baldy74

I am thinking I need to flush the fluid in my car (actually, pretty much all my cars) and I have a few questions/uncertainties. I have done numerous searches on both s2ki.com and on the internet, and still have a few worries to tend to. The first little thing to verify is the order on the S. I believe it's front driver, front pass, rear pass, rear driver. If this is incorrect please correct me.

Ok here are my main concerns. First off, do you really need to use those whole tube on the bleeder thing? Or is this the only way to make sure you have bubbles coming out? I would think you could just pump brake, open bleeder, close bleeder, pull brake back up, repeat... until you see clean fluid. Second, is it ok when you are first starting out to completely suck all the old fluid out of the master cylinder? (before you fill it with fresh) Now, assuming you haven't even touched the brake pedal yet, will going below the intake level cause air to get in the line? Or will you be ok since you aren't actually PUMPING the brake when the fluid is below this level? I would think you would be ok, as long as the fluid doesn't go below the intake level WHILE you are pumping.

I'm also a little concerned about doing this right, since the last time I had some clutch problems and I tried to bleed the clutch, I wasn't able to regain any pack-pressure on the clutch no matter how much I bled it. I don't now maybe I was doing it wrong. But I don't see how. Seems pretty simple. Pump, hold, open bleeder, close bleeder, return pedal up, repeat...

Forgive me if this all sounds stupid, but this seems to be like such a basic job and I can't see shelling out $150-$200 to get 3 cars flushed, when I can do it myself for just the cost of fluid. If you guys can help to clarify the specifics on this that would be great. As always, appreciate the help and knowledge everyone has to offer.

Voodoo_S2K

You have the order correct. Start at the driver front and work your way around clockwise.

When I bleed the brakes, I use a long tube that goes into a container. I put a bend in the hose just like the business end of a toilet or sink to keep air from getting to the bleeder. I also submerge the end of the hose that is in the container in fluid to keep air out.

Gernby

When I've blead my brakes, I didn't go by any specific order. I haven't ever noticed any ill effects.

With regards to your method, you should have 1 person pumping the pedal, while another is tending to the calipers and reservoir. You should open the bleed screw (just enough to allow flow) and have the helper push the pedal to the floor and hold it, then close the bleed screw. Once the bleed screw is closed, the pedal can be released. After a few pumps, top off the reservoir again.

baldy74

But is it ok to drain (all) and refill the master cylinder before starting? And Gernby, do you use a hose on the bleeder, too? Or do you just bleed without one?

TrueDrezzer

I have just recently bled my brakes and the result was a pedal that was not as stiff as I had wanted. Of course it was far better than before, but still not rock hard.

Here's what I did:

Helper pumped pedal 5 times.
On 5th pump, I opened the bleeder, fluid and air comes out.
Just before the pedal hits the floor, helper calls out, "close" and I close the bleeder.
Repeat until clean.

I'm hearing that if the pedal hits the floor while the bleeder is open, there is a chance for air to get in, hence my method. However, it still didn't produce my desired rock hard result. Anything wrong with my method?

If you drain the entire MC before starting, there is a chance air might get in. Suck most of the old fluid out, top off with new fluid, and bleed to get the rest of the old stuff out. If your new fluid is a different colour, it's easier to tell when the old stuff is gone.

///Robin

fsiebold

[B]Another tip.

When depressing the brake pedal, don't do it too quickly. Try to ease it through the travel, maybe a second or two to go from top to bottom.

A quick or hard tromp on the pedal tends to break any bubble into lots of little bubbles that are much harder to get out.

Gernby

You should use a hose, and there isn't any reason to risk draining the MC all the way down.

Elistan

I'd imagine it's a lot safer to simply flush the fluid through and keep refilling the resevoir as it approaches the MIN line. I wouldn't risk getting any air in, although I don't know how likely that would be.

Order is fine, like others said.

About the hose - brake fluid is somewhat nasty stuff. It'll eat your car's paint. It's poluting if you just dump it on the ground. Use a hose to bleed it into a container and take it to an oil recycling center.

You can't do this by yourself, by the way. You'll need one person to work the pedal and the other to open and close the bleed valves. (Unless you get something like SpeedBleeders.)

baldy74

Ok, did one of my cars today. (Figured I'd practice on my '91 prelude). It definitely seems better. Not a HUGE, 100% difference, but definitely a good 60-70% better. Anyways, I was never actually able to get the fluid to come out clear. The closest I could get to was a very light green, but never got fully clear fluid to come out. I used DOT 4 fluid, and used almost an entire small (12 oz.) bottle on just the first wheel. At this point, only having bought 2 bottles, and not seeing any sign of getting any liquid clearer than the light green, I decided to go ahead and move on to the others. Same thing with them, but it didn't take nearly as many pumps before I got to the same light green level with them as well. (and this includes obviously making sure no air bubbles either).

Does everyone generally get brand new, clearly flused fluid to come out, or do you pretty much end up just getting old fluid that is mixed with 80-90% new fluid? It seemed I would have needed a least another quart in order to be able to fully flush the entire system.

The prior fluid was a medium-dark brown, and very opaque when viewed through a 1 liter pepsi bottle.

Also, how much fluid is usually needed to flush both 1)our S's and 2) the average car (or are they both the same) ?

Gernby

I know that "pros" can do brake flushes in less than 1 liter, but I generally use a full liter on mine (the BIG bottle). If you only used a 12 oz bottle for 1 car, then you didn't really do a full flush.