Guys,

I have an 02 Excursion V-10..I want to flush the brake system..It has never been done before..I am somewhat mechanically inclined.

Can you explain the procedure and also let me know the approx amt of DOT3 fluid I will need to buy..

Do you have any rec. for the new fluid?? I really don't care how much it is..I just want the best for my brakes..

Big Rig

 

First of all use the type of brake fluid listed in your owners manual (not all brake fluids are compatible with each other). Be careful not to get the brake fluid on any painted surfaces or it won't be a painted surface for long. Here's the procedure I use:
1-remove most of the fluid from the master cylinder (MC), but do not go below the fluid ports.
2-refill MC w/ new fluid.
3-starting with the farthest wheel (right rear) attach a clear tube to the bleeder screw and place it into a clear jar containing some brake fluid, so that the tube is below the fluid surface in the jar (prevents air from getting back into your brake system).
4-have a helper press and hold on the brake pedal and you then open the bleeder screw and allow brake fluid to go into the jar and the pedal to go down to the floor.
5-close bleeder screw and then tell your helper to let off the brake pedal.
6-repeat this step until you see clear fluid coming out of the bleeder screw. Remember to not let the brake fluid level fall below the fluid ports or you will need to start all over again to remove the air from the system.
-repeat steps 4-6 on the left rear, right front and finally the left front wheel positions. These 3 will flush much faster than the first wheel position, since most of the old fluid will have been flushed out already.
There are other one-person methods you can use like using a hand vacuum setup or replacing your bleeder screws with Russell Speed Bleeder screws to name a few, but the overall procedure is the same execpt for the need for a 2nd person. Good luck.

 

Cujo8,


Thanks for the reply..

When I unscrew the bleeder valve..How much fluid would you expect to come out? Will it totally drain the MC of the new fluid I put in? Should I have a third person handy to keep filling the MC up?

Finally..How much brake fluid would you expect I would use to flush out the system?

Thanks..

 

Hi! I'm an amatuer DYI. But from memory, I recall using about 12 oz of the Motorcraft DOT 3, viz about one plastic bottle's worth ( about $3.00 bucks). It might have been a little more than one bottle. Otherwise, the instructions from cujo8 were what I followed. One or two shots of the brake pedal shouldn't drop the MC too low. However, I did it by myself using one of those brake bleeder hand pumps and checked the MC for a refill after about 60 ml (2 oz) from each cylinder.

 

I would recommend that you take this to a shop and have it done with a professional machine, like the BG one. You have ABS on this vehicle and if you do it wrong you can trap air in the pumps which will really mess things up. Having said that, it sounds like everybody has given you all the advice you need. If you for some reason do get some air trapped in the pump, the easiest way to get it out is to activate the ABS system (take it out on a gravel road with no traffic, and brake HARD several times) that is the cheaters way to bleed the pumps, works for me everytime that I have replaced a pump at work.