I have a '16 Camry that has a rear caliper that is acting up. Assuming I follow all of the other brake replacement "best practices," do I need to do anything differently because of the ABS system in the car? I've replaced plenty of brake components in my time, but not on a newish ABS-equipped car.
I don't plan on "flushing" the fluid, just replacing the caliper at the passenger rear corner, topping off the fluid, and bleeding at that caliper. I have a hand operated vacuum bleeder that sucks the fluid through.
If you can't get a good pedal, take the car out and activate the ABS. That'll sometimes shake something free. There may be a way to cycle the ABS with the car on the lift, that varies.
cyow5
New Reader
10/12/20 4:42 p.m.
You should be fine as long as you follow best practices. You're only going to introduce air near the caliper, not near the ABS voodoo.
I have had good luck gravity bleeding the 2009 Accord that I used to have after replacing the flex lines to each wheel. Just really make sure that you keep the reservoir topped off.
Don't let anyvair in at the top of the system.
Open the bleeder and wait.
When you pump the pedal to seat the pads, don't push it any further than its normal travel, or you will run the piston over residue in the bottom of the master, maybe cutting a seal, or jamming the piston.
Does it make sense to also raise the rear of the car as high as is practical to keep the air from even wanting to go up towards the ABS block and master cylinder? It shouldn't be hard to get the rear calipers higher than the ABS distribution block. Maybe unnecessary, but possibly worth the trouble.
Will definately keep the master cylinder topped off.
There are some methods to bleed an ABS block as well. We had to do it at Honda for one of the Odyssey recals that was due to a mushy pedal. It's pretty intricate so I would do some serious research on the topic if conventional bleeding methods and repairs don't fix your issue. It should be a last resort.
Streetwiseguy said:
Don't let anyvair in at the top of the system.
Open the bleeder and wait.
When you pump the pedal to seat the pads, don't push it any further than its normal travel, or you will run the piston over residue in the bottom of the master, maybe cutting a seal, or jamming the piston.
I don't plan on pumping the pedal at all - I have a hand-operated pump that sucks fluid out through the bleeder screw.
02Pilot
UltraDork
10/12/20 5:27 p.m.
Pressure bleeders > vacuum bleeders.
Nothing at all different need be done, even if you let the master cylinder run low and get air in it. That will be a pain but not any more than on a non ABS car.
The only time you should have to be concerned about the ABS unit is if you manage to cycle the ABS with air in the lines. Even then, most of the time it's a non issue.
02Pilot said:
Pressure bleeders > vacuum bleeders.
Gravity bleed > pressure bleeders
Thanks for the info everyone. I figured it was a non-issue but as with most things, googl'ing led me to some things that made me worried.
02Pilot
UltraDork
10/12/20 8:33 p.m.
Keith Tanner said:
02Pilot said:
Pressure bleeders > vacuum bleeders.
Gravity bleed > pressure bleeders
You are more patient than I am. I've done gravity bleeding, but I generally flush my brakes every two years, and gravity takes forever.
Keith Tanner said:
02Pilot said:
Pressure bleeders > vacuum bleeders.
Gravity bleed > pressure bleeders
Nothing is better than a professional pressure bleeder. Wagner Fluid-bal rocks the world.
Gravity bleeding won't get air bubbles out of high spots.
My one man brake bleeding procedure when installing new calipers is to gravity bleed, then pump the brakes up to push the pistons out. Then open up the bleeders one more time. There will always be a little blorf of air that was in the line that got pushed into the relatively large volume of fluid in the caliper.
Integrated parking brake calipers also get the cable actuated a few times after this procedure. Air gets trapped in the mechanism and you need to work the cable to allow the bubbles to rise up to where the bleeder is.
First, before opening the line or the bleeder, get an old broomstick or something you can put between the brake pedal and the seat, to hold the brake pedal about 1-2" down from its released position. This ensures the MC pistons are past the reservoir ports and won't let the MC run dry. It also won't let you gravity bleed the system, so remember to remove it after you put the new caliper on and close the lines.
I have tried Motive pressure bleeders. I get a better pedal with gravity bleeding. I think the pressure bleeders introduce micro bubbles. It looks like they've done the job, but the pedal just isn't quite as good as it could be. Plus, of course, you need the right adapter.
You don't have to use gravity for a flush, for that you just pump and fill. You use gravity to finish the job. You can do it solo, you don't need any special equipment and it's surprisingly quick. It's also the only way to bleed a Series Land Rover brake system, which is a really weird design on a LHD truck.
When installing calipers, leave the bleed screw open. Attach lines, etc starting at the end closest to the master and work your way towards the bleeder. The system will bleed out most of the air as you're working. Makes for a really easy finish.
Keith Tanner said:
I have tried Motive pressure bleeders. I get a better pedal with gravity bleeding. I think the pressure bleeders introduce micro bubbles. It looks like they've done the job, but the pedal just isn't quite as good as it could be. Plus, of course, you need the right adapter.
That's not a pressure bleeder, it's a spray bomb full of brake fluid and water from your compressor.. A pressure bleeder has a diaphragm separating air from fluid.
Guess someone will have to buy me a real one :) In the meantime, I have my 8mm wrench and a rag.
You can make a "real one" with a 7/16" drill bit and a spare master cylinder cap. Drill hole in cap, insert a valve stem (tire). use small bike pump to pump air into the reservoir. A SMALL one, so that you don't risk pumping the reservoir empty. I used to use an air shock pump.
It's a little more fiddly than some fancy store-bought rig but it will do the job. This is practically the only way to bleed an RX-7 clutch.
I have never gotten air out of a brake system gravity bleeding. I did with a clutch slave though.
interesting fun fact: to bleed 2005-2009 Hyundai's you need to a scanner that can manipulate the abs pump. They suck. It's why i try to own 01-04 and 10-up by/kia
Keith Tanner said:
02Pilot said:
Pressure bleeders > vacuum bleeders.
Gravity bleed > pressure bleeders
I've always had the best success with the two person bleed.
Streetwiseguy said:
Keith Tanner said:
I have tried Motive pressure bleeders. I get a better pedal with gravity bleeding. I think the pressure bleeders introduce micro bubbles. It looks like they've done the job, but the pedal just isn't quite as good as it could be. Plus, of course, you need the right adapter.
That's not a pressure bleeder, it's a spray bomb full of brake fluid and water from your compressor.. A pressure bleeder has a diaphragm separating air from fluid.
My Motive pressure bleeder has absolutely nothing to do with an air compressor ... not sure where you got that from.
I still agree with Keith that gravity bleeding gives me the best pedal feel.
