Brake Fluid change / bleed

[sgtbash999]

first off how easy / hard is it to drain, replace & bleed the brakes? i want to change my fluid so is this something easy i can do or is it best to take it to a garage?

i'm a DIY disaster so the garage option sounds more appealing. any idea how much it would cost?

 

[Jay Payne]

draining is a bad idea. the trick is not to let air in.

Ive tried several different methods and the best one i found works well.

You need a mate to help.

1, mate pumps pedal till hard and holds
2, u release bleed nipple and pedal will drop to floor pushing out fluid.
3, tighten bleed nipple while pedal is still down
4, release pedal and pump till hard again
6, repeat, till fluid runs clean/free of air


Ive done loads of them now and it works a treat. Just make sure u top up the resovior every few pumps to make sure no air gets in.

I use a home made bleed bottle. Just a bit of vaccumn pipe and a jar with a hole in the lid. Put a smalll amount of fresh fluid in the jar before u start

 

[Jay Payne]

I might do a proper thread later for the guides section

 

[sgtbash999]

this maybe a stupid question so brace yourself but....... if i topped up the reservoir after every few pumps, that would mean mixing the new fluid with the old stuff and i'm assuming they'd be of a different grade??

will this have any effect on braking cos i dont fancy crashing down the mountain!!

 

[Jay Payne]

you will have to pump enough thourgh to get rid of the old stuff. obviously you will have to do it alot of times from the first corner to change the fluid in the resovior. then not so much from the others as it will be just the lines.

As said draining it is a bad ide as the abs pumps can be a b*****d to bleed so i have read on here

 

[fuel_slut]

you will have to pump enough thourgh to get rid of the old stuff. obviously you will have to do it alot of times from the first corner to change the fluid in the resovior. then not so much from the others as it will be just the lines.

As said draining it is a bad ide as the abs pumps can be a b*****d to bleed so i have read on here

Im also a brake bleeding noob, but could'nt you just suck out all the old brake fluid from the resivour and then replace it with new fluid, then just bleed each corner till new fluid starts coming through? Surely thats much quicker than waiting for all the old fluid to bleed through the lines?

 

[sgtbash999]

^^^thinking outside the box - i like it!

anyone know if this will cause a problem?

 

[edde]

Just do it the way said its the best and easiest way.

 

[Craig_RS]

Digging up an ancient thread but here goes!

How often should break fluid be changed? My cars in getting some work done including a service (so I can keep the stamped history up ). There was some water found in the break fluid (Amber warning light) so I've gave them the go to replace it. Cost is £34 on top of what I'm paying. Does this sound like a lot to pay? Bleeding brake fluid always seemed out of my depth.

 

[Craig_RS]

Forgot to say the cars on 75k

 

[M.C..]

It all depends on use and what type of fluid you have in there.
DOT 5.1 and the racing DOT 4 are more hygroscopic so will need changing more regular.
For normal use change it every 2-3 years, on my track car I bleed them after every second trackday.
I think Renault do a fixed price fluid change iirc it is about £30

 

[Craig_RS]

It all depends on use and what type of fluid you have in there.
DOT 5.1 and the racing DOT 4 are more hygroscopic so will need changing more regular.
For normal use change it every 2-3 years, on my track car I bleed them after every second trackday.
I think Renault do a fixed price fluid change iirc it is about £30

Thanks for the quick reply. I couldn't say when it was replaced last as I've not long got the car so maybe just as well getting it done. It's just regular use with some spirited B road driving. Surprised it costs more at this specialist compared to Renault though!

 

[M.C..]

Just had a look at Renault and it is £39 so it has gone up a bit

 

[Fletcher]

I bleed mine with the ezbleed kit easy job TBH.