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Brake bleeding

Posted: Tue Apr 01, 2008 10:11 am
by mjb
My brakes feel a bit spongey so I want to replace the fluid. Are there any gotchas I need to watch out for with the '6, or do I just need one of those little black plastic jars from Halfrauds, a turkey baster, and a bottle of new stuff?

Re: Brake bleeding

Posted: Tue Apr 01, 2008 11:04 am
by DaiRees
Get a Gunson's Eezibleed and use it to push most of the fluid through the system by getting an assistant to watch the level going down while you open one of the bleed nipples. Then when the reservoir is virtually emptly fill it up and start bleeding, working from the corner furthest from the res. Then repeat for the other 3 corners and Robert is your Father's brother... :wink:

Someone told me to blow all the old fluid out with the eezibleed to ensure that the whole system was filled with fresh stuff, but I really wouldn't recommend it. Voluntarily introducing air into the system is not a good idea IMHO.

Re: Brake bleeding

Posted: Tue Apr 01, 2008 11:24 am
by mjb
DaiRees wrote:when the reservoir is virtually emptly fill it up
That's why I was thinking of using a turkey baster - empty the reservoir and then fill it up with new stuff before even touching the bleed nipples...

Re: Brake bleeding

Posted: Tue Apr 01, 2008 11:30 am
by steve_earwig
You can do it alone with an Eezibleed but you have to keep an eye on what's in the bottle. Use the turkey baster for taking out what's in the reservoir first (easier than blowing it all out :shock: ) and, as Dai says, don't put any air in the system. Ok, it'll only f*ck up the ABS unit if you turn the ignition on but it's safest not to.

Re: Brake bleeding

Posted: Tue Apr 01, 2008 11:52 am
by steve_earwig
mjb wrote:That's why I was thinking of using a turkey baster - empty the reservoir and then fill it up with new stuff before even touching the bleed nipples...
Sounds like a plan to me :cheesy:

Then again, I changed the fluid on my D9 when I got it and, what with all the sodding about jacking it up on each corner and taking the wheels off and all the DOT 4 paint stripper paranoia, I decided that it was another job I was never doing again. I should think that a decent garage wouldn't take too long, they probably wouldn't even need to take the wheels off.