How to bleed brakes-plus extra tips & tricks to make it easier | Hagerty DIY
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 เม.ย. 2020
- Bleeding brakes is one of the easiest ways you can work on your own car in the comfort of your own garage or driveway. It requires simple tools that most of us already have in our toolbox. Follow along as Hagerty’s Davin Reckow gives you a step-by-step guide (as well as a few handy tips/tricks) on how to get the air bubbles out of your brake lines and get your brake system performing like new.
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I already know how to bleed brakes, yet I watch a 20 minute video on how to do it
Same here. Never know. I might learn something.
Like they have a bottle just for bleeding brakes. I always cut a hole in a coke bottle and used that. :)
@@rcadd1ct is pepsi ok?
@@mathieu6514able No Pepsi, Coke.
Me too and it was entertaining. Well done Davin.
@LucaAlfredo just to make sure you still know how to do it 😂
This may have been the best explanation of the bleeding process I've ever seen. Great job!
I like these videos with Davin, no BS
One tip: If you have to do it by yourself, use something sturdy, and wedge it between the pedal and the dash to hold the brake pedal down ( I use the handle from a small bottle jack). Then you can loosen the bleeder as usual. Release the pedal, check the master cylinder, fill it if needed, then repeat. Takes awhile having to go back and forth, but will get the job done.
There's no difference between a single and a dual master except that they're different. I love this guy.
I used to do it your way, but found the vacuum pump trick works for me alone and saves hassles with my wife who has not the patience to help. And in our northern area yearly brake fluid changes allow me to keep brake slave cylinders like new for 10 - 12 years which far exceeds the life of those who get no love. Very well done presentation and Thank You!
If your wife has no patience to help then charge her for the servicing...
What's the point of having a wife if she won't help you bleed the brakes? Even a child can figure out "Hold it!... OK release!"
@@salazam Patience is a quality not often found in the daily life of a housewife. So I coped, which kept me married for 48 years. That may not suit you, but it does me, which is what matters.
Not a deal breaker if the sex is good.@@salazam
@@BWGPEI Does she ever take them out so you can look at them every now and then? Your testicles, that is.
When I was a kid, my older brother had me help him do this all the time. He taught me several things about cars.
Well done, Davin and Jordan! I retired last year 47+ years in the repair trade. Interesting that there's always something new to learn. The Teflon tape around the bleed screw is one. I was taught to bleed brakes a little differently; I was told to open the bleed screw WHILE the pedal was being pushed down. Close the screw, let the pedal up and carry on. Obviously it works both ways because I've never had a brake system fail except when the 4x4 drove out across a pasture and snagged a piece of barbed wire which wrapped the rear axle and ripped open the brake line. I might add that was on my Dad's truck...
Love this video. My dad had a 49 Chevy dump truck on our farm and one of my earliest jobs working with him was running the brake while he bled.
We did the pump 2 to 3 time methods, loved that Davin addressed the different approaches. K
Keep up the great content!
how iv bled brakes by myself for the past 20yrs is wedge a
stick/pipe between the pedal & either driver seat or steering wheel. then run back & forth opening & closing screw & repumping pedal & repositioning stick/ pipe to the seat or steering wheel
A few ideas for those youngsters who are spoiled by EFI systems and Electronic spark control would be how to properly tune carburetors and how to properly set a Distributor timing, dwell and point gap. Also, most older vehicles, even well maintained older vehicles will have some slop on the steering gear box. Showing how to properly set the gear lash in the box as well as inspecting rag joints etc. would be invaluable to them as well. We, the older generation, have seen our fair share of hunt and peck steering to stay between the lines. Cheers Davin! Thanks for keeping things very easy to understand for even the most challenged of aspiring home do it your self types. Zip!
I know what you mean. I think about how often a steering column would need to be rebuilt on older GM cars. It was far less common once GM stopped using those small tubular columns. I'm not familiar with how long they would last on other old cars because I didn't have nearly as many to work on.
Thank you for this reality check. I have been banging my head with a replacement on my 914…jeeze. A good explanation is so very important in a procedure like this.
I love the Allstar Performance ALL11017 Bleeder Bottle. Besides the magnet that you mention, it also has a check valve, enabling one man operations.
