2021 Subaru CrossTrek Brake Bleed Gone Bad!

What started as a simple brake flush went sideways went after completing what I thought was the correct process, I suddenly had no brake pedal, my ABS and traction control light were on and my Subaru Eyesight warning message was front and center on my dash! Nearly had to get it towed to the dealer to have the Factory Scan tool purge my ABS system of air. Thankfully, patience persisted. This is the short story of good intentions gone wild!

[@markbielawski]

Yup, I fell in to the same exact trap working on our 2017 Outback and went through the same fix as you. I'll be getting a pressure bleeder and work counterclockwise from the get go next time! I'm glad you put this up for the rest of the Subie community.

[@andytheffboy]

Good info to know! I also have a 2021 sport and will need to perform brake flush soon too. A side note, always torque wheels down using the star pattern for an even torque.

[@richrich685]

Thanks for the video. I made this same mistake and this video helped me fix the problem.

[@omarpulido8502]

I like the pressure bleeder more than the vacuum bleeder since it's less risky ajd you're less likely to allow air to enter the brake lines.

[@4inTune58D]

Agreed, I now have a pressure bleeder as well as a bi-directional scanner (top don) which makes it even easier.

[@kratos7678]

Glad everyone is okay! How long did it take after the fluid flush before the abs turned on?

[@4inTune58D]

After we went the two-person old school way to bleed, and after 15-20 repetitions, the pedal started coming back. When the pedal felt normal again, we went off and on again with a key/button cycle, started the car and the light went out after it’s normal system check. Been fine ever since.

[@PGXPPR]

This job is meant to be done with a bidirectional scanner. It is an easy job with the right tool

[@4inTune58D]

It is, but I didn’t have it at the time. I wanted to see if it could be done without one. Found out you can if you go the right direction and use the 2nd person pumping the pedal for you.

[@asamorgan]

Thanks for information on bleeding sequence. I have a Subaru Impreza. What is your opinion on reverse bleeding?

[@4inTune58D]

So there seems to be a new move by many manufacturers to turn traditional bleeding on it's head and only allow bi-directional scanners the ability to bleed. However they (OEMs) design the system is how we, the diy community, should do it as well. Now that some scanners are under $100 for the bi-directional control, there isn't a real excuse to do as recommended. For example, my new-to-me Ram 3500 scanner controlled process never has me open the LF or LR caliper at all.

[@Turtle206]

I would like videos about thoes other maintenance stuff

[@4inTune58D]

What would you like to see?

[@Turtle206]

@@4inTune58D brake pad and rotors when you need them next

[@4inTune58D]

Looks like I’ll be doing rears by Christmas

[@johnbishop7912]

Remind me again WHY you even flushed the Brake Fluid at all ? Oh, simply because the Maintenance schedule told you that it needed to be Done ? Well, I can tell you one thing - that Fluid most likely has been Flushed once before you actually got to it, because that slight yellow discoloration you pointed out wasn't from 100,000 miles of driving or up to 3 years time. At 3 years old @ 100,000 miles, the fluid would have a slight green tint if anything. Comes from the corrosion from the miniscule percentage of Copper used in the Brake Lines and other Hrdraulic components. Some brake fluid brands look that same shade of yelllow right out of the bottle. So, what I'm telling you is that you wasted over 2.5 hours of your life performing this task that was not even really needed, and I have wasted at least 8.5 minutes of mine by watching this video and commenting on it ... 😏

[@4inTune58D]

Ohhh, your THAT guy I see. I thought you were simply misunderstanding what I meant when talking about the fuse layout on my TC in one of my other video's, but your just trying to stir things up, gotcha. Since your seemingly challenging everything I put up, I'm doing a "Round Earth" video soon. My guy, I have the time to address all of your legitimate concerns and call me on anything that doesn't pass the smell test, but when you hit all of my videos (I don't have that many) in one hour with extreme unbalanced skepticism and question my integrity in all of them, have a nice day.

[@johnbishop7912]

@@4inTune58D Hey, if I see one of your videos is a bit wonky, I want to see how much other stuff you posted is of the same quality (or lack of). Congrats on the underhood restoration video though, you seem to have quite surprisingly at least found something that you can actually do fairly well. 😏

[@johnbishop7912]

@@4inTune58D BTW - I didn't even come close to viewing ALL of your videos, I wouldn't even waste my time. Only watched & commented on a few of the shortest ones. 😏

[@4inTune58D]

@@johnbishop7912 To at least answer your previous question as to why I changed the fluid, it was because of the maintenance schedule and it was not changed prior so I know your logic is flawed. Thanks for keeping me on my toes though.

[@johnbishop7912]

@@4inTune58D So, you or your Daughter have owned this vehicle since it was brand new ? There was no logic involved, merely simple scientific fact. Yellow Fluid does not mean bad fluid.