Another brake bleeding question
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 1,124
Likes: 140
From: Western New York
Another brake bleeding question
When bleeding the rear calipers, do I bleed the inside first or the outside bleeder first? I don't do this often enough to remember. Thanks.
Duane
Duane
Team Owner
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 37,637
Likes: 3,114
From: Crossville TN
The bleeders get done according to the 'distance from the master cylinder'. Some folks (and GM) start with the farthest away and work toward the M/C. Others (and I) work from the M/C then out to the farthest bleeder. In the case of the rear caliper bleeders, there is only a few inches difference; but your chosen strategy would still apply.
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Safety Car
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 4,740
Likes: 1,639
From: Fairfax Virginia
I used to fight with getting air out of the brake system on my 1968 C3. I then bought a Phoenix Reverse Bleeding system. Now it is much easier as I push the fluid up into the system and it come out of the Master cylinder. I put a catch bucket under the M/C and very carefully keep the fluid from overflowing by using a turkey baster to pull excess from the M/C.
The Phoenix system works very well on the C3's and even better on the C4's or anything with a hydraulic clutch. I have used this tool on my Cessna, my motorcycle and my Corvettes and other family cars. It is one tool really that does make the job easier. This system makes it easy to do the bleeding or just flushing the old fluid out of the system. Pushing air up makes more sense to me than pushing air down in the brake system!
The Phoenix system works very well on the C3's and even better on the C4's or anything with a hydraulic clutch. I have used this tool on my Cessna, my motorcycle and my Corvettes and other family cars. It is one tool really that does make the job easier. This system makes it easy to do the bleeding or just flushing the old fluid out of the system. Pushing air up makes more sense to me than pushing air down in the brake system!
Racer
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 490
Likes: 99
From: The South
I used to fight with getting air out of the brake system on my 1968 C3. I then bought a Phoenix Reverse Bleeding system. Now it is much easier as I push the fluid up into the system and it come out of the Master cylinder. I put a catch bucket under the M/C and very carefully keep the fluid from overflowing by using a turkey baster to pull excess from the M/C.
The Phoenix system works very well on the C3's and even better on the C4's or anything with a hydraulic clutch. I have used this tool on my Cessna, my motorcycle and my Corvettes and other family cars. It is one tool really that does make the job easier. This system makes it easy to do the bleeding or just flushing the old fluid out of the system. Pushing air up makes more sense to me than pushing air down in the brake system!
The Phoenix system works very well on the C3's and even better on the C4's or anything with a hydraulic clutch. I have used this tool on my Cessna, my motorcycle and my Corvettes and other family cars. It is one tool really that does make the job easier. This system makes it easy to do the bleeding or just flushing the old fluid out of the system. Pushing air up makes more sense to me than pushing air down in the brake system!
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 1,124
Likes: 140
From: Western New York
Thanks for all the suggestions. I finally went with the gravity bleed technique and it worked just fine. Did the inside bleeder first, on the rears. I have a nice firm pedal, now. Thanks, again.
Duane
Duane
Team Owner
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 37,637
Likes: 3,114
From: Crossville TN
If you drain all of the old, water-laden, nasty brake fluid first, that kind of bleeder would work great. Not thrilled about having to have a 'catch can' under the master cylinder, though.