Just bled the brakes on my 1973 Duster the other day. Working on restoring it. Was my first car that I drove to high school and college.
Just went through this a couple years ago on my '61 Impala with all new brake lines, brakes, master cylinder, etc. We let it gravity bleed for most of a day checking and topping off the master cylinder as needed. This was my grandfather's trick and it made the bleeding much easier.
Thanks for the videos, I'd love to see a Chevy W motor rebuild and have a motor you can use for it if you want!
Thank you for this video Can't wait to hear more. 🤘🤘
I am reminded of the George Carlin line: “Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.” Brake systems are not immune to stupid people as Davin alluded to.
That's a great line lol.
That's a good, simple explanation of how to do the job . Thanks, well done
outstanding!!!
extremely informative and immensely helpful
Just finishing up on my 47 cj2a disk brake conversion. Had to replace the mc (what a job) and now grabbing the wife to bleed the system. This is the best video I have found in regards to bleeding an older rig. I subscribed and thanks so much.
Done this many times with my wife pressing the brake pedal : "Press it down" "Let it up" "Press it down" " Let it up." She 's a sweetie. Good times.
Davin's wife has done the same thing many, many times! 😊
@@Hagertybleeding brakes are so full of inuendos
Thank you for sharing this procedure. 🇨🇦😎
Thank you for all your videos you are fun to watch you are very thorough and clear so we can stay with you for us who aren't mechanics lol
Another great video, thanks Hagerty. I’d love to see one for disc/drum systems with the proportioning (combo) valve, they trip a lot of people up!!
Also a video showing how to diagnose a soft pedal?
Thank you for sharing. I’ve flushed my 2018 Harley Davidson motorcycle and have my 2013 Jeep Wrangler to do next. I validated the need for changing those by using a brake fluid tester. My 2016 Chev Silverado doesn’t need changing yet. Appreciate your videos greatly.
I would love to see a Video on body work.
Keep up your great content! I really love your videos.
Greetings from Germany
I see a new video, i clicked it so fast youtube skipped all ads.. i know its gonna be awesome! Thankyou!
Back in the 70s I had a 64 GTO. I did everything to that car from rebuilding the transmission to the engine. The one thing I hated was brake work. It's the only repair I let others do for me. Maybe if I'd had a lift instead of laying on the ground, I wouldn't have minded so much. Having a KNOWLEDGEABLE fried to help also would have been a good thing!
Another great video.
Thanks for sharing Davin👍
Thanks Davin, Hope you're doing alright. Love the show keep up the great work!
Sorry for the stupid comment but if the master cylinder is at the driver front of the vehicle, wouldn’t the passenger rear brake be the furthest from the master cylinder and thus one would start bleeding the system there? Passenger rear, driver rear, passenger front, and driver front last?
Thank you Davin. I have seen all of Hagerty vids . I never leave a comment. I Just wanted to give you a shout out . Great Stuff
I really enjoy Davin's videos. How about one showing how to adjust the gear in a power steering gear box?
My father-in-law put ATF in the master cylinder. Talk about jerking grabbing brakes! I flushed a quart of fresh dot 3 though the system and it returned to normal with no issues. Lucky!
Thank you for the content I won't be doing any more work on any thing but I think you did a great job in detail
Central California watching
I really love these videos. Will you guys do more videos with everyone stuck at home?
Moisture probes are available to test the amount of water in brake fluid. I use one religiously on all of my vintage motorcycles. Thanks for all of the great tips! Cheers! Zip~
Wouldn't miss it for the world, Davin. Even when the subject matter is well known to me,
I enjoy the heck out of each episode anyways.
Stuff like this one, for example - there's entire generations out there that weren't taught
this stuff by their dads like us older goats were, I'm betting.
Now it's recorded for all posterity. People will be watching this video 25 years from now.
Pretty cool stuff.
-Ed on the Ridge
I must be a car when Hagerty is calming too me.
Thanks. That was very informative.
My first new vehicle (78 datsun pickup) factory manual had you bleed shortest to longest. It worked.
Nice to watch a mechanic school people on how to wrench, with theory. Thanks for refresher
excellent friend videos keep working this way. very instructive your videos greetings from venezuela
appreciate the hard work
Great vid guys, can't wait to see the truck driving down the road.
