Bleeding front brake

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PIStaker
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Bleeding front brake

Post by PIStaker »

I recently replaced my stock tires for some whitewalls and painted my rims.
Upon putting the front disc brake on, I noticed a drastic difference in the distance my brake lever travels.
I am going to bleed the brakes tomorrow, but do I need special "Buddy" brake fluid or will standard automotive brake fluid suffice?
And oh yeah. Any tips on bleeding the brakes? I've never done it before.
I understand the concept, just never done it myself.
My father in law who is an automotive repair wiz will be on hand to do most of the work, if not all. Is there anything special to watch out for, or is it pretty straight forward for someone who has done automotive brakes before?
Am I looking at a trip to Harbor Freight for any of these?

http://www.harborfreight.com/catalogsea ... rake+bleed

Thanks as always for the advice.
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Lostmycage
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Post by Lostmycage »

It's pretty straight forward with a single caliper system. Pull the headset plastic off to get to the reservoir. Make sure the reservoir doesn't empty and use the vacuum pump. Use fresh fluid, you know... all the usual stuff. :)

Also, as much as I love Harbor Freight, go to Autozone and buy their "OEM" Brand Brake vacuum bleeder, it's a repackaged Mitivac (it's on the handle plain as day) for a fraction of the cost. Actually, it's a fraction of the cost of an Official Mitivac set - I think it was around the $25-$30 range.

You might as well check the tension on the rear brake while you're at it. The procedure should be in the Service Manual (check the FAQ section under General Maintenance).
Check out :arrow: Scoot Richmond's new site: My awesome local shop.
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PIStaker
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thx

Post by PIStaker »

LMC,
Thanks for the info. I will go the autozone route as suggested.
The back brakes looked and feel good. Had to remove it to paint the rear wheel.
Thanks again,
Mike
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AtlBuddy
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Post by AtlBuddy »

I just bled mine last night. I had taken my caliper off and apart to paint it. The bleeding process is pretty simple. Using the vac pump will make it even easier. Two things I would add however is when you open the bled nipple, just barely crack it. If you open it too much air can go around the threads. You want to have it just loose enough to get the fluid through. Additionally, be very careful with the brakefluid. It can make plastic brittle and eat paint like crazy. I use windex to clean any spits where I see brake fluid. Some how, I got brake fluid on the lower part of my floor mat and it ate up my bottom plastic and caused it to crack in several spots as the paint to peel. I had to replace the piece($29.00). Don't want to worry you but brake fluid is very caustic. Btw, the cover on the tesevoir says use either dot 3 or dot 4 fluid which is strange to me since I always heard you can not mix them. I used dot 3.
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PIStaker
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Update

Post by PIStaker »

Decided that the $19.95 cost of replacing the pads was cheaper and easier than bleeding the brakes and buying the gear to do so.
Front brake pads replaced in 5 minutes flat. Done and done.
brakes work fine :D
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gearhead
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Post by gearhead »

when i go there in july, i can show you how to bleed the brakes without the machine. 12mm wrench to loosen and tighten the banjo bolt off the master cylinder to get the air out.
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Lostmycage
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Post by Lostmycage »

gearhead wrote:when i go there in july, i can show you how to bleed the brakes without the machine. 12mm wrench to loosen and tighten the banjo bolt off the master cylinder to get the air out.
I'd be careful with that. Most Banjo bolts are paired with a crush washer that's meant to be used once.

If you want to bleed without a vacuum pump, you could connect the tubing to the bleed nipple and submerse the end in some brake fluid and then pump the brake handle, but you end up wasting a lot of fluid that way. The pump is the way to go, they're handy for many different jobs.
Check out :arrow: Scoot Richmond's new site: My awesome local shop.
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gearhead
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Post by gearhead »

ive done it twice on the setup that i have using the same method and everthig is fine.
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