I will be installing new rotors, pads, SS lines, and of course new fluid this week. I know it's necessary to have a 2nd person in order to properly bleed the fluid. My understanding of the procedure is that one person needs to pump the pedal until it gets firm and then hold it down, while the other person caps off the bleeder so that no air gets in the system. If I am wrong here, PLEASE let me know. If my understanding of the procedure is correct, wouldn't I be able to pump the pedal myself, and then wedge a two by four in there to hold the brake pedal down and then cap the bleeder myself? I'll most likely be doing the work during the day on a weekday this week, and there won't be anyone around to help me out. Give me some insight on how feasible my idea is... and if I'm way off please let me know.

 

if your by yourself you can gravity bleed your system. it takes much much longer but it works. put vinyl tube to bleeder valve, crack open a bleeder valve and let gravity do its thing.

 

How do you get all of the old fluid out of the old system?

 

PLease take this seriously. If you pump the pedal down to the floor you are going to shove the valve in the master cylinder further along its path of travel than normal. Big deal? Hell yea! In about a month it will fail because it will never be able to totally return to it's original position.

Here's what I did. I went to the right rear and broke the screw loose and had my dad push the pedal down slowly to the furthest point the brake pedal would normally travel; once he was there he would shout out "OK" and I would shut the valve off. We would repeat this until no bubbles came out and then move to the left rear and then the right front and then the left front. We went through the entire process three times for each weheel following the above sequence in order to flush the system and get all the bubbles out.

Key element was to push the pedal down slowly and don't let it travel past the furthest point you would normally push the pedal under a panic stop. Sure, we had to do this about 2 times on each wheel during the same sequence before we saw no bubbles, but it's the RIGHT way to safely do it. The next time we came to that wheel we just cracked the vavle open and he pushed the pedal down and when he got to "that point," I closed it and we were done and on to the next wheel.

Take your time and don't push the pedal down to far or you will cost yourself $2-300 in about a month.

Good luck!
SHUMAX

 

If you are interested in a fast and easy way to bleed your brakes check out www.speedbleeders.com They sell a replacement bleeder valve with a one-way valve so that you can do the job yourself. Just open the bleeder and pump the brake pedal, fluid will come out but air will not be allowed in. I have installed these on my Max and they work perfectly. They are a little expensive, around $5 each I think, but well worth it if you plan to change your brake fluid regularly.

 

I was bleeding the brakes this weekend and accidentally stripped one of the bleeder valve. What can I do to take it off and replace it? Do you know where I would get a replacement?

Thanks.

 

i didnt mean shoving a board in there to hold the pedal all the way down to the floor or anything... i just meant to hold it down somewhat. but apparently my understanding of the procedure was wrong anyhow, so it doesnt matter. i guess i'll do the lines and fluid on saturday when someone can be there to help me. as far as the speedbleeders go, just learned about those last night, and dont have time to order them and get them here before i need to have my fluid and lines replaced, my race is in 6 days. thanks for the opinions though.

 

What, exactly, did you strip?

If you stripped only the bleed screw you have a small problem. You can buy a replacement at the dealer or any auto parts store.

If you stripped the threaded hole in the caliper you have a bigger problem. You may have to replace the caliper. However, there is a repair kit which may be helpful. Check into http://www.thexton.com/catalog/repair/rpr_1.htm#No. 562

I have used this kind of repair kit with good results.

 

Did the exact same thing working on my bro's '93 max. The bleeder was just too corroded when I went to turn it, off came a bunch of rust as well as the edges. Tried using a pair of vise pliers but ended up just taking off another layer of metal...this after squirting some Liquid wrench on the thing. In any case, i abandoned the attempt (did bleed 3 of the lines though) because I knew it would be a sad day if I tore off the bleeder with the end still in the caliper and leaking brake fluid.

 

It's the bleeder screw that I stripped. It's not corroded so I might try the vise grip. Drilling and re-tapping treads sounds a little hairy. I'll make the repair kit my last option before replacing the caliper. Thanks for the tip.