Excellent video, thanks for the content!
I was happy to see that you did this unglorious task the good old fashioned way. I've always dreamed of having one of those round ball pressure pots with a zillion different master cylinder adapters. I think Bendix or Wagner Lockheed made them. I do lots of Willys vehicles.
Merci beaucoup pour toutes ces excellentes videos. J adore ton travail.
Awesome job folks...
👍🏿👍🏿
This really is an excellent video. Thank you
Nice video, thanks. My tip as a professional truck mechanic: wear safety glasses whenever you're under a vehicle and whenever you're working with any kind of fluids. Especially when it's 2.30 in the morning :-) Take it from me, having oil in your eyes is not a fun thing and it will happen to you. I've experienced it myself and seen it happen to other guys as well. I once got my face covered in DOT4 oil and I was lucky to wear my glasses. I've seen some guys in pain and agony because a drop of automotive paint hit them in the eye. One of our guys got freon in his eyes while filling an airco unit. These things happen when you least expect it, so always protect yourself.
My brakes don't have time to bleed. *resumes 50yd stare*
Predator?
Patrick Duster74 yep
Thankyou ,and have a good christmas 2023 and a new year
Great info! Appreciate videos like this a lot! Thanks!
Good speaking voice and personality for video. Also enjoy the delivery style and comments.
I hate bleeding brakes, so it was kind of fun to watch someone else have to do it. lol
Good video. A difficult, but useful topic would be replacing rubber control arm bushings.
Love how you're standing INSIDE the fenders!
I love how he's ABLE to stand inside the fenders ….. I wish I had a hoist
I work on cars for a living and I've been doing it for a long time. I'm still amazed at how many guys will start with bleeding the front brakes when doing a master cylinder. I can't believe how many don't know the rule of starting with the furtherest away from the master.
That old rule to bleed from the were first was correct but you got to remember back then it was a single master cylinder with brakes all the way around drum brakes so you always started from the last cylinder first that's old school no cars have the front left and right rear and then right front then left for connected
And my car, the rear and the front brakes have separate reservoirs. I still do the rear first lol
This is the second time I watched this video. I have rebuilt a couple of brake systems since the first viewing. I have learned to use Teflon tape at every connection to make sure the brake seals up.
Thank You for the video!! 🙏
The moment you watch a video thinking you already know how to do it only to realize no, no you do not lol. I'm new to the channel and already a fan.
Draining and rinsing the brake system is serious business. We were returning from a skiing trip in Italy, through Switzerland in an NSU RO80, fully loaded, 4 people, skis, equipment and luggage for 2 weeks. Coming ouf of the mountains at Chur the driver announced that the car suddenly lost all braking power, the pedal went to the floor. Since the Ro80 had an automatic transmission and rotary engine it was not possible to use the engine for braking. We sailed through a number of red lights, finally coming to a stop on a straight bit of road. To make a long story short, there was water in the brake lines that turned to steam on the constant braking out of the mountains. We crept on home on flat ground after the brakes cooled down and had them flushed and refilled with fresh fluid every year after that.
thanks for the video I can't wait to see that truck on the road. Oh by the way when did you get the new floor boards for the cab?
Very in depth thank you
One of the things to watch for is with some dual master cylinders if you run one side empty their is a valve that will go over center and cause you brake warning light to go on. Most will reset automatically when you refill the cylinder and bleed it but there are a few that require you to manually reset it. That and the special precautions with ABS systems not to run them dry because some you have to go in with a computer to reset it.
Maybe a video about heads? Valve seating clean up and setting lash and such. Some port and polish work?
Great Video Davin and very good explained. This made me think in renew the fluid of my Dodge 1500 (similar of plymouth cricket in USA) brake system that I havent done in years. No issues with brake performance but color of the fluid is quite dark in master cilynder reservoir. Do I have to renew it? Thanks fellow! Good work
Great Job! I'm from Argentina and it would be great if the videos would have the option of subtitles in Spanish! I love their videos!
Up till atleast 2:30 am and work the next day, respect.
Hey Davin, Love the series, very cool...truck is not much older than I am.
