How to properly bleed the brakes alone

Our roads present many surprises, and it is the brakes that help out in difficult times. You can't go for a long time without working brakes. But how to monitor the brakes, many do not know.

how to bleed the brakes alone

When to change the brake fluid

In the description of the properties of brake fluid, as a rule, its property is indicated as hygroscopicity; this means that the brake fluid is capable of absorbing water vapor from the air. Thus, the braking system stores air, and if you are driving fast in hot weather, a few hard brakes are enough to make the fluid start to boil. In this regard, the effectiveness of the brakes decreases, and they can completely fail.

A second brake hazard is moisture in the brake system, which leads to corrosion. For example, in a year, the braking system can collect about 4% of the water from the air, and therefore the brakes lose their effectiveness. The third problem is dust that gets into the brake system. Based on this, the brake fluid must be changed at least once a year, and changing the brake fluid, in turn, is impossible without bleeding the brakes, the purpose of which is to remove air from the brake system.

How is the pumping of the brakes

It takes two people to bleed the brakes in the standard way. To do this, it is necessary to pour brake fluid into the reservoir of the master brake cylinder, after which one person sits behind the wheel and presses the brake pedal from time to time. The assistant, having cleaned the brake cylinder fittings from dirt before pumping, unscrews the fitting. The first at this time begins to smoothly press the brake. As soon as bubbles stop flowing out of the fitting together with the brake fluid, and a clean stream comes out, the brake cylinder fitting is twisted.

All other wheels are pumped in the same way. It should be remembered that you should start pumping from the far wheel from the driver, then the second rear wheel, then the passenger wheel and lastly the wheel next to the driver. During pumping, it is necessary to watch the level of the brake fluid in the main reservoir so that it does not fall and air does not enter the system.

There are other sequences of brake bleeding, it all depends on the design features of your car.

Brake bleeding sequence

Since finding a partner for this job at the right time is often difficult, it is worth learning how to bleed the brakes without assistance.

How to brake one

Pumping can be done in two ways:

The first way to self-bleed the brakes

Find something with which you can press the brake pedal (for example, the gas stop from the hood).

• Take two cans of brake fluid (one of them will be spent on cleaning the brake system, because before you pump it, you need to rinse it);
• Next - unscrew the brake cylinder fitting, substituting some kind of container so that the old fluid squeezed out by the new one that you pour in flows down;
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• Brake bleeder
• After the old liquid has drained off, pour in a second can for long-term use.

Then you need to sharply press the brake pedal three or four times. Then, while holding the pedal down, insert the gas stop, which in this case replaces the living assistant. Next, you should pump the brake and wait until all the air has left the system. When the air is out, move on to the next wheel.

The second way to self-bleed the brakes

For this method, you will need a brake fluid reservoir cover, a tubeless nipple without a nipple, a hose, glue and a wheel (you can use a spare tire).

• First you need to make a hole in the lid of the tank and insert the nipple into it, carefully gluing the edges so that air does not pass;
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• Unscrew the nipple from the wheel so that air can escape freely;
• Then you need to take the hose and put one end of it on the wheel (it should be pumped up to about 2 atmospheres);

  Special hose for bleeding the brakes alone

• Having put on the hose, squeeze it with a wire, while everything must be done quickly so as not to lose air in the wheel;
• Next - screw the cap with a hole onto the main barrel with brake fluid (all brake cylinder fittings must be tightened);
• Put the other end of the hose on the cover and remove the wire; then unscrew the fitting from the farthest wheel, waiting until the air comes out;
• Then do the same with the rest of the wheels.

Questions and answers:

How to bleed the brakes by gravity? The pumping union is unscrewed, a hose is put on it to drain the liquid into the container. Liquid is poured into the tank, and it pushes air out of the system.

In what order should you bleed the brakes? The brake system is pumped in the following order: from the far wheel to the near one - right behind, left behind, right in front, left in front.

How can one bleed the brakes with abs? The pumping union is unscrewed, the hydraulic pump is turned on (the ignition is activated), the brake is pressed (any weight on the pedal). Liquid is periodically added to the reservoir. The fitting is twisted, the pedal is released.