i'm thinking of trying a different way to bleed the brakes and change to all fresh fluid. maybe something like first suctioning out as much as possible from master cylinder resovior. then opening all bleeder valves and letting everything drip out that will come out. then closing all bleeder valves except for one and adding fluid until the fluid at the one open valve runs clean and free of bubbles. then shutting that valve and opening another valve to repeat the same process one by one at all corners. sound like a good idea or does anyone know a better way?

 

it is not so good idea, you need more time to do it, bleeding with brake pedal is 20 min stuff. and be sure with gravity bleeding if U wil not add fluid in time and let brake fluid reservouar be dry, you will get a lot of air in system, not so easy to let go out.

 

thanks for that tip. if i have another person add fluid when the master cylinder resovior gets low do you think that would make the flow faster and keep out air?

reason i was thinking of a different method was that i heard something bad about pumping the brakes. wanted to avoid letting the pedal travel too far in.

 

Pablo-UA is right, if you let the fluid get low & air into the ABS motor, you'll likely end up at a brake shop, or the Dealer, to have a vacuum applied to the system & a special scantool to actuate the ABS motor to circulate new fluid in while extracting the air out.

If you don't have a helper to make it go faster, buy or rig a "one man" brake bleeding tool, they are about $5 at most autoparts stores, put a little clean fluid in to cover the end of it's hose, so air won't be sucked back in the wheel cylinder through it's connecting hose to the bleed screw, when you open the bleeder & use the brake pedal to pump the old fluid out.

Do one wheel cylinder at a time, beginning with the one farthest from the master cyl & work your way closer, RR, LR, RF, LF in that order.

You'll know when new fluid is coming out, as it'll be clear & clean looking in the clear hose.

You could even rig a one man bleed tool, with an old mason jar, punch a hole in it's lid to hold the clear hose, add a little new fluid to cover the end of the hose at the bottom of the jar & pump away. The mason jar is larger than the one man bleed tool container, so you won't have to stop & empty it as often, or at all, to bleed all of the wheel cylinders.

Careful not to let the master cyl reservoir get low on fluid, such that air gets pumped into the system. You'll likely have to top off the master cyl reservoir about every 8-10 pedal pumps, just count & keep track of how low it gets on the first wheel cyl, then you'll know when to top off for the others.

Go slow & don't open the bleed screw any more than necessary to get fluid out, so it won't suck air past it's threads when you raise the brake pedal to pump again.

Just take your time, pump slowly & remember to count the pumps & keep the master cylinder topped up.

Use Motorcraft PM-1 DOT-3 fluid, as it's a danged good product & bang for the buck.

Let us know how it goes.

 

today i had the truck up on jackstands to do the bleeding. it didn't work out because the bleeder valves were stuck. i sprayed wd40 before even touching them but i don't think they have been ever opened in the trucks 10year life. i used a 10mm 6-point socket on the front bleeder valves and even stripped the bolt. instead of risking breaking a caliper i think i will go to plan b. maybe it will be just as well to suction out half the master cyl resovior and refil. then repeat suctioning and refilling until this 32 oz bottle of brake fluid is used up.

thank you for the advice. i will make sure to use it on my parents cars. both of their cars are newer and hopefully don't have stuck bleeder valves.

 

If you can find some Kroil, most Industrial Supply Distributors & Machine Tool houses carry it, that might work if applied to the bleed screw threads & allowed to sit over night.

If you can't find Kroil, you could mix a homebrew recipe, half & half by volume of Acetone & Tranny Fluid & apply that to the threads & allow it to set overnight & see how it goes.

If the brake system hasn't been flushed in 10 years, it's likely in need of new fluid in there for sure, as we need to flush the brake system every 2-3 years because the brake fluid absorbs moisture & that'll lower it's boiling point & the moisture can cause things inside the system to corrode.