Dude this really happened yesterday treeing to work on my GF car, quick job turned into defeat n frustration ,, in going to get a bleeder n brake fluid,,,, Thanks for the reality check
Modern cars have ABS which requires bleeding the ABS unit which will not bleed using standard bleeding techniques. First method: you can purchase an OBD2 reader ($$$) which will do an auto-bleed. Second method: bleed normally (brakes will be soft) then drive the vehicle up and down the back alleys hammering the brakes to get the ABS to turn on, wash, rinse and repeat until brakes are firm. I did the second method but kept getting car sick and it is a lot of work! The third method is to bleed the brakes, jack up the rear wheels, turn on the engine, put it in gear and hit the brakes, wash rinse and repeat until firm. The ABS will turn on - basically you've tricked the car into thinking you are driving and you aren't jacking the car up and down all the time. This is the better method which I found out later.
I've done a few ABS systems where none of that was needed and gravity bleed and a few pumps was good enough but I've also done some compact cars where the lines go up and down and side to side everywhere and that stuff wasn't even enough and ended up using a machine that pressurizes, pulses and cycle the ABS and brakes in a certain way just to get it bled lol. Avoid those cars.
@@CanadaBud23 Unfortunately, you don't find out about "those cars" until you go to bleed them.
Just a follow-up, my vehicle, that I ran into the ABS problem, is a 1997 Chevrolet Blazer 4wd.
Buen video no hablo mucho ingles pero entendi,gracias thanks and good video
I used to do a lot of brake jobs in the business I used to own. Without fail, some vehicles would have bleeders stuck so badly, you just knew that trying to break them free would cause them to break off. Miracle sprays in a can are useless and wishful. My method of salvage was to take my small C/P 3/8" drive pneumatic impact driver that had a butterfly paddle switch on the top and by use a 6 point Snap-on deep impact socket to break them free. The only other tool truck running around the city was a Proto truck and we never saw him. Mac Tools was pretty much new and we never saw him. I would start throttle the valve by not pressing all the way and go back and forth (you could count the hits) gradually applying more pressure when I saw movement. If memory is serving me well, I don't remember breaking a bleeder valve. It is always a good practice to make sure the bleeders are working freely before a rebuild so if any are to break, the parts can be gotten at the same time saving a second trip. On the suggestion of flushing the fluid, many manufacturers of brake fluid suggest this to be done every 2 years. The reason is that brake fluid is hydroscopic and it can absorb moisture through rubber hoses and the reservoir cap. Brake cylinders and calipers are cast iron..
Rather than pumping, bleeding, pumping, bleeding, which seems to take forever. Found that just sit back and let gravity take over. Has always worked for me, especially when your by yourself.
It's a good idea to have your name on your shirt! It helps me! Thanks.
Great video👍Any way to tell if a line is clogged/how to fix it?
On stubborn hard to loosen bleed valve screws I use the smooth end of an 'appropriate sized' drill bit slid into the bleed valve to prevent it from collapsing while attempting to loosen with flair/line wrench. Hit with PB Blaster prior.
Nice tutorial. I will suggest a clear/transparent tube for the bleeding bottle so that you can see the air bubbles nicely.
I have gravity bled many brakes with good result. Usually I gravity bleed to swap the fluid as opposed to bleeding air. I tend to use a vacuum pump for air bleeding.
Proportioning valves between the master cylinder and the brakes themselves can often close when bleeding, causing headaches. Prior to bleeding purchase a $6.00 prop valve switch keeper. It keeps the internal shuttle valve from closing off either front or rear wherever the fluid is traveling faster/more volume mimicking a leak(hence it works) if the prop valve does it’s thing a dummy light will come on dash
Good video. Think you covered most of the commons problems. I have even did the midnight brake bleeding. I am in rust belt.
Using Teflon tape is a good idea. Not trying to seal a leak. Using Teflon tape on top threads of screw would make it easier to open the bleeder screw later on?
Thank you
Great old school brake bleeding video Devon. Can you do one for an ABS system?
Hello! Hagerty's videos are very useful and enjoyable. If it is possible I would like to see the Electrical harness of this truck.
nice job ....... greeting from egypt
Pressurized bleeder systems are a wonderful thing, saves a lot of hair!
microbuilder so true. Picked one up at harbor freight for about $20. Have had it for years. Works great.
