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Bleeding my breaks?

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Old Aug 21, 2007 | 07:04 PM
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Default Bleeding my breaks?

OK...So last week I went ahead and ordered a new PS pump and a C6 Pulley for my 03 Z06.

They will be here tomorrow, and I will put the car back together tomorrow night after work.

I am sure that you are aware that the ABS control unit in front of the PS pump had to be removed in order to get the pump out.

Is there anything special, that I need to do in order to bleed my brakes? A friend said that it could be a pain.

Thanks
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Old Aug 21, 2007 | 07:18 PM
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PATIENCE!!!!!!! x 1000

It was a long tedious process for me and my helper.

I used a flexible rubber hose on the bleeder into a clear bottle filled part way with fluid. So I could see the air bubbles.

You will definitely need a helper. Pump it up and hold down the pedal. Let out the air. Repeat multiple times.

Start fartherst away from the master cylinder and work forward. I have a '98 so it is different then yours. Someone will chime in for your year.

Keep the master cylinder filled to the top at all times. Check it periodically.

I went through two large bottles of fluid. Took way longer then I expected. I just kept telling myself that it was worth it in the end, which it was. Eventually all those air bubbles will come out.

Good Luck


Last edited by Brad@RevXtremeAutoSports; Aug 21, 2007 at 07:23 PM.
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Old Aug 21, 2007 | 07:25 PM
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Originally Posted by Brad@thecorvetteshow
PATIENCE!!!!!!! x 1000

It was a long tedious process for me and my helper.

I used a flexible rubber hose on the bleeder into a clear bottle filled part way with fluid. So I could see the air bubbles.

You will definitely need a helper. Pump it up and hold down the pedal. Let out the air. Repeat multiple times.

Start fartherst away from the master cylinder and work forward. I have a '98 so it is different then yours. Someone will chime in for your year.

Keep the master cylinder filled to the top at all times. Check it periodically.

I went through two large bottles of fluid. Took way longer then I expected. I just kept telling myself that it was worth it in the end, which it was. Eventually all those air bubbles will come out.

Good Luck

OK thanks. But I dont need to do anything different, in order to activate the ABS control unit while I bleed?
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Old Aug 21, 2007 | 08:00 PM
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I'm confused.....

When you say "PS Pump" ....what exactly do you mean?

Isn't that the power steering pump?

What part of the ABS control unit did you take off? Was it alluminum with a bunch of round holes on the backside? Or did you disconnect hard brake lines and lost fluid?

Do some more research - as I'm not sure the ABS unit *bleeds* with the rest of the lines.
Bleed the brakes in this manner: RR,LF,LR,RF
Get a helper, a clear hose to tightly fit on the nipple, a bucket and a mallet.
Helper sits in drivers seat waiting for your instructions.
You are under vehicle (safely lifted and secured) and attach hose onto nipple. Tell helper to push "DOWN" on the pedal. Helper presses on brake pedal firmly and slowly and says "I'm down".
You crack open the bleeder and let fluid flow. Helper continues to hold pedal down pushing slowly as it reaches the floor. At some point, close the bleeder and then say, "UP" (helper releases pedal slowly).
Repeat this process, use a mallet to tap on the caliper to free any bubbles stuck inside the caliper. Repeat on each wheel. Check fluid level in resevoir after each wheel (NEVER let it get low).
You never want the helper to release the pedal before you close the nipple - if you do, this only sucks air back in. Avoid pumping the pedal and pumping it too fast - as this can 'break up' the larger bubbles into smaller bubbles that are hard to see.

Good Luck!
If the brakes don't feel *right* - go back and bleed the brakes again. It's not uncommon to do it a couple times.
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Old Aug 21, 2007 | 08:06 PM
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Originally Posted by thesaad
OK thanks. But I dont need to do anything different, in order to activate the ABS control unit while I bleed?

Yep that part slipped my mind i'm glad you mentioned it. I actually had to take the car down and drive it. I sped up a little on a safe road and tried to lock up the brakes. This did help. When the anti lock system activated that did the trick. Then I put the car back up on jack stands and it finally bled all the air out.

Sorry I missed that part. I am an idiot.
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Old Aug 21, 2007 | 11:15 PM
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Originally Posted by Brad@thecorvetteshow
Yep that part slipped my mind i'm glad you mentioned it. I actually had to take the car down and drive it. I sped up a little on a safe road and tried to lock up the brakes. This did help. When the anti lock system activated that did the trick. Then I put the car back up on jack stands and it finally bled all the air out.