Do you live where the roads are salted in winter????
I just finished flushing the MIL's 2000 Neon brake system, which also had never been done, but all of the bleed screws came loose just fine & weren't rusted at all, even still had all of the OEM plating on the screws & the rubber caps were on all of them too, But it was never driven on salted roads either. So I was plenty lucky!!!! It got flushed with Motorcraft PM-1 DOT-3 fluid!!!!

If you do decide to try & take the bleed screws out, have new ones ready to replace them with.

I suppose replacing the master cylinder fluid is bettr than nothing, but you really need to get new fluid through out the system, as that old brake fluid will have absorbed plenty of moisture by now & that sure isn't good for expensive things like the ABS motor valving, master & wheel cylinders.

 

What do mean by gravity bleeding brakes i never understanding your question plz explian me in briefly.

 

I have had good results by using a propane torch and a small hammer when dealing with stubborn bleeder screws. Tap the screw like you are trying to drive it in and use just a little heat. (not enough to damage the rubber seals in the caliper or wheel cylinder) Sometimes the screw is damaged and has to be replaced but it is better that breaking it off. I too, am not an advocate of "gravity bleeding brakes".

 

i live in PA so the roads do get a bit of salt in the winter. especially after all the snow last winter.

since its normally recommended to only open the bleeder screw slightly, if you take it all the way off could a rush of air enter the system and abs?

as far as suctioning out and refilling half the master cylinder. if you repeated this process maybe 6-8 times driving the truck in between each time to circulate fluid, any reason you couldn't get most of the fluid out this way?

if flushing is a lot better i'll try the tips mentioned to remove the bleeder screw. thanks again.

 

Brake fluid doesn't circulate through the system, like coolat does through the cooling system, so repeatedly replacing the fluid in the master cylinder won't get it through the lines, into the wheel cylinders, or into the ABS motor valving, the latter would require a special scantool to cycle the ABS motor, so a brake shop, or Dealer would likely have one, that could flush the ABS valving.

So just sucking the mc fluid out only replaces it's fluid, better than not doing anything, but it won't get fresh fluid to all the places in the system that could make good use of fresh fluid.

Good idea to try & get the bleed screws out imo, so you can do a proper & compete system flush.

If you don't get crazy & let All of the fluid drain out of the wheel cyl when replacing the bleed screw, such that the master cyl level gets so low that it pulls air into the brake line & completely drains the system all the way to that wheel, you won't likely get air into the ABS part.

The brake fluid isn't as thin as water, or gasoline, so it won't gush out of the bleed screw opening, unless someone is mashing on the brake pedal!!!!

So, just keep the mc topped up as you change each bleed screw & have all the parts & tools handy, remove & replace the bleed screw without delay & you shouldn't get very much air in the system, probably no farther than a little in the wheel cyl/caliper itself.

Just take your time & think each move through, & have eveything handy, before making the move.

I like Dans idea to add a little heat & vibration to the stuck bleed screws, to break them loose. You might also use a good quality wire brush all around them, before applying the heat, rust penetrant & vibration.

If you don't like an open flame, you could try a heat gun, but be careful not to get the rubber parts over heated, as those heat guns on the high setting can get air temp close to 1000 deg, hot enough to melt aluminum!!!!

If your going to tap the bleed screw, use a brass, or other soft metal drift, so you don't distort it & jam the threads.

More thoughts for consideration, let us know how it goes.

 

thanks for the explanantion. what i need to do is clear now.

i'll look for Kroil since the wd-40 didn't work. i see its sold online. and if that still does not work i'll borrow a torch and give that a try. hopefully its easier to loosen in the future if i keep up on it every two years.

 

I flush all of my vehicles brake systems every three years with the specified Motorcraft PM-1 DOT-3 fluid.

I also keep the rubber caps on the bleed screws replaced if I loose one from it dryrotting, or falling off & this helps keep water, salt & debris from getting into the bleed hole & causing it to rust up from the inside.

Don't get too crazy trying to get the bleed screws loose & damage something.

If your really having problems, take it to a brake shop & let them get it loose.

Let us kow how it goes.