Bleeding Brakes w/ ABS

[90FoX]

What up yall?

I'm trying to bleed brakes on a cobra and this is the first car I would be bleeding the brakes on which is equipped with ABS.

I want to know is there a different procedure to bleed the brakes on a car with abs or is it the same as a non ABS car.

Also if air somehow gets into the ABS system is it hard to get out? How can I prevent air from getting trapped in the ABS system?

Also any other important things I should do or know would be great.

Thanks :beer:

 

[nmcgrawj]

I've always just kept the reservoir full and did it the conventional way pumping the brake pedal....

 

[mackj66]

Keep the tank full, get a friend to help, and just keep working your way around the car farthest from master cylinder to closest until all the air is out.
Every time I have taken my brakes completely apart to paint them, it was a slow tedious process. Sometimes, took us well over an hour doing it the traditional way.

 

[nmcgrawj]

Russel makes speed bleeder screws u can replace that are a 1 way valve....u dont really need a friend to do it...although it still helps to see the air in the line quicker.

 

[SVTCobra306]

If it's a 4.6 with a hydroboost make sure you bleed the master cylinder before bleeding the calipers/lines, or you won't have much pressure to do so

 

[mackj66]

Russel makes speed bleeder screws u can replace that are a 1 way valve....u dont really need a friend to do it...although it still helps to see the air in the line quicker.

Don't know if this matters for our application, but I have read that vette guys complain that the speed bleeder screws leak on them.:shrug:

 

[90FoX]

If it's a 4.6 with a hydroboost make sure you bleed the master cylinder before bleeding the calipers/lines, or you won't have much pressure to do so

It is a 4.6 with hydroboost. How do you bleed the MC before the lines? I thought if you just keep pouring more fluid in the MC as your bleeding it out all of the fluid will eventually flush out. :shrug:

Everyone - thanks for the info... Just wanted to know if there is a big diff in ABS vs non ABS.

 

[b dub]

There's a bleeder on the master cylinder. You can buy an air powered do it yourself bleeder for about 25 bucks. No pumping, friend help, etc.


No difference between an ABS bleed and a non abs.

 

[90FoX]

Okay so there are two bleeder on the MC, right?

Do I bleed these before the calipers or after?

Which one do I bleed first the closest to firewall?

What area in the MC is being bled by doing this? I'm confused how this works and I don't understand why there are bleed screws on a MC. Does this bleed air from an area in the MC that doesn't send brake fluid through the lines? If you could be a bit more specific. :shrug:

 

[SVTCobra306]

AFAIK it bleeds the air between the ABS pump and the master cylinder. I don't think it matters which first, I do the one closest to the firewall first and haven't had a problem that way. I do the master cylinder first, you won't have very much pedal pressure to bleed the rest if you don't, and there's more of a chance of reintroducing air if you wait on them.

 

[90FoX]

AFAIK it bleeds the air between the ABS pump and the master cylinder. I don't think it matters which first, I do the one closest to the firewall first and haven't had a problem that way. I do the master cylinder first, you won't have very much pedal pressure to bleed the rest if you don't, and there's more of a chance of reintroducing air if you wait on them.

Cool, thanks for clearing that up. I just picked up a pressure bleeder so I can bleed the brakes myself. :beer:

 

[venomous99]

do yourself a favor by getting a motive pressure bleeder. its as easy as just pressuring your brake system through the master cylinder, opening each caliper to bleed and thats it. the most time consuming part of the process is getting each side up to acceess the bleed nuts.

 

[90FoX]

Can someone explain why there is a need to bleed the MC?

Where is air getting trapped somewhere that the fluid is not passing through? :shrug: I figured as long as new fluid is pushed through the MC it will force air through the brake lines because the master cylinder is the source of fluid. :??:

Another question I had was about bleeding the MC first. I thought you want to start furthest from the MC first then work your way towards it. So why do we bleed the MC first? Is it okay to bleed it again after all calipers are done to make sure all air is out? :??:

:read:

Thanks :beer:

 

[mu22stang]

You don't need to bleed the MC. I never have and I won't unless I have stubborn air and have exhausted all other options. Bleed furthest to nearest the MC.

If you let the MC go dry, you will HAVE to take it to the dealership to bleed the ABS - no way around it.

 

[90FoX]

well I went ahead and bled the MC and a bunch of air came out of it. Pedal feels much better but I think there is still room for improvement. :bash:

 

[J.Rovirosa]

do yourself a favor by getting a motive pressure bleeder. its as easy as just pressuring your brake system through the master cylinder, opening each caliper to bleed and thats it. the most time consuming part of the process is getting each side up to acceess the bleed nuts.

What he said. The Motive setup is money well-spent.

When I did the brakes the first time, the system got air in it because I had to replace the front caliper seals and neglected to cap the lines. In order to get the trapped air out of the ABS, it has to be cycled. You can either take it to the dealer and have them do it, or you can force the pump to cycle itself. I took the car to an open industrial park early in the morning and went back and forth a few times, stomping on the brakes and forcing the air out of the system. Of course, you do this at your own risk and it assumes that the car has enough braking power for you to drive it on the street ;-)