How do you replace brake fluid

How do you replace the old brake fluid with new fluid?The place near me wants 69 bucks to do it.But if it's simple enough I think I can attempt it.
Thanks in advance.

to do it yourself you will need the one-man brake bleed valve ~$5 a small clamp to fit over the brake bleed screw and a piece of clear hose that is at least 1 foot long and maybe even 3-5 feet long. Need a wrench to turn the brake bleed valve open. A jar to hold the brake fluid. For $69 I would say their asking price was very fair. May want ramps and a jack, but generally it's not necessary if you are lean and are able to get under there. That was bullshit = better get ramps $20 so you can see what you are doing.

There are $10-20 kits for this sort of thing with the one man brake bleed valve. I tried one of those $50 hand pump vacuum brake-bleed kits and mine didn't work well. (I checked this out on the net and it seems you need to wire tie the tubes to the pump or else you get air leaks = that was my problem = honestly I thought the $5 one-man bleed valve worked better and was simpler)

http://www.mytoolstore.com/kd/kdbrak02.html the one-man bleeder is at the top and any auto store should carry it.

The thing about working on your car the first time is that all the tools will cost you, but then when you need to do your brake pads in another year or two you will be at least 1/2 ready. If you are planning on bleeding your brakes and it's below freezing where you live, I would pay the $69 and have the shop do it (expect some add on costs also = typical)

http://www.drivewerks.com/tech/mult_bleed_brakes2.htm

I was about to pose the same Q. I have a "1 man bleeder" named Max, (16 yr. old son) :). My concerns are how do you know when you're done? Does the fluid change colors? We can work our way around using the bleeders and filling the resivior but when/how do you know that you've flushed each brake location?

Thanks.

jstin

the fluid should have changed color and there should be no air bubbles in the tube.

with the one-man bleeder you really don't need to worry about the air coming back up (it's a one-way valve) otherwise the tube should be in the bottom of a jar or something filled with old brake fluid (air escapes, but won't let air back into the tube)

a properly fitted plastic tube is just as good or better than the one-man bleeder tube. Sometimes it's hard finding the correct inner diameter that is also flexible for the correct snug fit. = use a hose clamp.

tube...? what tube? :)

If I have a helper doing the push, hold, release thing with me at the bleeder, would that work? Probably take forever to flush the entire line at 4corners that way eh?

Will the old fluid be darker than the new?

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e277/liquid100percent/84862205.gif

You are a funny man. I like a jar that is much taller than this and can hold about 4-5x (juice/olive/fruit nectar glass jar) the volume (the width is good).

Yes the old fluid will be darker. Since you have a helper you can open one bleeder screw at a time, place your finger over the bleeder and have Max gently push the brake pedal to the floor. Your finger will work as the check valve as Max allows the pedal to return. You won't need to open and close the bleeder or repeat the rediculous sounding up, down, or 1,2, words. Be sure the pedal is all the way up and wait a couple of seconds before pushing down again. You will have the resevoir almost empty in no time. Calipers require a lot more fluid to flush them than wheel cylinders especially if the pads are worn. You shouldn't need to raise the vehicle. You will make a considerable mess that water will wash away.

the thumb on the brake bleed is new to me, why not just suck on the bleeder with your mouth?

Remember brake fluid helps take off paint also. You guys really like to make a mess of things. You also don't want any air in this system, I'm unsure if the thumb would seal enough.

I think the traditional method of closing the valve off before letting the pedal back up still works just. Yes its slow and a PITA, but it does work right?

pd I know you can present yourself with a more possitive attitude.

the thumb on the brake bleed is new to me, why not just suck on the bleeder with your mouth?

This is exactly why I share my knowledge and experience with you... so you can learn something. The information is as you say a new one on you, which in this case means exactly that... nothing more.

You can find the answer to your question about sucking on your thumb or bleeder screws with your mouth if you search "Brake fluid MSDS" No doubt searching "where can I find my lost sense of humor" will bring you tremendous blessing as well! By all means use the method that you enjoy most if you replace brake fluid.

Yes the traditional method described of coordinating with the foot on the pedal while opening and closing the bleeder still works. Brake fluid will gravity flow into a caliper and remove every last air bubble through the open bleeder while the brake pedal is all the way up with a properly adjusted m/cyl. Any time a brake system is bled by pushing the brake pedal to the floor, there is risk of damaging the seals in the master cyl because contamination forms in the area of the bore where the seals have not previosly traveled. The best way to bleed is to use a low pressure bleeder that seals air from the stored fluid, use this pressurized clean fluid to pressurize the M/cyl and catching all of the fluid that is removed for proper desposal. This is the traditional procedure that I most prefer to use when I replace brake fluid.

You don't need to push the pedal all the way down if the master cylinder is crusty inside (another reason to change the fluid more often). (The pedal typically doesn't travel that far and corrosion happens inside = you push the seal into the corrosion, damaging the seal)

Bottom line:
One-man valve = you can do it with one person.
Two men: need a wrench to turn the valve, if the tube is in the fluid the bubbles will find their way out so just keep pumping with the valve open until more fluid is needed. If you want to open and close the valve every pump you can do that also.

I have seen kits that bleed the other way forcing the air up, but I doubt they will work unless they can screw on tightly due to the higher pressure needed.

There are also bleed valves that are automatic. A one-way valve is built in for bleeding.
http://www.speedbleeder.com/ $7 each steel

Have an extra tool-box filled with hoses and clamps for this sort of crap. =Thats what I like to do and it helps these rubbers and vinyls from drying out. Thank God the Intrigue does not have drum brakes = much harder to explain (and to do right).

The problem with the one man bleeder is that it may not fit the bleeder nipple correctly and you need to use a clamp. + a wrench underneath that to turn the valve on/off. A real tight fitting vinyl tube (fish tank hose= thin and flexible) sometimes works better. 2-stroke engine gas hose can also be good. Tight fit with no air-leaks (one connection) is better than anything else that just adds more complication (more than one connection). I have the MightyVac pump set ~$50 and I thought it was mostly worthless for bleeding brakes. You want a vinyl tube with a snug inner diameter and a thin wall = flexible and snug and hard to find.

I also bend up (red hot heat) a few small hex wrenches to fit (hard for a straight wrench to work well) these bleeders valves correctly. A must with my 66 Charger drums + the front and rear bleed valves have different nipples (2 heat-bent wrenches)

Back bleeders also work well for removing air. I have seen and used them. Pressure is not an issue. A piece of vacuum hose works exceptionally well to connect from varios sizes of bleeder screws to the spring loaded pump. The problem is that they don't replace brake fluid. If anything they pump dirty fluid back into the master cyl. The one man speedbleeder is one of many good ways to bleed brakes.

I would think the instructions with the bleeder kits answer this, but, do you bleed the breaks with the engine running or with the engine off?

No differance. The engine need not/should not be running.

Also, Like Justsaygo says, brake fluid will gravity feed without pumping the pedal at all. Get as much fluid out of the master cylinder reservoir as you can and fill with fresh. Then gravity bleed one wheel at a time until the fluid is running clear. (Maintain the level in the reservoir as you are doing this).

The best way is to use a pressure bleeder that attaches to the master cylinder, but they are expensive.