2009 Cadillac CTS-4 AWD Brake Bleeding
#1
Instructor
Thread Starter
2009 Cadillac CTS-4 AWD Brake Bleeding
Hey Guys,
I was wondering if you could help me out here, I've just finished a fluid change of the transmission and front and rear diffs on my wife CTS-4 AWD and would also like to flush the brake system.
In the old days this would be a "no brainer" but with all the newer procedures that make changing the tranny fluid a little more complex it has me wondering if brake bleeding can still be done the old fashion way or if I'll be opening a bag of worms if I attempt it.
I assume its a straight forward, basic process as I have searched and asked on a Cadillac forum and found absolutely nothing for the second gen CTS other than to NOT let the reservoir run dry. I found a conflict in the order to bleed them as is seems the V has a different order than the non V but that is all I've been able to find.
Basically what I'd like to know is, can I just do a standard brake bleeding procedure with a helper on the brake pedal and me on a bleeder starting from the farthest one from the master cylinder or is it more involved? Also can the engine be off or should it be running? I don't think it should matter but you never know.
I'm just hoping that someone here has done some brake work like bleeding or has changed a caliper on one of these cars and could help me out.
Any advice is appreciated. Thanks
I was wondering if you could help me out here, I've just finished a fluid change of the transmission and front and rear diffs on my wife CTS-4 AWD and would also like to flush the brake system.
In the old days this would be a "no brainer" but with all the newer procedures that make changing the tranny fluid a little more complex it has me wondering if brake bleeding can still be done the old fashion way or if I'll be opening a bag of worms if I attempt it.
I assume its a straight forward, basic process as I have searched and asked on a Cadillac forum and found absolutely nothing for the second gen CTS other than to NOT let the reservoir run dry. I found a conflict in the order to bleed them as is seems the V has a different order than the non V but that is all I've been able to find.
Basically what I'd like to know is, can I just do a standard brake bleeding procedure with a helper on the brake pedal and me on a bleeder starting from the farthest one from the master cylinder or is it more involved? Also can the engine be off or should it be running? I don't think it should matter but you never know.
I'm just hoping that someone here has done some brake work like bleeding or has changed a caliper on one of these cars and could help me out.
Any advice is appreciated. Thanks
#2
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I have never done a CTS, but yes you can still do the two man routine. The order may be different depending on the location of the components. On my C4 it was something weird, RR, RF, LF, LR or something like that. You could probably use a one man vacuum bleeder, but I would recommend a pressure bleeder.
#3
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Thread Starter
Hey thanks, I've been meaning to get one of those pressure bleeders but haven't got around to it yet. We need the car for Monday so we'll use the two man method for now.
The sequence on your C4 is interesting, from what I've read I think that is also the CTS-V sequence.
The sequence on your C4 is interesting, from what I've read I think that is also the CTS-V sequence.
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Don't take that sequence as gospel, I would have to look it up but I know it was not the standard RR, LR etc, because of the location of the ABS unit.
#5
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I've seen some of these "different" bleeding sequences, but it confuses me. As long as the m/c doesn't run dry, what difference would it make? (no pun intended!)
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You need to start with the longest run from the MC, air has a tendency to migrate to high points in the system and the newer systems tend to trap air in the ABS unit. If you do the longest run first then any trapped air has less of a chance of "hiding" in the system.
#7
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And THAT'S the way I've been bleeding brakes, for the last 40 years. lately, however, as the OP pointed out, there has been a change is the recommended order, and I don't understand why.
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In the good old days all of the brake system components were under the hood close to the MC. Now that they are packing more and more "stuff" under the hood they have moved some components to other locations on the chassis. For example, in a C4 the ABS pump is behind the front seats, so the RR wheel is no longer the longest run from the MC.