Bleeding my brakes?

[Reemo]

Just upgraded my front brakes. Now im asking whats the bleeding order in my civic. I have heard that needs to be bled in cross-order but im not sure. And the brake fluid should be DOT-4?

Heres some pics

Before:
http://www.motorfreaks.org/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-1864

After:
http://www.motorfreaks.org/gallery/displayimage.php?album=267&pos=3

I hope a dramatic improvement because in before pic those pads had no surface at all. Wonder how i did brake before at all..

[Volume 8]

pretty sure you want to start at the right rear, then go left rear, then right front to the left front.

[j_unit22785]

you should use DOT 3 and the correct order that i do for my civics is 1. RR 2. LR 3. RF 4. LF also make sure you keep and eye on fluid so when you pump the pedal you dont get more air in lines, you know.... good luck!!

[buklae620]

this is my process of bleeding brakes:

do the usual X amount of pumps on the brake pedal, to build up presssure in the system, but instead of unscrewing the valves on the caliper or drum, unscrew the brake line that connects to the master cylinder.

keep repeating this process until all the air is out.

ive done this on numerous customer vehicles, including my own and have yet to have a problem. this saves you from having to bleed EACH side, as in the passenger rear, passenger front, driver front, driver rear.

if you are not comfortable with this process, then id recommend bleeding brakes starting with the passenger rear, then passenger front, driver front, and ending in the driver rear.

[Volume 8]

this is my process of bleeding brakes:

do the usual X amount of pumps on the brake pedal, to build up presssure in the system, but instead of unscrewing the valves on the caliper or drum, unscrew the brake line that connects to the master cylinder.

keep repeating this process until all the air is out.

Maybe I'm misreading this but I'm having a little trouble understanding what you mean. I don't understand how you could force air out of the system if you disconnect the lines from the source of fluid pressure(master cylinder).

[lastresort576]

now i could have thought the bled order is supposed to be because the lines are on a crossed system so if you have a break leak you will still have front breaks.

example: i had a lose banjo bolt on the drivers front, but i initially thought that the leak was in the rear because that rotor was the only rusty one meaning that that caliper was not functioning...in reality the front left where the banjo bolt goes into the caliper it was pissing fluid when the brakes were pressed...telling me its a crossed system for saftey issues.

and the order i thought the brakes need to be bleed are: 1) RR, 2) LF, 3) LR, 4) RF

[spadam]

and the order i thought the brakes need to be bleed are: 1) RR, 2) LF, 3) LR, 4) RF

This is the correct order per what I was taught at Honda school. :TU::TU:

As a general rule of thumb, you start at the wheel furthest from the m/c and then cross to the opposite. So a rhd car would start at the lr

[Volume 8]

Nice, glad someone could nail that down. :TU:

[lastresort576]

This is the correct order per what I was taught at Honda school. :TU::TU:

As a general rule of thumb, you start at the wheel furthest from the m/c and then cross to the opposite. So a rhd car would start at the lr

damn i was hoping i was doin it wrong lol. no matter what i do for some reason it always feels like i have air in the system.

[buklae620]

Maybe I'm misreading this but I'm having a little trouble understanding what you mean. I don't understand how you could force air out of the system if you disconnect the lines from the source of fluid pressure(master cylinder).

i apologize for not being clear, but when i meant disconnect, i actually meant loosen the flare nut on the brake line that runs to the master cylinder. once pressure is built up in the system, loosening the brake hard line will release the pressure.....you can hear and see the fluid splat out.

i see it as "bench bleeding" the brake m.c., but instead of using a bench, im using the car.....

i left out part of my process. the part i left out was, once the brake m.c. is installed on the vehicle, i'll take the plastic lines and fittings and install them onto the brake m.c. (the plastic fittings and lines that come with the brake m.c. when you purchase them from the auto parts store - they are suppose to used when bench bleeding the brake m.c. - and bench bleeding is recommended before installation)

anyway - once ive installed the brake m.c. on the car, installed the plastic fittings and lines on the brake m.c., i'll go ahead and fill the brake m.c. with brake fluid.

now before pressing on the brake, i'll point/route the plastic lines into the brake m.c. reservoir. once that is accomplished ill have a 2nd person press the brakes until fluid is pushed through the brake m.c. on the first few pumps i'll notice alot of air bubbles.

after a few pumps to get the fluid going through, i'll remove the plastic lines, remove the plastic fittings, and install the brake hard lines. once the brake hard lines are installed, ill have a 2nd person pump the brakes for about X amount of times to build up pressure.

once pressure is built up in the system, and the person pressing the brake pedal, holds the pedal to the ground, i'll then loosen the brake hard line with a flare nut (aka line wrench). once it's loosened, fluid will spray out, and any air in the brake system is released.

i repeat the process until all the air is removed, and the way i determine that there is no more air in the system is by looking at the spray pattern of the brake fluid once i disconnect the brake hard line.

if it comes out in a mist, then i will assume there is air. if it comes out spraying all over the place in a thick stream like nature, then i will assume that all the air is removed.

never once have i had a problem with this process. now i have done it like how others suggested, and both ways work. ive tried both and they work.

[Volume 8]

Ok, makes more sense now. You're talking about bleeding the master cylinder itself.

[buklae620]

Ok, makes more sense now. You're talking about bleeding the master cylinder itself.


:TU:
:TU:
:TU:

[spadam]

That bleeds air from the m/c, but not the wheel lines. That is the proper way to do it when replacing a master cylinder, but you still need to pull the new fluid all the way through to the wheels to do a complete bleed.

[buklae620]

That bleeds air from the m/c, but not the wheel lines. That is the proper way to do it when replacing a master cylinder, but you still need to pull the new fluid all the way through to the wheels to do a complete bleed.

that is VERY TRUE. and i thought the same thing when i first tried it. i was taught that process from a relative, who is an experienced mechanic who had 20+ yrs in the business, and i worked side by side with him for about 1 yr, doing side jobs on the weekends.

i cant remember when the last time was that i actually bled the brakes, by using the bleeder valve on the caliper......i have become so use to this other process and it has worked very well for me and some of my customers.

to each his own.....:TU: