02MaximaSE

What am I missing?

I bleed at the caliper furthest form the M/C.. 5 pumps then bleed..
I make sure the M/C is always full...
I keep the cap on
I bleed with the car off
I have new lines..
Calipers are pressure tested and have no leaks

I've bled the system over 4 times.. Still spongie... Put the stock calipers on and Still spongie.... What gives...
HELP!!!!!!!

Do I need to have the brakes (re-adjusted??)
Is there a special way ?

Galo

There is a way...not quite as u narrated so...here it goes.
First, you MUST use two people!!!
Start car, you stay on the caliper, place your assistant inside.

Have your assistant press the pedal with slight force. When the system is pressurized, open the caliper bleed screw to allow some of the fluid to bleed but you MUST tighten the bleed screw shut BEFORE YOUR ASSISTANT DRIVES THE PEDAL ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR!!!

Repeat a few times and you'll eventually get to the air bubble.

The key is not to ever allow the brake pedal to stop or start moving back up with the bleeder screw still open because if that happens, you'll suck air back into the system.

BTW, your second problem is the 'five pumps before bleeding', that's exacerbating the problem because you're taking that bit of air that is in the lines somewhere and spreading it around, aerating the hell out of the rest of the fluid....

scopium

just stabb your car

ajahearn

iTrader: (3)

I bled my brakes recently and I don't feel any sponginess. Are you certain that its not something inherent in the brake system? I realize this isn't much help but you don't want to go chasing after something that can't be changed.

iLLin-2k1

There is a tool that "sucks" the air out. I am unsure what it is called, but it's like a gun thing? that you squeeze... Anyway you have the car off and you pump your brakes until they are hard. You take your 10mm? wrench and put on the nut on the caliper and then take the rubber hose from that tool and hook up to the nozel thing. (Wow I'm good at explaining ****..) You loosen the nut on the caliper and start pumping. You pump until you get liquid pumping out then you tighten the caliper nut back. Then procede to do the other 3... I'm sorry I do not know what the tool is called, but I am sure autozone or some other part store would know what I am talking about. You don't need a second person when doing this and it is so much easier than spraying brake fluid everywhere when you do it the "ghetto" way explained above.

-Dennis

theMax

Bleeding brakes the easy way (I just replaced all my fluid)

First the order, right rear, left front, left rear, right front.

Take the first wheel off place a piece of clear plastic hose on the bleeder valve and the other end in a jar with some fluid in it. Keep the end of the hose under fluid.

Then open the master cylinder cap, loosten the bleeder valve and PUMP! Just make sure the fluid doesnt get to low in the master cylinder. I got about 15 pumps before I had to add more fluid. Just pump and fill until the fluid comming out of the hose is new (and no air bubbles). Then tighten up the valve and move to the next wheel.

If you have 2 people you can keep pumping while the other person adds fluid.

Took me about 2 hours. Questions?

02MaximaSE

SWEET... THANKS YOU GUYS!!

I have been using 2 ppl.. but I ve been pumping 5 times then holding it , and would have the caliper valve released... But the pedal would hit the floor!!! and be there for a few seconds until I got the valve snugly tightened...

Where can i get that bleed kit?? or the rubber hose? The clear fish tank hose i use doenst really seal the caliper bleeder valve.

02MaximaSE

Its weird man... first I removed all the 300zx calipers etc... and put my stock brakes and lines back on... and still the same sponginess..

Im pretty sure its my bleeding technique.... hopefully

kevc5

Does the master cylinder have to be open during the bleed procedure?

First the order, right rear, left front, left rear, right front.

Take the first wheel off place a piece of clear plastic hose on the bleeder valve and the other end in a jar with some fluid in it. Keep the end of the hose under fluid.

Then open the master cylinder cap, loosten the bleeder valve and PUMP! Just make sure the fluid doesnt get to low in the master cylinder. I got about 15 pumps before I had to add more fluid. Just pump and fill until the fluid comming out of the hose is new (and no air bubbles). Then tighten up the valve and move to the next wheel.

If you have 2 people you can keep pumping while the other person adds fluid.

Took me about 2 hours. Questions?[/QUOTE]

spirilis

iTrader: (2)

FYI, letting the pedal hit the FLOOR all the way may damage the master cylinder (according to an old manual for some other car... think that was a Ford... always assumed it was similar for every car since I did it by accident on another Nissan and its brake system was never the same)... not enough damage to make the brakes inoperable, but enough that the pedal is never as hard as it was originally... I think it damages some seals inside the master cylinder. Put a small block of wood or something behind the brake pedal so it can't go down all the way.

The "pump" you're referring to is a $25 Vacuum Pump from Autozone, comes with a brake bleeding kit (small reservoir with hoses coming out, 1 hose to the pump, 1 to the caliper bleeder screw)... it rocks
Still need 2 people for it to work effectively though... and FYI, I always used the "push pedal, hold down, open bleeder screw, suck out fluid with vacuum pump, close bleeder screw, release pedal" method... maybe my use of the vacuum pump is what lets me do it that way?

theMax

I leave the cover off the master cylinder when I bleed, just make sure the level does not go below the low mark (and let air in there)

I got a piece of 3/16" ID (inside diameter) clear hose from the Home Depot for like 17 cents a foot.

I've never used the pump, sounds cool, but I never needed it and I always bleed alone.

One more thing, are you using new brake fluid? Sometimes if you have a container that has been opened, it absorbs air/water in the fluid and results in a spongy feel when you bleed. Always use new fluid and get rid of whats left over.

02maxima76

Usually you bleed starting with the furthest caliper and work to the closest. #1 Rear Pass, #2 Rear Driver, #3 Front Pass, #4 Front Driver. Get yourself some Speed Bleeders, 1½ feet of clear hose that's just a hair smaller than the size of the bleeder and an empty soda/water bottle. Drill a small hole in the cap of the bottle to fit the hose thru to the bottom of it. Install your Speed Bleeders until tight and then loosen them ¼ to ½ turn and push the hose over the capped end, if it has a rubber cap, remove the cap first. If you got the right size/length hose you won't have any air sneaking in. Fill brake fluid reservoir and tighten cap then loosen it just enough to be loose but do not remove it, leave it on kind of snug but not locked down tight. With the car OFF, pump away about 10 times and then check the reservoir, fill if it's below ½ full. Check your bottle, if you see spit marks in the hose you're close, if you see fluid in the bottle and the hose is full up to the bleeder, pump the pedal 5-6 more times to guarantee a solid bleed and reduce possible bubbles further down the brake line. Once you notice the fluid level is rising in the bottle and no air in the hose/tubing and it's full up to the bleeder, close the bleeder tight, put the rubber cap back over it, put your tire back on and move on to the next one and repeat the same steps starting with a full reservoir. Bleed Order- Pass Rear, Dvr Rear, Pass Frnt, Dvr Frnt