HOW TO BLEED THE BRAKES ON YOUR VEHICLE
At GoodyearBrakes.com, our goal is to assist anyone who would like to successfully perform the task of changing, upgrading or installing new brakes on their truck, SUV or passenger vehicle.
A big part of properly changing or attending to your brakes is know how to bleed year brakes. The reason to bleed the brakes is to remove the old brake fluid and replace it with new, clean brake fluid. Over time, air and moisture can seep into your brake fluid and your brakes lines, causing your brakes to stop less effectively or even fail. For this reason,
it’s a good idea to change the fluid when you change your brakes. Remember, before you perform any do-it-yourself project on your vehicle, refer to your owner’s manual for any instructions that may be specific to your vehicle.
STEP ONE- BLEEDING THE BRAKES
Step one at GoodyearBrakes.com always begins with safety, so make sure you’re wearing your safety glasses and a good pair of protective work gloves. We will also require some tools and materials to get the job done right.
- A bleeder bottle and 3/16” tube
- Brake fluid (check manual for correct brake fluid specifications)
- A suction tool to remove old brake fluid from the reservoir
- A funnel
- A ratchet set
- A box of rags
- An oil catch pan
- Box end wrench
Have a friend help you! Bleeding your brakes requires a little assistance - someone needs to press the brake pedal for you.
Okay, let’s get started. Once we have safely jacked up the vehicle per the vehicle’s owner’s manual instructions, we can bleed the brakes.
Grab a box end wrench and some brake fluid. NOTE: Brake fluid is extremely corrosive, so always clean up any drips or spills. If you spill any on a painted surface, you will want to remove it within a few minutes. In fact, it’s better to be prepared for this possibility by having supplies at hand. With a paper towel, blot up the spilled brake fluid. Flush any painted surfaces with plenty of water to ensure it’s been rinsed away.
Use the suction tool to suction out the old brake fluid from the master cylinder. Then pour your new brake fluid into the master cylinder up to the fill line. As you bleed each brake, frequently check to make sure you have brake fluid in your master cylinder.
Fill the bleeder bottle about half of the way with brake fluid and put the tube through the hole all the way to the bottom of the bleeder bottle.
STEP TWO – CONNECT THE BLEEDER BOTTLE AND BEGIN BLEEDING THE BRAKES.
STEP THREE - REPEAT
You will repeat this process for each of the brakes on your vehicle. Make sure you tighten all the bleeder valves as you complete the bleeding of each brake.
Finally, press down on the brake. You should get a good, firm feel when you depress the pedal. Take your vehicle out to test the brakes properly.
- Perform 15 stops from 35 to 40 MPH down to 5 MPH
- Allow the brakes to cool for 30 seconds between stops
- Avoid panic stops or hard braking for 200 miles.
Okay, so now you have the skills and tools to bleed the brakes on your vehicle Bleeding your own brakes is an excellent way to keep your Goodyear quality brakes working properly while keeping your passengers safe.
