bleeding brakes...can anyone help pls?

Z

zach72

Guest
hi...I've just changed front pads and disks...but lost some fluid from both front calipers (a single piston on each came out to far while I was freeing them up)
I'm off to get a bleed kit.........but......do I really have to do the rears too???

can't see how the air would've got down there....but does anyone know??

thx
 
Braveheart

Braveheart

New Member
Make sure you keep the reservoir topped up at all times.
You can try just bleeding the front first and see what the paddle is like.
When I upgraded my brake. New front four pots and braided lines and 5.1 fluid, I just gravety bleed the lot. I quickly blead the air out the front then gravity blead all four.

Opened the blead nipple on n/s rear caliper, gravity blead until the 5.1 started to come through. Do the same for o/s rear, n/s front, o/s front.

The brakes were perfect.

If you have changed pads and not disks, the peddle will feel a bit sloppy until the pads bed in to the old disks.

Good luck!
 
GTIR-LOZ

GTIR-LOZ

New Member
the bleed kits you buy etc have no adapter for the japanese type brake fluid reservoir cap do as braveheart suggests
 
Z

zach72

Guest
cheers guys...I've got a kit now....but it's actually nothing more than a clear pipe with a non return valve...

I didn't expect the following problem though....wilwood calipers...

the bleed nipple is screwed into the caliper with an 11mm head....but on top of this is a probably 4mm hex head (just below where you';d expect the fluid to come out) I've loosened the 11mm slightly, but fluid started seeping past the thread....so presumably I need to undo the tiny hex head which is higher up.....does this sound right???

cheers
 
Braveheart

Braveheart

New Member
I got nothing out of the wilwood bleed nipples either.... :shock: and did not use a bleed kit.
I just unscewed the bleed nipple fully... held it in my hand, watched the air / bubbles come out, waited for the new fluid to appear and refitted the bleed nipple.
Use the top outside nipple and remember to keep your fluid topped up.
 
Braveheart

Braveheart

New Member
zach72 said:
cheers guys...I've got a kit now....but it's actually nothing more than a clear pipe with a non return valve...

I didn't expect the following problem though....wilwood calipers...

the bleed nipple is screwed into the caliper with an 11mm head....but on top of this is a probably 4mm hex head (just below where you';d expect the fluid to come out) I've loosened the 11mm slightly, but fluid started seeping past the thread....so presumably I need to undo the tiny hex head which is higher up.....does this sound right???

cheers
Click to expand...
I should make myself clearer....
Yes... 11mm hex... I did not try to loosen the small 4-5 mm hex just below nipple. Looked a bit too delicate and did not want to break it....;-)
Maybe that's why nothing came out on the nipple but the method I used I did not need to see fluid there anyway or fit bleed pipe kit.
 
Z

zach72

Guest
well it's done now.....

but the top bit of one of the bleed nipples was seized and broke off......what braveheart said is what happened.(nothing fluid from the top bit of the bleed nipple)

so I've now bought some traditional "one piece" bleed nipples, but it's dark so I need to wait for tomorrow to get them in there. Strikes me that wilwood have over complicated things there (mind you if it wasn't seized it would have meant that there was absolurely no chance of stripping the thread on the caliper, maybe that's why they use these?)

lets just hope the new nipply bits are the right size...Sh*t it was cold out there today. thanks for all your help guys

Still stops OK though, despite a pedal which needs a pump before it gets hard...mind you, don't we all....erm...god knows how many times that one's been done before :)
 
Braveheart

Braveheart

New Member
Sh1t.... :doh: . Are you saying that the very top section (nipple and 4mm hex) of the Wilwood bleed nipple broke off.?
And, are you saying that having broke off, there was no fluid leaking / passing through the broken nipple?
 
Z

zach72

Guest
exactly that... so looking down the remains of the nipple you can see the hole, but even after repeating pumping of the pedal no fluid came out.....I reckon the 4mm top section must have a barrel which goes all the way down the centre of the 11mm bit and only the act of undoing it actually allows fluid through...job for tomorrow. any idea if all of these 11mm hex nipples have the same size thread ???
 
Braveheart

Braveheart

New Member
zach72 said:
exactly that... so looking down the remains of the nipple you can see the hole, but even after repeating pumping of the pedal no fluid came out.....I reckon the 4mm top section must have a barrel which goes all the way down the centre of the 11mm bit and only the act of undoing it actually allows fluid through...job for tomorrow. any idea if all of these 11mm hex nipples have the same size thread ???
Click to expand...
OK.... no biggy!
You may be thinking along the same lines having asked:
"any idea if all of these 11mm hex nipples have the same size thread ???"

Yes... they are all the same.
You could just move / swap the broken (ugly...lol) nipple to a less visable port and put a good one in the top outer.... ;-) You can get spares from a Wilwood supplier.

Be very careful if you do decide to get different bleed nipples, be 100% sure the thread is the same or you will damage the caliper ...:doh: .
 
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Z

zach72

Guest
yep - thats the plan...I've picked up some new nipples with an 11mm hex and will see if it's possible to replace the broken one with these one piece nippled.....they're not wilwood...so if they don't fit I'll be tryin to get something from HiSpec or someone similar
 
Z

zach72

Guest
yep - bleed nipples on these wilwood calipers are completely different to the 'standard' one piece nipples I bought yesterday.
I need wilwood nipples ! off the road for another bl**dy week.
 
Z

zach72

Guest
sourced the new nipples...rally design...they look like a real good outfit.

I can't use the car properly 'cuz the brakes still need bleeding...I als noticed that the "good" nipple was weeping following my test drive.....I need to get the nipples on there and bleed the brakes properly.
 
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