How-To: Bleed brakes with ForScan

[MauiRoads]

I appreciate you. But, alas, I still think I’m communicating poorly.

I will definitely bleed all four corners. But then, when I do the ABS cycle, is it enough to just run the FORSCAN cycle via opening just one of the caliper bleeders? Seems like any air in the ABS would clear using one caliper ….

In my one-time experience: Using FORScan ABS bleed and Master Cylinder bleed functions does a complete system bleeding through all four calipers.

I think that even though FORScan uses the ABS pump to do an individual caliper bleed, it does not also activate the ABS bleed function and bleed the ABS module. I guess if you're trying to save brake fluid, you can just bleed one or more individual calipers, but then you won't have bled the master cylinder or the ABS module. And since you're supposed to use a pressure bleeder for any FORScan bleed function, you've already put a lot of fluid in the pressure bleeder.

Based on my one-time FORScan (European version with individual components) bleed, in the future, I will probably work top-down again: Master cylinder bleed and then ABS bleed. Both of those functions bleed all the way through all four calipers. Yes, that's a repeat-bleed of the lines from the ABS to the calipers, but if the Master bleed or ABS bleed releases air or contaminants, it won't come out of the system unless it bleeds all the way through to a caliper. I guess you could save fluid if the Master and ABS bleed functions could bleed just through the left front caliper. But it doesn't offer that function, and then to fully bleed the whole system, you'd still have to bleed the other three calipers individually.

On the other hand, if you know that the system is good, and you only replace a caliper or line, you can just use the individual caliper bleed function for that corner.

 

[cidsamuth]

In my one-time experience: Using FORScan ABS bleed and Master Cylinder bleed functions does a complete system bleeding through all four calipers.

I think that even though FORScan uses the ABS pump to do an individual caliper bleed, it does not also activate the ABS bleed function and bleed the ABS module. I guess if you're trying to save brake fluid, you can just bleed one or more individual calipers, but then you won't have bled the master cylinder or the ABS module. And since you're supposed to use a pressure bleeder for any FORScan bleed function, you've already put a lot of fluid in the pressure bleeder.

Based on my one-time FORScan (European version with individual components) bleed, in the future, I will probably work top-down again: Master cylinder bleed and then ABS bleed. Both of those functions bleed all the way through all four calipers. Yes, that's a repeat-bleed of the lines from the ABS to the calipers, but if the Master bleed or ABS bleed releases air or contaminants, it won't come out of the system unless it bleeds all the way through to a caliper. I guess you could save fluid if the Master and ABS bleed functions could bleed just through the left front caliper. But it doesn't offer that function, and then to fully bleed the whole system, you'd still have to bleed the other three calipers individually.

On the other hand, if you know that the system is good, and you only replace a caliper or line, you can just use the individual caliper bleed function for that corner.

Okay . . . so when you use the ABS procedure, you'll open up both rear caliper bleeders at the same time, then repeat the procedure with both fronts?

 

[MauiRoads]

Okay . . . so when you use the ABS procedure, you'll open up both rear caliper bleeders at the same time, then repeat the procedure with both fronts?

When bleeding the ABS module or the master cylinder, FORScan instructs you to open both front caliper bleeders, and when finished with that part, then instructs you to open both rear bleeders at the same time. If you have them, it's easiest with two 11mm wrenches for the front and two 8mm wrenches for the rear, and have a bleeder bottle already set up on each front caliper, then move them to each each rear caliper...so that you can quickly open and close both bleeders..

 

[cidsamuth]

When bleeding the ABS module or the master cylinder, FORScan instructs you to open both front caliper bleeders, and when finished with that part, then instructs you to open both rear bleeders at the same time. If you have them, it's easiest with two 11mm wrenches for the front and two 8mm wrenches for the rear, and have a bleeder bottle already set up on each front caliper, then move them to each each rear caliper...so that you can quickly open and close both bleeders..

Thanks, will give it a go.

 

[NATYPE]

Do we know if the independent component targeting for these procedures was integrated into the current release? Bounced through the changelog and couldn't quite tell.

 

[MauiRoads]

Do we know if the independent component targeting for these procedures was integrated into the current release? Bounced through the changelog and couldn't quite tell.

I haven't downloaded the latest release. I'm afraid that if I do, and it doesn't have the features of the "European" version that FORScan provided me, I'll never get them back