Bleed the brakes?
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Bleed the brakes?
Had my 84 Ranger into the mechanics today to look at a few things, and he noticed that the rear brakes (shoes) are worn out, so he suggested that I replace them. I was wondering, do I still need to bleed the brakes after replacing the back brakes (shoes) like I do when I replace the front brake pads?
BiodieselPanther
BiodieselPanther
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From: SW Va
I agree with el conquistador on fluishing the brake system & changing the brake fluid.
Check here to see where you are on the boiling point curve!!!! http://www.aa1car.com/library/bfluid.htm
I'd suggest using Motorcrafts PM-1 Dot-3 fluid, it's good stuff!!!!
Also, you'll want to remove about 1/2 of the old fluid from the brake master cylinder reservoir, BEFORE you begin this job, so when you depress the shoes & thus the wheel cylinders, to remove the drums & install the new shoes, you don't overflow the reservoir & make a mess.
Check here to see where you are on the boiling point curve!!!! http://www.aa1car.com/library/bfluid.htm
I'd suggest using Motorcrafts PM-1 Dot-3 fluid, it's good stuff!!!!
Also, you'll want to remove about 1/2 of the old fluid from the brake master cylinder reservoir, BEFORE you begin this job, so when you depress the shoes & thus the wheel cylinders, to remove the drums & install the new shoes, you don't overflow the reservoir & make a mess.
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Joined: Oct 2005
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From: ventura, CA
I just flushed and changed my brake fluid over the weekend.
How the heck can you suck out the old brake fluid from the MC reservoir? Mine has a float in it that doesn't come out. I tried to remove what looked like an insert in the neck of the reservoir that contained the float to no avail. The best I could take out was half.
As far as flushing, I used a vacuum pump (Gast pump) hooked to a plastic trap bottle and then went to each wheel's brake bleed nipple and kept sucking out the fluid until it was clear. I cannot believe how crappy the old fluid was!
Dave
How the heck can you suck out the old brake fluid from the MC reservoir? Mine has a float in it that doesn't come out. I tried to remove what looked like an insert in the neck of the reservoir that contained the float to no avail. The best I could take out was half.
As far as flushing, I used a vacuum pump (Gast pump) hooked to a plastic trap bottle and then went to each wheel's brake bleed nipple and kept sucking out the fluid until it was clear. I cannot believe how crappy the old fluid was!
Dave
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From: ventura, CA
That's essentially what I did but I used the vacuum pump to pull on it until the level got REALLY low. Almost freaked when after I stopped it still was going down! THe old fluid was so dark that trying to view the level through the side of the reservoir was like looking at ketchup in a bottle - it's really empty but there's ketchup on the sides that hasn't flowed down yet!!
I intentionally didn't try to flush the fluid out by pumping on the brake pedal. I didn't want to tear up the MC seals by having it travel further than it's traveled in the past 13 years and encountering crud and gunk further in the bore.
As it was, the right front caliper and the left rear wheel cylinder both wouldn't bleed even after fully removing the bleed nipples! THere was that much crap built up in each that the output was blocked!
Dave
I intentionally didn't try to flush the fluid out by pumping on the brake pedal. I didn't want to tear up the MC seals by having it travel further than it's traveled in the past 13 years and encountering crud and gunk further in the bore.
As it was, the right front caliper and the left rear wheel cylinder both wouldn't bleed even after fully removing the bleed nipples! THere was that much crap built up in each that the output was blocked!
Dave
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Well for onething you are supposed to rebuild or replace the wheel clyinders any time you do the shoes on drum brakes. I know a lot of people that don't and some times they get away with it some times they don't. I don't like come backs on my work so I replace the wheel clyinders with new ones when I do drum brakes. This adds less than $20 to price of brake Job. This makes the flush almost a moot issue since you loose most of the fluid while changing out the wheel clyinders. I use gravity to bleed my brakes and then finish off with pulling a small vacume if needed. This beats the H**L out of having someone pump and hold the brakes while you open the bleeders. But I will go that route if that is what it takes to get a good bleeding done.
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From: ventura, CA
'Supposed to' and 'save time later if they end up being bad' are two different things.
I just peel back the dust cover and see if they're leaking and if so then replace them. Replacing them as a matter of course isn't necessary - but yeah it does prevent callbacks especially important if this is your business.
Do you do the same thing with calipers? And if not, why not?
This is the first vehicle I've owned that has surprised me as to how poorly the braking system holds up over the years. Yes I know you're supposed to flush the fluid every 2 years, but I've never seen this kind of corrosion on any of the other vehicles I've worked on in the past 25 years.
I just peel back the dust cover and see if they're leaking and if so then replace them. Replacing them as a matter of course isn't necessary - but yeah it does prevent callbacks especially important if this is your business.
Do you do the same thing with calipers? And if not, why not?
This is the first vehicle I've owned that has surprised me as to how poorly the braking system holds up over the years. Yes I know you're supposed to flush the fluid every 2 years, but I've never seen this kind of corrosion on any of the other vehicles I've worked on in the past 25 years.
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From what I was told
From what I was told by my personal mechanic, the back brakes are GONE. The brake shoe material is non-existant. The only good brakes that I have left are the ones up front. Appearntly the previous owner did little/nothing as far as brake matience and check up's were concerned.
Biodiesel Panther
Biodiesel Panther
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