What's your method for bleeding brakes?

[koozy]

Curious what’s the popular method amongst enthusiasts here.

What's your preferred method bleeding brakes on the ST ie; gravity, speed bleeder valve, power bleeders, reverse flow, 2 man/woman team?

 

[dmb]

Ya, I'm gonna change the lines, pads, rotors and the fluid so i'm very interested here. I guess the old pump and bleed is not a good idea with ABS.

 

[Sekred]

Vacuum bleeder. I have had this one more than 10 years. One man operation to bleed and flush the braking system. Its the easiest method I have used,

 

[TyphoonFiST]

Vacuum bleeder. I have had this one more than 10 years. One man operation to bleed and flush the braking system. Its the easiest method I have used,


View attachment 19223

But have you Bled the FiST with this contraption?

 

[Ford ST]

Power bleeders are great if you have a lot air in the system works fast, but if you don't have the right adapters for the cap it's no good. Vacuum bleeding works and if I open up the system like a replacement of a component I would definitely do this, but I don't think it's nearly as fast as a power bleeder.The advantage being you don't have to have endless cap adapters. In my experience the old two person system gives you the best pedal feel. No matter what way I have bled my brakes I generally always finish off with a 2 person system if possible.

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[TyphoonFiST]

Does the ABS module have to be bled also but with a scan tool to avoid air in that part of the system?

 

[Ford ST]

Does the ABS module have to be bled also but with a scan tool to avoid air in that part of the system?

I believe that is a debated topic. I have never had to do that but I never had to replace the ABS module either. I have heard a alternative is to do some panic stops to help bleed the ABS module. If I had access to a scan tool to do it go right ahead but most don't.

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[Sekred]

But have you Bled the FiST with this contraption?

Yes, it sucks the fluid from the master cylinder down to the caliper. About 15 minutes to flush 1 liter of fluid through the system front and rear. The vacuum is around -6psi.
I have picked up brake pedal height on new vehicles because of air in the system from the factory, no joke. You can also suck the dirty fluid out of the MC when flushing the system, speeds up the process. I change my brake fluid every 3 months, its so easy to do. I will never go back to a power bleeder.

 

[TyphoonFiST]

Yes, it sucks the fluid from the master cylinder down to the caliper. About 15 minutes to flush 1 liter of fluid through the system front and rear. The vacuum is around -6psi.
I have picked up brake pedal height on new vehicles because of air in the system from the factory, no joke. You can also suck the dirty fluid out of the MC when flushing the system, speeds up the process. I change my brake fluid every 3 months, its so easy to do. I will never go back to a power bleeder.

Hmm...interesting.... you got a link or name of the brand of the bleeder you have used. I may need to add this tool to my repertoire also!

 

[Ford ST]

Yes, it sucks the fluid from the master cylinder down to the caliper. About 15 minutes to flush 1 liter of fluid through the system front and rear. The vacuum is around -6psi.
I have picked up brake pedal height on new vehicles because of air in the system from the factory, no joke. You can also suck the dirty fluid out of the MC when flushing the system, speeds up the process. I change my brake fluid every 3 months, its so easy to do. I will never go back to a power bleeder.

That's awesome seems like you got it down to a system if you do it that much. I just have a simple hand vacuum bleeder.

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[Sekred]

Hmm...interesting.... you got a link or name of the brand of the bleeder you have used. I may need to add this tool to my repertoire also!

I will have look later, need to go and sleep now zzzzzzzz.

 

[TyphoonFiST]

Sleep is reserved for when I am dead.....

 

[Bonesaw]

I used the ol 2 person way when I did a full flush and upgrade to stainless steel lines.

 

[nickstewartroc]

This is what I use to bleed mine: https://www.harborfreight.com/brake-fluid-bleeder-92924.html
Used it twice, once to flush the fluid and again when I swapped to stainless lines

 

[D1JL]

After the mechanical replacement of pads and rotors proper bleeding is very important.

I posted this before and found it to be the best method for our cars.
It is very easy to do and requires no added expense for special tools or equipment.

In order to push the pistons back into the calipers you should open the bleed valves.
This is especially true with ABS.
This is to prevent contaminated fluid/debris back into the ABS valves or master.
It also prevents ABS valves from getting stuck in an incorrect position by forcing the fluid the wrong direction.
I have had this happen before so now I always open the bleed valves.

In addition, if the fluid in any caliper ever got extremely hot, it is possible that the fluid boiled.
A small amount of air could now be in the system and it is impossible to know this.
So as a precautionary method, all four calipers should be bled every time you do brake work.

They do make check valves that can be placed on the bleed nipples for a one-man bleed operation.
However, now we have a special tool that as I said above was not needed.
There is of course one exception, the one special tool you will need is someone to help you.
In addition the use of these check valves CAN cause air to get sucked back in.
You see, even though the check valve prevents fluid to go back, it is possible for air to get passed the threads of the bleed valve when left open.
This is also why I have had trouble with vaccume bleeders, they actually work too good and suck air past the threads.


I would suggest that you gravity bleed the system first.
This will actually does get most of the air out.
One wheel at a time in this order, RR, LR, RF, LF.

If the rear brakes were replaced, cycling the E-Brake handle a few times should be done.
This is to re-set the rear pistons to a proper location.

After that, bleed as normal with one person on the pedal and one at the wheel.
It is best to use a clear plastic tube on the bleed valve nipple so you can see the fluid.
Do NOT pump the brake pedal, this only puts air back into the system, if multiple pumps are required, do it slowly.
Remember that the gravity bleed got most of the air out anyway.
Just one press on the pedal then bleed and repeat on all wheels until there is no air.
Always do RR, LR, RF, then LF.

You do not need to do the gravity bleed again.
However, you should then do the same procedure again with the engine running.
This allows all of the valves within the ABS control to be set to the proper positions.

This method has worked for me every time without fail.
Only one most important thing is to NRVER allow the master to run out of fluid.



It is your car and you can work on your brakes any way you want.
I prefer to have my car stop by use of the brake system and NOT the use of trees, walls, or other cars.
In over 40 years of people trusting me with their cars and their lives, I prefer to do the job correctly.



Dave

 

[alexrex20]

I do the tried and true two person bleed. One person pumps the brakes and the other person cracks open the bleeder then closes it while the other person holds the pedal down. Start at the wheel furthest from the master, then work your way towards it. Hasn't failed me yet. Three pumps and hold.

HOLDING!

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[Ford ST]

I do the tried and true two person bleed. One person pumps the brakes and the other person cracks open the bleeder then closes it while the other person holds the pedal down. Start at the wheel furthest from the master, then work your way towards it. Hasn't failed me yet. Three pumps and hold.

HOLDING!

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That's me and my Wife.

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[alexrex20]

That's me and my Wife.

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The bleeding or the pump and hold? Wait, whaaaa...?

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[Ford ST]

The bleeding or the pump and hold? Wait, whaaaa...?

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Oh boy. She sits in the car. I do the dirty work.

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[alexrex20]

So I guess you only gravity bleed?