Bleeding the brakes.

Hey all

A couple days ago I changed my front brake pads (FERODO, good brand), I followed the instructions from a Haynes manual and all went well

I've driven with new brakes before and realised that when brand new they don't stop the car as quickley as they should so you have to leave plenty of braking distance.

I decided to bleed my brakes yesterday, I was told by my mechanic friend that its best to have another person to help you with this, heres the instructions he gave me:

Step 1
Start by removing the left back wheel.

Step 2
Have your friend sit in the drivers seat and pump the brakes and then hold down the pedal.

Step 3
Turn the bleed valve to release the air (and some fluid). The brake pedal should sink to the floor (it did).

Step 4
while the pedal is down tighten the bleed valve and release the pedal.

Repeat steps 2 - 4 about three or four times. then do this on the right rear wheel, the front left wheel then the front right wheel.

He said it has to be in this order.

I did this and then topped up the brake fluid resoviour.

My car still refuses to stop like it used to. Before just by braking I could send all my passengers who wern't wearing seat belts through the windscreen

Did I bleed right or do I just have to wait longer till the pads wear in?


I've also been told of another method to bleed the brakes that seems to easy to be safe:

Open the brake fluid resoviour, and pump the brakes till the fluid goes down then top up.

Thanks guys


(excuse any spellin mistakes, just came back from ministry of sound and I been testin my brakes all day and I don't like them anymore)

check your manual, order sounds wrong sounds like old car order, these days its usaly. 1 back wheel then 1 front then other back then other front.
and you dont Repeat steps 2 - 4 about three or four times, you do it untill no more air bubbles come out.

I think I do got an old car... a 1992 Tipo is old right

In anycase we did do until no more air bubbles came out, done it bout 9 or more times on each wheel just to make sure but he said bout 3 or 4 times would probably do it.

In the manual it just say leave fiddling with brakes to a qualified mechanic otherwise you might die

thats not old. you sure it says leave brakes to garage other haynes manuals give the bleeding order

[quote=Trancendental]Hey all

Step 2
Have your friend sit in the drivers seat and pump the brakes and then hold down the pedal.

Step 3
Turn the bleed valve to release the air (and some fluid). The brake pedal should sink to the floor (it did).

Step 4
while the pedal is down tighten the bleed valve and release the pedal.

QUOTE]

Hi, try closing the bleed valve just before your "assistant" has fully depressed the brake pedal as this will stop any air sucking back into the system from the threads on the bleed valve (in other words while brake fluid is still coming out of the bleed valve tighten it), eventually your "assistant" should notice the brake pedal getting firmer. Fiat use a pressure bleeder (a posh version of Gunsons Eezibleed and with better connectors) to force brake fluid through the system, so they only have to open the bleed valve at each corner of the car until clean fluid comes through.
Hope this is of some use.

i might be a bit thick here and may not have read ur question right......but did you drive slowly and not brake hard for at LEAST 100 miles to allow the new pads to bed in?

if you haven't then you will have glazed the new pads and you may as well start again

if you start braking hard from 100mph!( just a guess, seeing as you like to brake hard i bet you drive hard ) you will eventually stop but put a glaze on the surface of the pads, you can sometimes remove this by using some 800 grit sandpaper to just make the surface matt finish instaed of shiny!

try this if you still have no joy with bleeding and see if it makes a diff, if it does, just remember....new pads = 100 miles of granny driving!

Good point to remember the bedding in procedure. Another alternative to "granny driving" is drive as if your on your driving test but without the emergancy stop. If you've got fast road pads then normally you gradually increase the braking effort and increase the speed you brake from (without locking up or ABS triggering and keeping within the speed limit) until they stop stinking.