse junk is sitting there. By siphoning out the bad stuff, you will not be sending it through the ABS and down the brake pipes and into the calipers.
Fill the master cylinder with new brake fluid- only use brake fluid from a sealed container, new fluid that has been opened likely has absorbed some water, reducing the effectiveness of the flush.
Check the service manual of your specific vehicle, and drain the caliper in the order the service manual directs, often the rear caliper the farthest from the master cylinder is where to begin.
Put a catch container on the bleed screw. Then fill the brake fluid pressure tank with a large quantity of brake fluid, connect it to the master cylinder, and pump it to the pressure level recommended in the service manual.
Loosen the bleeder screw and drain the fluid until the new fluid starts to come out. It is fairly easy to know when the new fluid is coming out, it will be almost clear, the old fluid is typically dark.
Do this to the remaining three calipers- continually check the brake fluid pressure tank for proper pressure and re-pressurize as needed.
This is very easy to do, a one man job, all you need is the pressure tank and a catch container.
Here are the steps:
Get a large roll of paper towels and Windex nearby (brake fluid can be destructive- any brake fluid that goes where it is not supposed to needs to be quickly diluted and wiped up immediately. I use paper towels as I don't want to reuse a rag that has brake fluid on it.
Lift the hood and wipe down the brake master cylinder
Siphon off 2/3 of the old fluid in the master cylinder, try to siphon from the bottom as the worse junk is sitting there. By siphoning out the bad stuff, you will not be sending it through the ABS and down the brake pipes and into the calipers.
Fill the master cylinder with new brake fluid- only use brake fluid from a sealed container, new fluid that has been opened likely has absorbed some water, reducing the effectiveness of the flush.
Check the service manual of your specific vehicle, and drain the caliper in the order the service manual directs, often the rear caliper the farthest from the master cylinder is where to begin.
Put a catch container on the bleed screw. Then fill the brake fluid pressure tank with a large quantity of brake fluid, connect it to the master cylinder, and pump it to the pressure level recommended in the service manual.
Loosen the bleeder screw and drain the fluid until the new fluid starts to come out. It is fairly easy to know when the new fluid is coming out, it will be almost clear, the old fluid is typically dark.
Do this to the remaining three calipers- continually check the brake fluid pressure tank for proper pressure and re-pressurize as needed.
This is very easy to do, a one man job, all you need is the pressure tank and a catch container.
#2
Retired Administrator
True Car Nut
Thread Starter
Here is a picture of the old fluid sitting on top of some new fluid left over from the last fluid exchange. Look at the difference in color. The dark stuff includes water, which not only degrades performance and could actually freeze, but it is also rusting out the brake pipes from the inside of the pipe.
#4
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"Did you use a scanner to control the ABS to get an accurate flush/bleed?"
No, never have done that as the ABS is full during the entire flush process and never sees any air. The master cylinder never goes dry during this process, it is only 2/3 empty, and that is only in the very beginning when I am removing the old fluid from the master cylinder (too prevent sending too much old fluid through the ABS and calipers). The fluid removed from the master cylinder is replaced with new fluid before the fluid exchange process at the calipers' begins.
No, never have done that as the ABS is full during the entire flush process and never sees any air. The master cylinder never goes dry during this process, it is only 2/3 empty, and that is only in the very beginning when I am removing the old fluid from the master cylinder (too prevent sending too much old fluid through the ABS and calipers). The fluid removed from the master cylinder is replaced with new fluid before the fluid exchange process at the calipers' begins.
#6
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I've always let gravity do the work whenever I change brake fluid.
I remove the wheels and the M/C cover, put a bowl under the hub and open the bleed screw. When clean fluid comes through I close the screw and repeat on the other three hubs.
Water in the brake fluid won't cause rust unless air is present, and it will dissolve into the brake fluid unless you are using synthetic.
But your system works as well as mine, and may be a faster way of doing it.
Roger.
I remove the wheels and the M/C cover, put a bowl under the hub and open the bleed screw. When clean fluid comes through I close the screw and repeat on the other three hubs.
Water in the brake fluid won't cause rust unless air is present, and it will dissolve into the brake fluid unless you are using synthetic.
But your system works as well as mine, and may be a faster way of doing it.
Roger.
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