Bleeding brakes

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Dec 9, 2019 | 08:30 PM

Inked Painter

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Bleeding brakes

I’m installing my Carli leveling kit this weekend and replacing my brake lines with the longer braided lines that Carli sells. I have searched but was not able to find a definitive answer on the bleeding procedure for this truck. Thanks in advance for everyone’s help.

Dec 10, 2019 | 09:32 AM

Inked Painter

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Is there any special equipment needed to bleed the brakes after changing the lines. Do I need to just bleed the front or all four wheels. Thanks

Dec 10, 2019 | 09:45 AM

C12H24

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If only one side (front or back) was open, then you only bleed the side that was opened. With ABS, you normally would use a shop scanner to pulse the ABS valves to bleed the system, but that's not always necessary. If you gravity bleed or vacuum bleed, that will get the job done. It's slower than pressure bleeding but it does work.

Make sure you cap the brake lines to keep the master cylinder from bleeding out. If you let the master cylinder run dry, you will have to bleed the master cylinder before you bleed the lines. A huge pain if you can avoid it.

Dec 10, 2019 | 10:46 AM

Inked Painter

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Thanks @C12H24
Just to be clear, when I am replacing the brake lines I need to be sure the master cylinder stays full. I have never gravity bled brakes before, I always had a helper and did the pump and hold method. So with gravity bleeding do I just open the bleeder, let it drip and then close it?

Dec 10, 2019 | 10:47 AM

HRTKD

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My opinion is if you're bleeding one brake, you might as well bleed them all. You're probably going to buy a large, 32 oz bottle of brake fluid. Once it's opened, it needs to be used. You might as well use the whole thing. Open brake fluid is not something you should be storing and using later.

I have a pressure bleeder. It's the Speedi-bleed system. It's worked for my cars, trucks and ATV. I have yet to use it on the F-350, but as long as it is a normal system it should work just fine. I have yet to hear that it requires anything special, but that's just from watching for brake bleed threads that pop up.

Dec 10, 2019 | 11:14 AM

C12H24

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Yes, you must not let the master cylinder bleed out dry. Gravity bleeding is very simple. You loosen the master cylinder cap, open the bleeder valve on the caliper and let it run. You don't need a helper. It doesn't take long. Yes, longer than the pump and hold bleeding but not much longer. It seems you're going to bleed the front brakes. Bleed out the passenger side caliper first, then finish with the driver side. You always bleed the furthest from the master cylinder first, then work your way to the closest. In a split system, if the isolated system wasn't opened, then it doesn't even know the opened side exists. It is completely isolated in every way you can think of. It would be the same as you having to bleed the brakes on your wife's car because you worked on your truck.

As to an opened bottle of brake fluid; I you reseal the container, then nothing is going to happen to the unused fluid. Brake fluid is hygroscopic, meaning it absorbs moisture from the air. It is very easy to identify contaminated brake fluid by both sight and with a multimeter. Again, screw the cap back on tight and put the bottle on your automotive fluids shelf.

I have a pressure bleeder, but it's so much easier to use a vacuum pump or gravity bleed.