A clean brake fluid supply is the key for ensuring adequate stopping power. Here’s how you can change your fluid safely and effectively by following the advice of America’s sole McLaren F1 mechanic.
In the event that the brake pedal on your car has become soft in the past, or your brakes do not feel as fast and tight as they did in the past You may require a bleed of the brake fluid. The brake fluid inside your vehicle accumulates contaminants and deteriorates as time passes, reducing its efficacy. It is important to flush it regularly to ensure your pedal is as new.
Road & Track interviewed Kevin Hines, senior technician at McLaren Philadelphia to find out how to properly clean your brakes efficiently and safely. Hines is America’s sole factory certified McLaren F1 technician and his daily work involves working on $20 million of exotics. If anyone can figure out how to flush brake fluid, it’s Hines.
Before proceeding further before reading any further, we recommend checking the owner’s manual for your car for specific instructions for bleeding brake fluid from your vehicle. The recommendations of the manufacturer may differ from the ones below.
selecting BRAKE FLUID FOR CAR
Before you start the actual flushing of your brakes, first verify that you have the correct product for your vehicle. “Make sure that you are using the correct brake fluid” Hines says. There are a variety of brake fluids and your car’s brake system was specifically designed to function with a particular kind of. “Get the one that’s compatible with your vehicle or already present in the system,” he says.
Check the owner’s manual to find out what kind of fluid you need to purchase. In certain instances it is possible to see this information on the brake fluid reservoir fill cap, which is located inside the engine bay.
ADVANCING THE RIGHT TOOLS for the job
At the very least, you’ll need at least a few basic tools to change your fluid. In the event that you do not have an auto lift, which is likely to be the case, you’ll need some jackstands to lift the vehicle into the air and remove the wheels to get access to the bleeding screws. Don’t overpay for the stand!
Make sure you have an adjustable wrench that can unlock and shut the bleed screw of your calipers. Remember that the size of the screws might differ between the rear and front calipers. It is also recommended to have a clear tube which you can be attached on the bleed screw, connecting to a transparent container to collect all the fluid that has accumulated. If you’re in a pinch, you could use the old bottle of water. Alternately, you can purchase products specifically designed for the job:
“I prefer the container to be clear so that I can be able to see the color of brake fluid.” Hines says. “That’ll let you know that you’ve got all the old items removed. Brake fluid typically darkens when it gets old.”
The Way to Bleed Brakes
Before you begin, Hines suggests taking a couple of seconds to check the brakes. “I would highly suggest getting a sense of the brake pedal prior to you begin,” he tells us. This way you can determine whether you’ve improved the feel of your brakes when you’ve finished.
Once you’ve lifted your car up and taken off the wheels, you’re now able to begin the process of bleeding your brakes. “Most times when I want to bleed brakes, I’ll make use of an instrument to bleed pressure,” Hines says. “Those are available for a very low price. For F1s I’ll be using Motive Products’ Motive Products pressure bleeder. It’s a hand-held unit which you can explode.”
The presence of a pressure bleeder signifies there is no need for anyone sitting in the driver’s seat pumping the pedal in order to create suitable pressure to force out that old liquid. All you need to do is fill it up with new fluid and connect it to the master cylinder and then push it with an adjustable lever or, if the bleeding machine has one an air compressor.
If you’d rather not invest the money to purchase an air bleeder for simple brake fluid repairs We recognize. If that’s your situation, then you’ll require an more person to help because the procedures are slightly different.
If you’re together a power bleeder be sure to monitor the level of fluid inside your master cylinder for brakes. While you bleed the brakes, fluid will leak out, and you’ll need periodically top it up. If you don’t do this, it could let air in the system. That’s a bad thing.
You are now able to start the bleeding process. “Always begin at the caliper that is closest to the master Cylinder,” Hines tells us. Moving to the rear of the vehicle in the beginning ensures that the system is fully flushed and there is no chance for the old fluid to get trapped within the system. Connect the device you’re with to collect liquid to the screw that bleeds ensure that there is enough pressure flowing through the brakes (either using the pressure bleeder set or a person pressing the brake pedal). After that, you need to crack the screw that bleeds the brakes. The fluid should leak out quickly.
Once the flow stops Stop the flow of fluid and either turn on the pressure bleeder, or request the person who is helping you to push your brake lever. Open the screw once more and the remaining fluid should be released. Repeat this process until the liquid begins to flow clean. When it is it, you are ready to move on to your next one. We recommend with the backwards from the rear, which is driver-side. = passenger-side front = driver’s side front. When the fluid appears clean on the four corners congrats that you’ve bled your brakes.
Some vehicles have brake calipers with multiple bleeder screws that is located on the inside and one to the side. “If you’re making sure you’re doing it right and particularly in the event that you’re going to drive your car to the track, it’s best to complete the inside as well as on the exterior,” Hines says. This will warrant that the dust and air that has accumulated in the system are removed correctly.
OTHER TIP
“Don’t ever press the brake pedal when you do not have brake pads placed on the rotor as you’ll cause the pistons to pop off,” Hines says.
It may seem easy to some however it’s something to keep in mind when you’re planning to change pads. When you take a brake piston completely off its enclosure could result in an issue, and is difficult to get it back into its housing.
“On vehicles that have been sitting for a very long time, I’ve observed an opaque white layer form within the ABS system,” Hines adds. “It could be difficult to remove, as it’ll be able to get inside the ABS block.”
The glue, Hines says, often cannot be removed using normal bleeding techniques on their own, even if utilize an automatic pressure bleeding device. If you experience this He suggests using the “Italian tune-up” method.
“What I’ve done is to do the brake flush, then go out to a parking area and turn on the ABS a few times, and then jostle the car to loosen it up,” Hines says. “Then I’m back to perform a brake flush again and repeat for the whole day [repeatlyand it cleans all the debris out.”
