DIYer needs help bleeding the brakes
11-20-2005, 06:34 PM
#1
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Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Laramie, Wyoming
Posts: 55
DIYer needs help bleeding the brakes
i have an 1982 Camaro Z28 and i will be replacing the wheel cylinder on one of my brakes (thats the cylinder that sits between the shoes on the drums) but i have NO idea how to bleed the brake system. i know it takes two people, and thats not a problem. but what exactly is the process? thanks in advance for all your help.
11-20-2005, 07:31 PM
#2
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Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Kalamazoo, MI
Posts: 472
Re: DIYer needs help bleeding the brakes
I hope your car isn't rusty. 
If you can, get a small cork or something and plug the end of the brake line while you work. If alot of brake fluid leaks out when you replace the wheel cylinder, you should bleed all four corners. If you have to do that, start at the corner farthest from the master cylinder, and work your way closer to the master cylinder (RR, LR, RF, LF).
Get a length of 1/4" clear nylon tubing (it's less than $2 for like 10 feet at your local home improvement store). Now top up the master cylinder.
The bleeder screw is the thing above where the brake line fitting threads into the wheel cylinder. Put the box end of the wrench on the bleeder screw, put your 12" or so of tubing over the end of the bleeder screw, and put the other end of the tubing in a jar or cup or something. Now have your buddy get in the driver's seat and press down on the brake pedal. Once the pedal has been pressed, loosen the bleeder screw and observe what comes out through the tubing. Your friend should know that when you loosen the bleeder screw, the pedal will go down to the floor. This is fine, and he should continue to push it all the way to the floor if it wants to go there. Tighten the bleeder screw, and have your friend let up on the pedal. Count to 30 seconds, and repeat. Do this until the brake fluid that comes out of the bleeder screw does not contain any bubbles. REMEMBER to check the master cylinder every 5 times you loosen the bleeder. You don't want to pump the master cylinder dry!
Now that I think about it, I seem to recall that GM may have had their heads in a dark, stinky place when they designed the wheel cylinders for your car. If I recall correctly, you won't be able to get a wrench on the bleeder screw (you'll have to use a socket).
This requires a slightly different approach. Get a shop rag and put it over the axle tube below the wheel cylinder. Now put the socket on the bleeder screw and procede. You won't have the benefit of knowing if the brake fluid is bubbly, so just repeat the process until it feels and sounds like it might be coming out smoothly (without bubbles), and the brake pedal is nice and firm.
Edit: just read your cardomain page. Man, that sucks.
If you can, get a small cork or something and plug the end of the brake line while you work. If alot of brake fluid leaks out when you replace the wheel cylinder, you should bleed all four corners. If you have to do that, start at the corner farthest from the master cylinder, and work your way closer to the master cylinder (RR, LR, RF, LF).
Get a length of 1/4" clear nylon tubing (it's less than $2 for like 10 feet at your local home improvement store). Now top up the master cylinder.
The bleeder screw is the thing above where the brake line fitting threads into the wheel cylinder. Put the box end of the wrench on the bleeder screw, put your 12" or so of tubing over the end of the bleeder screw, and put the other end of the tubing in a jar or cup or something. Now have your buddy get in the driver's seat and press down on the brake pedal. Once the pedal has been pressed, loosen the bleeder screw and observe what comes out through the tubing. Your friend should know that when you loosen the bleeder screw, the pedal will go down to the floor. This is fine, and he should continue to push it all the way to the floor if it wants to go there. Tighten the bleeder screw, and have your friend let up on the pedal. Count to 30 seconds, and repeat. Do this until the brake fluid that comes out of the bleeder screw does not contain any bubbles. REMEMBER to check the master cylinder every 5 times you loosen the bleeder. You don't want to pump the master cylinder dry!
Now that I think about it, I seem to recall that GM may have had their heads in a dark, stinky place when they designed the wheel cylinders for your car. If I recall correctly, you won't be able to get a wrench on the bleeder screw (you'll have to use a socket).
This requires a slightly different approach. Get a shop rag and put it over the axle tube below the wheel cylinder. Now put the socket on the bleeder screw and procede. You won't have the benefit of knowing if the brake fluid is bubbly, so just repeat the process until it feels and sounds like it might be coming out smoothly (without bubbles), and the brake pedal is nice and firm.Edit: just read your cardomain page. Man, that sucks.
Last edited by TheNovaMan; 11-20-2005 at 07:35 PM.
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