How to Bleed Brakes

When your brakes feel squishy, and the pedal travel is further than you’d like, bleeding the brakes to get air out of the system can completely solve the problem, and lead to safer drives around Dayton. Wondering how to bleed brakes by yourself? Or perhaps just how to bleed brake lines in general? We’ve got you covered with the steps below. Get in touch with us if you have any questions, and remember that you can always use our online service scheduler to have us do this procedure for you at a good cost.

Why is Bleeding the Brakes Important?

The brake fluid, the medium that transfers your pedal force to the brakes themselves that stop the vehicle, can become contaminated with air over time. This leads to worse feel, and over time worse brake performance. This means that every so often, bleeding the brakes can enhance their feel noticeably back to the factory setup, allowing for better brake performance around Springfield.

How to Bleed Brakes By Yourself

This is how you bleed your brakes. You will need brake fluid, a box-end wrench, a fluid holder and tubing, and an assistant to help you. If you don’t have an assistant, you will need a kit with a powered pump. Here are the steps:

Step 1:

First, check your owner’s manual to make sure you have the correct brake fluid. There are many different types of brake fluid, so it’s important to know which is right for your vehicle. The owner’s manual will also tell you what the replacement intervals are for brake fluid.

Step 2:

On solid and level ground, jack up your car. Remove all of the wheels.

Step 3:

Next, find the four caliper bleeding screws and loosen them. (If they don’t loosen immediately, don’t twist hard with the wrench. Instead, spray the screw with penetrating oil and wait about 30 minutes. Then, give it another try. If the screw strips or snaps, don’t go any further — bring your car to our service center right away.)

Step 4:

After the screws are loosened, tighten them again. Bleeding your brakes is a slow process and you need to bleed one brake at a time; the other three screws need to be tight to avoid air bubbles.

Step 5:

Pop the hood and check the master cylinder reservoir’s brake fluid level. Make sure your car has the appropriate amount of fluid. While you’re bleeding the brakes, leave the master cylinder cap unscrewed but still resting on top of the reservoir. To start, you’ll want to bleed the brake furthest from the master cylinder, but your vehicle may require a different order. You can check your owner’s manual or ask a technician for guidance.

Step 6:

Secure the end of a piece of clear tubing (about 1/4 inches in diameter) over the first bleeder screw. Put the other end of the tubing into a receptacle of some sort, such as a plastic bottle. You can also purchase a cheap brake bleeding kit from any auto store —or order one online — that’ll have these items. In any case, the tubing needs to be long enough that you can place the catch container above the bleeder screw’s height. This way, any air caught in the tube won’t move back into the brake caliper.

Step 7:

You’ll need an assistant for this next step. Make sure the car engine is off, and ask your assistant to pump the brake pedal several times until they feel resistance pushing back against the pedal. Instruct them to keep pressure on the pedal. Meanwhile, open the bleeder screw a bit. Fluid will move through the tube and the pedal will start dropping closer to the floor. Make sure your assistant continues to apply pressure.

Step 8:

Have your helper notify you immediately before the pedal reaches the floor. When they do, close the bleeder screw right away. Then, inspect the fluid level in the master fluid reservoir. You may need to add fresh fluid.

Step 9:

Repeat the previous two steps about five times at the same bleeder screw, or until the fluid stream no longer has any bubbles.

Step 10:

Then, repeat steps 7, 8, and 9 on the other three bleeder screws in the correct order — starting with the screw further away from the master cylinder and moving to the one closest to it.

Step 11:

After you’ve finished bleeding your brakes, instruct your helper to apply the brakes, then quickly release the pedal. While they do that, watch the fluid in the master cylinder reservoir. If the fluid is bubbling significantly, there’s still air in the system and you’re not quite done. However, if the fluid is moving only slightly, you’ve bled the brakes fully.

Step 12:

Before putting the wheels back on your car, tighten each of the bleeder screws. Again, don’t use all of your strength — just apply enough pressure to make sure they’re secure.

Get Brake Service at Dave Arbogast Buick GMC!

We’ve got many more service and parts tips here at Dave Arbogast Buick GMC! And we can take care of your brake servicing for you, near Sidney.