Sorry I missed that part. I am an idiot.
You are the man. That's exactly what I was looking for!

Thanks for all the help.
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Old Aug 22, 2007 | 01:23 PM
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speed bleeder valves will help tremendously.

p.s. don't let the brakes hear you calling them 'breaks' either, they may get pizzed at you.
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Old Aug 22, 2007 | 01:32 PM
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Default Brakes not breaks ( wink )

a Motive Power bleeder does the trick



Speed bleeds alone or a mini-vac do not open up the ABS module in the brake caliper.

a Tech II or a Power Bleed with 12-15 psi of air pressure will open the ABS module in the caliper.

With the Power bleeder, dont put brake fluid into the tank. Clean or suck out the old brake fluid from the MC and replace that with fresh DOT 4 brake fluid, then start RR and LR. Then pump the brake peddle a few times, check the MC for fluid level, add more. Then RF and LF, pump the brake peddle a few times.
ad more fluid unitl just under the full line.
Put your wheels on and go for a test drive.

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Old Aug 22, 2007 | 01:56 PM
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Originally Posted by AU N EGL
a Motive Power bleeder does the trick
At less than $80.00 this is well worth the investment.
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Old Aug 22, 2007 | 01:58 PM
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I just got speedbleeders and they worked awesome! Just get a line to run the fluid out. Its a one man job and costed about $23 for all 4. Very simple to install and use!
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Old Aug 22, 2007 | 02:02 PM
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The bleed sequence for your 03 is. . . .

RR LF LR RF
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Old Aug 22, 2007 | 03:48 PM
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Originally Posted by thesaad
OK...So last week I went ahead and ordered a new PS pump and a C6 Pulley for my 03 Z06.

They will be here tomorrow, and I will put the car back together tomorrow night after work.

I am sure that you are aware that the ABS control unit in front of the PS pump had to be removed in order to get the pump out.

Is there anything special, that I need to do in order to bleed my brakes? A friend said that it could be a pain.

Thanks
Hate to tell you now, but you can get the power steering pump and bracket off without messing with the ABS. You have to remove the water pump, but you can get access to all the bolts and you "walk" the bracket off the head. That is undo the bolts until the touch the pulley then push the bracket out and repeat until its off. Works for me, I hate to mess with the ABS.
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Old Aug 22, 2007 | 04:41 PM
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Originally Posted by MattB
Hate to tell you now, but you can get the power steering pump and bracket off without messing with the ABS. You have to remove the water pump, but you can get access to all the bolts and you "walk" the bracket off the head. That is undo the bolts until the touch the pulley then push the bracket out and repeat until its off. Works for me, I hate to mess with the ABS.
Thanks. but the ABS was no big deal.

I love having my car back on the road
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Old Aug 22, 2007 | 05:51 PM
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Originally Posted by MattB
Hate to tell you now, but you can get the power steering pump and bracket off without messing with the ABS. You have to remove the water pump, but you can get access to all the bolts and you "walk" the bracket off the head. That is undo the bolts until the touch the pulley then push the bracket out and repeat until its off. Works for me, I hate to mess with the ABS.
water pump is worse than the abs pump.
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Old Aug 22, 2007 | 05:55 PM
  #15  
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Originally Posted by 2000BSME
water pump is worse than the abs pump.
That's what I thought.
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Old Aug 22, 2007 | 06:01 PM
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I was just wondering why the c6 pully?
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Old Aug 22, 2007 | 06:35 PM
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Originally Posted by road dog
I was just wondering why the c6 pully?
The C5 pulley is a solid piece of plastic, which has to be removed if you want to access the bolts on the PS pump. I already broke one pulley in my attempt to remove it, which made for a lot more headache than it was worth.

A few forum members suggested that I go with a C6 pulley, because it was metal and had holes in it to permit access to the bolts while the pulley is still attached.

It took a while to get the pulley, because it had to come from the East Coast. However, it was a perfect fit and was well worth the wait. The pulley was only $24, and I had them press the pulley onto the pump for me while the pump was out of the car. Now the "nightmare" install, that I had been trying to avoid, only took me 15 minutes.


If you are ever removing the pump or pulley from your car for any reason, I strongly recommend making this change.
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Old Aug 22, 2007 | 08:49 PM
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Thanks for the heads up I will keep this in mind if my power steering pump goes bad Ill just break it off and replace it might make the job much faster ( just kidding) tks again
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