@@jamesrochester787 I made one with a windshield reservoir and pump , then make the wiring with a button and about 4m of wires. And used a actual brake fluid reservoir cover with an adapted hose. Works like a charm!
I live in Brazil, the cheapest pressurized bleeder costs around R$ 200 and I something about R$15 to R$20 in materials to make mine.
On our single piston power wagon pressure bleeding was the only way to go. I had to get a second cap and cut a gasket out of EPDM rubber. Thanks for sharing!
Do you open or close the reservoir when doing this?
My method is just a tad different.
Step 1: open bleeder
Step 2: push pedal
Step3: close bleeder.
The reason I use this method is it prevents the air from being in a compressed state and prevents the bleed hose from shaking or blowing off. I have also found it tends to be a tad quicker this way. But like you said "to each his/her own".
nice tutorial it happen to me like that to much air for almost an hour i bleed my car . but like what you said patient thanks a lot
This is why I love my vacuum pump for a much faster one man job
love you!!
good video ! got a 1990 blazer K5/V10 , new drums, new wheel cylinders, new master, new booster, bench bleed, bleed at master, still pedal to close to the floor. ? I'm going to continue to bleed as per video instruction and look for leaks while I go mad.
Tip: make sure the bleeding tube routes upward immediately from the bleeding screw. This encourages air bubbles to continue their journey upward and outward. Flashlight (or droplight) and reading glasses help in most instances too for certainty of visual observation. Start with some fluid in the bottle so that air cannot enter the bleeding line from the bottle end. Question for Davin: Are there any parts (I presume a master cylinder is one) that can somehow allow air into the lines without leaking fluid? I currently have this condition on an old Toyota that I've went around each corner 4 times, the pedal hardens up, but after a test drive it softens up without losing any fluid anywhere. I am baffled. Any tips would be appreciated. Thanks, Great video!
Master cylinder could be bypassing. I have had many Toyota brakes where this has happened, seemed to be common. But probably a good place to start. Also check any connections that loop up. If you have a leak up there it might not leak as bad and not see it until you inspect it closer.
Check wheel cylinders, they can allow leakage that takes a while to notice due to accumulated brake dust in drums, and backing plates to absorb the leak without it showing externally.
if it gets softer without losing fluid, either the ABS unit is acting up and seeping fluid internally into its bypass lines OR the master cylinder seals are leaking internally. In either case, the component needs to be replaced.
Ford Fusions are notorious for the abs acting up in their earlier generation, leaving to an intermittently spongy pedal that is difficult to diag sometimes.
you got trapped air, vacuum bleed it. Or if you dont have one.. push the pedal slow.. push it fast, push it hard, push it soft and everything in between.
Yep, same here. Rear drums on my 07 Sierra are bleeding beautifully. Front brakes are blowing air like a trumpet. No leaks anywhere. It has to be sucking air somewhere.
I like the tip to start bleed from behind 1st.👍
I appreciate the teflon tape tip, I bought a cheap vacuum bleeder kit years ago, but was never able to have it not pull bubbles constantly out of the bleed screw because air was going past the threads, so I gave up using it, I never considered using teflon tape on the threads, I'll have to give that a whirl next time, thanks
Nice! Hope it works out for you and you get to use the tool you bought!
@hagerty what if you are planning on replacing pads and rotors? Should I bleed prior to replacing I.E rotors and pads? Thank you in advance 🙏🏻
I have a dual reservoir with power booster on my 1965 c10 truck. I want to do a brake line flush to replace old brake fluid. Once I've replaced old fluid with new do I need to put reservoir cap on with the holder clips before I apply pressure to brake and bleed the lines? Or could I leave reservoir cap off to be able to see the level of brake fluid? Or does it matter? Great video. I just subscribed
Iam James from India, your bleeding method for old vehicle was good,i want to bleed ABS brakes, i don't know whether I start the engine while bleeding or noneed to start the engine and put video how to bleed
Everyone has brake problems with their vehicles. Although, not everybody is willing to get dirty about oil, and brake dust. But that demonstration is something I've done before. My neighbor treats me like a different species. If, or when I get dirty, and oily?
Ive been there at 2:30 in the morning too :)