Stupid Question on Front Brakes
Discussion
As it is freezing cold, dark and miserable I decided to do some renovation and upgrades to the front suspension on the S3C (it seems a logical idea).
I have removed and renovated the ARB, upper suspension arms and shocks + springs (these are worse than first thought so new ones are needed now).
When it came to removing the bottom arms and hub etc. I hit a snag of getting the hub off without having to disconnect the brake pipes as it passes through the hub bracket.
I did not want to bleed the brakes (project for next year to replace lines and servo) but as I had to undo the pipe, it may need to be bled now.
The questions I have for you very knowledgeable people are:
1. Are there any recommended products for pressurising the brake system for bleeding?
2. Is it possible to get 'plus' to put on the end of the flexible brake pipe so that I can remove the callipers and give them a spit and polish?
3. Is it advisable to drain the brake system and refill now that some has leaked (and air has probably got in) or will it be OK to just top up?
These may sound stupid questions but shared knowledge is a valuable thing
I have removed and renovated the ARB, upper suspension arms and shocks + springs (these are worse than first thought so new ones are needed now).
When it came to removing the bottom arms and hub etc. I hit a snag of getting the hub off without having to disconnect the brake pipes as it passes through the hub bracket.
I did not want to bleed the brakes (project for next year to replace lines and servo) but as I had to undo the pipe, it may need to be bled now.
The questions I have for you very knowledgeable people are:
1. Are there any recommended products for pressurising the brake system for bleeding?
2. Is it possible to get 'plus' to put on the end of the flexible brake pipe so that I can remove the callipers and give them a spit and polish?
3. Is it advisable to drain the brake system and refill now that some has leaked (and air has probably got in) or will it be OK to just top up?
These may sound stupid questions but shared knowledge is a valuable thing
If you have connected any part of the system, you will have to bleed at least that part of the circuit - in other words, if you have disconnected one front brake, you'll have to bleed that one brake. It should be ok to just top up and do that.
Unless, that is, you've allowed so much fluid to escape that the master cylinder reservoir to empty so that air has got into the top of the system - then you'll have to bleed the whole braking system.
That's why you should use a clip to squeeze the rubber pipe closed to minimise fluid loss - you can buy special hose clamps. You can't do that if you have braided brake lines, so I made up a couple of plugs using female brake connectors and a short bit of metal pipe - flatten and fold over the metal pipe and then tighten onto the end of your flexipipe and no fluid loss - you still have to bleed the brake but it's only a tiny bit, not the whole system!
If your brake fluid is old, then it may be better just to change it all anyway. To do that, I wouldn't drain it (you'll never get it all out anyway_ = I would suck as much old fluid out of the reservoir as possible, and then use the new fluid to flush the old stuff out.
Unless, that is (for the second time!) you're changing to a synthetic fluid, in which case you should strip the brakes completely, clean everything out, change all the seals and then refill.
Years ago I bought a brake pressurising kit - you connect it to your spare tyre and the other end to a cap on the master cylinder - but I just couldn't get it to work, the cap wouldn't seal and I had brake fluid spraying everywhere. I think maybe my spare tyre pressure was too high. So I went back to asking somebody else to pump the pedal.
I recently bought a vaccuum pump, which you connect to the bleed nipple and it then sucks fluid through the system - and that seems to work fine.
Unless, that is, you've allowed so much fluid to escape that the master cylinder reservoir to empty so that air has got into the top of the system - then you'll have to bleed the whole braking system.
That's why you should use a clip to squeeze the rubber pipe closed to minimise fluid loss - you can buy special hose clamps. You can't do that if you have braided brake lines, so I made up a couple of plugs using female brake connectors and a short bit of metal pipe - flatten and fold over the metal pipe and then tighten onto the end of your flexipipe and no fluid loss - you still have to bleed the brake but it's only a tiny bit, not the whole system!
If your brake fluid is old, then it may be better just to change it all anyway. To do that, I wouldn't drain it (you'll never get it all out anyway_ = I would suck as much old fluid out of the reservoir as possible, and then use the new fluid to flush the old stuff out.
Unless, that is (for the second time!) you're changing to a synthetic fluid, in which case you should strip the brakes completely, clean everything out, change all the seals and then refill.
Years ago I bought a brake pressurising kit - you connect it to your spare tyre and the other end to a cap on the master cylinder - but I just couldn't get it to work, the cap wouldn't seal and I had brake fluid spraying everywhere. I think maybe my spare tyre pressure was too high. So I went back to asking somebody else to pump the pedal.
I recently bought a vaccuum pump, which you connect to the bleed nipple and it then sucks fluid through the system - and that seems to work fine.
costina said:
seems like a silly question what hubs are they off??
cheers
Paul
standard was Sierra 2.0 or 2.3D hubs, disks and calipers.cheers
Paul
Some owners have upgraded to bigger disks & calipers so you can never be sure. The standard ones are fine (IMHO) for sensible road use.
The hubs themselves will still be the same though.
Gassing Station | S Series | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff