Brake bleeding question....

Doing the front breaks on my 97 GP SE, tired of the skreeching noise. The pads are still good, so I susspect maybe just really cheep pads, maybe bummed rotar?
At any rate, I managed to get the caliper off but am unable o simply compress the piston as I have been with other vehicles. This vehicle has ABS on it(which I hate), and my experiance with ABS is limited. Any suggestions as to how I should bleed this system? Any precautions I should be taking? Can I just completly remove ABS all together? I really dont care for ABS.

Any feedback is greatly appreciated folks.
Did I mention I dont like ABS? Anyway, thanks again!

JP

The problem is when disabling the ABS braking system the traction control system and low tire monitor will be disabled along with it. You can temporarily disable ABS by pulling the ABS fuse but it is not recommended. Conventional braking will still work, however, you will have the ABS and Trac lights on constantly. Poor quality or worn rotors or pads will affect how efficiently the ABS will work.

When compressing the caliper piston it helps to loosen the bleeder valve on that respective caliper.

As for overall system bleeding you bleed ABS the same as conventional.

Make sure the master cylinder is topped off with brake fluid and recheck during bleeding process. Attach a small rubber hose to the brake caliper nipple and let the other end hang inside an empty container. Ask your assistant to firmly and quickly press on the pedal 3 times, and hold it down the third time. Then, open up the bleed nipple by unscrewing it slightly. Brake fluid should come rushing out and the pedal should sink to the floor. Make sure that your assistant doesn’t remove their foot from the pedal, as that will suck air back into the system. With the pedal still depressed to the floor, tighten up the bleed nipple. When the nipple is closed, have your assistant remove their foot from the pedal.

When you are bleeding the system, start with the wheel that is farthest away from the master cylinder, and then work your way back towards the front left wheel. In other words bleed the system in this order: right-rear, left-rear, right-front, left-front. Bleeding in this order will minimize the amount of air that gets into the system. Always bleed each caliper more than once, because bleeding the other calipers can dislodge air into the system. A good rule of thumb is the more you bleed, the better your brakes will be.

Outstanding walkthrough, thank you very much.
Another simple question:
Say I just want to change the front pads, all I need to do is compress the piston back into the caliper, I should just loosen the nipple a little and that will allow me to move the piston back in correct? I was under the idea that if you let loose any pressure from the break sysytem, you should bleed it.
I really just need to change the pads on this car, thats it, if I can get away without bleeding the breaks, that would be great. (in the 90's here and humid =p).

JP

Whether you can just change the pads depends on the condition of the rotors. If the rotors are worn or have lateral runout then you'll probably wind up doing it over again sooner or later.

You'll definitely need to compress the piston back into the caliper due to the new pads having extra material in order to get the caliper installed over the rotor. Just open the bleeder valve a little. To be safe you can connect a hose to the bleeder valve nipple and dip the other end of the hose into a small container with brake fluid in it. That way you have less of a chance of air getting into the system.

I use a caliper piston compressor tool. Even with the tool I had to open the bleeder valve. As soon as the piston is in properly and flush, immediately close the bleeder valve. However, that may not preclude having to bleed the system but to start just bleed the respective one you are working on first or do the front only.

Also, keep an eye on the fluid level in the master cylinder and open the cap because the level will probably increase due to the new pads unless you happen to lose a lot of fluid when opening the bleeder valve as mentioned above. You'll know when the brakes feel good because they will be firm and not spongy feeling indicating all air is out of the system. Good luck!

Yes, just changing the pads, the rotors are nice and smooth yet, no grooves. But you have answered my question, just bleed the nipple a little (that can really be taken into the wrong context), then close it ASAP once I have piston flush.
Yes that would have been the problem I would have been facing, was not being able to get the caliper back on, due to the travel of the piston. I'll give it a shot in the morning. Good note on the brake fluid level, the whole gravity feed thing, I would have completly forgot to make sure she's topped off.
Again thank you Bnaylor for the help, I appologzize for the ignorant questions, but better to than just assume and cause chaos on this car.


JP