Brake Time !

[EErmert]

O. k. , It's Time To Change The Brakes! Need Help Here, Pictures, Brake Bleeding, Etc, Etc. Thanks In Advance !

Eric '03 Swb Srw Qc 6spd Limited Slt 4x4 White 3500

 

[DavidC]

As long as you do not open the system up and use a c clamp or similar device to push the piston at the caliper back in you should not have to bleed the brakes. If you have not added make up fluid to the system the fluid will end up near the full line. If you have added make up fluid you may have to suck some out so the canister does not overflow when you compress the piston back in. Install the new pads and your done. It has been recommended to change the fluid every 2 years tho. This is best done with a pressure bleeder as no brake pumping, one person operation, takes about an hour, removes contaminants (moisture etc. ) and as long as you do not let the bottle go empty there is no air induced in the system.



http://www.motiveproducts.com/02bleeders.html



Dave

 

[EErmert]

Dave - I Have Not Used A Power Bleeder, They Do Come With Instrutions?

 

[DavidC]

Yes, instructions included. Very easy to use. Once you have one you will wonder why you did not get one a long time ago. They sure make it nice.



Dave

 

[DavidC]

I should mention the one I have is the 0250 model.



Dave

 

[DavidC]

Eric, I did find the instructions on their site.

http://www.motiveproducts.com/10instruct.html



Dave

 

[Wayne M.]

I've been doing brake jobs for a long time, and the method in post #2 was always how it was done. Recently,In light of sensitive and expensive ABS equipment that's on cars and trucks today, It's really not a good idea to push the fluid that's in the calipers back into the system.

I've been opening up the bleeders before I push back. By doing this you're getting rid of the worst fluid in the system, and adding fresh fluid at the same time (just watch and add fluid when pushing out the pistons). This is a good compromise to doing a full pressure bleed. If you crack open a bleeder on completion, there should be a gravity flow (as long as the master cyl cap is off and it is higher than the wheel you're working on) that will let any air out.

On some vehicles with ABS (not sure about our system) you need a scan tool to do a full flush and bleed to activate the pump and move fluid that's in accumulators and such.

If you choose to pressure bleed, do it before you push the pistons back to avoid sending that stale fluid back instead of out.

 

[jelag]

I agree with Wayne... ..... you never put a c-clamp on the piston and push the fluid back to the master cylinder... . I had a quality motorcycle shop try this on my touring bike... . its a quick shortcut... . and one that can can cost you ABS and Master Cylinder parts... . always inspect the boot on the caliper. . if the boot has dirt behind it. . or its damaged rebuild the calipers... . if all is fine with the calipers, open the bleeder and let the dirty fluid flow into a catch container... we put a short hose on the bleeder and run it into something that won't melt from the fluid... once the calipers are back together we bleed each wheel starting with the longest one first... . using almost a quart of brake fluid making sure that we have clean fresh fluid in the system... .

On our 04 pulling a trailer the first brake job was at 160K miles using the exhaust brake all the time..... on our 00 F550 I think the first brake job was at 150K miles... We use a premium pad and because of the dirt usually end up putting kits in the calipers each time... .

Dirt behind the caliper boot can cause pulling to one side of the road, short pad life, and excessive heat to the point the rotors can crack from the drag, you might not feel in the cab... . and in a panic stop I want all the brakes working at 110%..... This is one spot you don't want to cut corners... .

 

[HOBrian]

WARNING!! If you plan on bleeding the brakes loosen the bleeders screws a day or two ahead of time not a lot just cracked em and tighten. (just to make sure that they do loosen) The reason I am telling you this is that there are several of us out there that have broken bleeder screws on the calipers. :{ I would hate for you to get everything off and ready to bleed only to find that the bleeder screws have broken because they were to tight from the factory.

 

[Wayne M.]

WARNING!! If you plan on bleeding the brakes loosen the bleeders screws a day or two ahead of time not a lot just cracked em and tighten. (just to make sure that they do loosen) The reason I am telling you this is that there are several of us out there that have broken bleeder screws on the calipers. :{ I would hate for you to get everything off and ready to bleed only to find that the bleeder screws have broken because they were to tight from the factory.

Yes, this has always been a problem, especially with oldies. The little booties they put on the bleeders help a lot. I always use a bleeder wrench (a beefy 6 point box wrench meant for the job) or a real good 6 point wrench or socket. If there's no movement with moderate force, I get a propane torch and a small (1/4") worn out or sacrifical socket and small slugger to lightly hit on the tip of the bleeder. A lot of patience goes a long way here, usually with good results. I don't think you can do much heat damage to the caliper if you keep it around the screw/ boss.

 

[HOBrian]

Yes, this has always been a problem, especially with oldies. The little booties they put on the bleeders help a lot. I always use a bleeder wrench (a beefy 6 point box wrench meant for the job) or a real good 6 point wrench or socket. If there's no movement with moderate force, I get a propane torch and a small (1/4") worn out or sacrifical socket and small slugger to lightly hit on the tip of the bleeder. A lot of patience goes a long way here, usually with good results. I don't think you can do much heat damage to the caliper if you keep it around the screw/ boss.

Take a look at this

https://www.turbodieselregister.com/forums/showthread.php?t=138060&highlight=brakes

I broke mine with a 3 inch long wrench

 

[thashane]

I agree with DavidC that the motive power bleeder is an awesome product (for the record they also have top notch customer service) that makes 1man bleeding an extremely simple task. Although I have yet to try it on the truck, it has worked great for me so far on my non abs vehicles.

Speaking of abs vehicles, will a scanner be required on a 3rd gen truck in order to do a power flush?

 

[Wayne M.]

Take a look at this

https://www.turbodieselregister.com/forums/showthread.php?t=138060&highlight=brakes

I broke mine with a 3 inch long wrench

Brian, that was a great thread, good refrence for this thread (I only read one page).

I don't know what to say about the picture. That looks to be a decent beefy bleeder... maybe it's a victim of DCX cost cutting (cheap grade)? maybe you're a lot stronger than you think? This is a great application for a screw extractor since a pilot hole is already there. At this point you MUST use heat.

I have found that the Rigid (straight fluted) extractors are the best. I also use the Snap-on/ Hanson left hand ez out with good results, especially on soft alloys where they can really bite in and not expand the metal much.

The guy who suggested plug welding a nut there is real hard core mechanic. That's how we remove broken studs in heavy truck wheel spokes.



Maybe I'll check out that power bleeder. What does it cost? I also use the bleeder attachment on the Mighty-vac, that works real well too.



As I said before, I'm not sure about a full bleed on our trucks without the DRB. I would think you could get by without it.