Any one have a good DIY on flushing brake fluid in a 94' S10 Blazer?

thx

 

I'm assuming that "DIY" means do it yourself.

I would get a couple of bottles of brake fluid ,a piece of vacuum hose and a can of brake cleaner spray.

Empty the master cylinder

with a clean rag and brake cleaner, clean the brake fluid resevoir.

refill the resevoir.

one wheel at a time, open the bleeder screw, attatch the vacuum hose to the bleeder. the other end of the vacuum hose lower, in a clear bottle with some clean brake fluid.

Have a helper press the brake pedal down to push some brake fluid out of the line.

Close the bleeder screw.
Have the helper release the brake pedal.

Open the screw then press down on the pedal, close the screw.

Repeat about 10 times per wheel.

keep an eye on the fluid level in the resevoir, don't let it get too low.


The reasons for the vacuum line on the bleeder screw are : you won't make a mess ( all the old fluid goes in a bottle.
: If the vacuum hose is in the bottle with the end submerged in fluid and your helper lets the brake pedal up a little to soon, you will draw brake fluid back into the system, rather than air.

[sm=goodidea.gif]

 

don't forget to cross bled going like left front to right rear then right front to left rear, that keeps from locking the presser valve that moves if you lose a brake line.

 

I have always bled brakes out starting with the wheel furthest from the master cylinder and working around to the wheel closest to the cylinder. So you'd start on the passenger side rear, then drivers side rear, then passenger side front, and finally drivers side front making sure to top off the master cylinder after every 3-4 pumps on the pedal. It's easiest to do with two people letting the master cylinder pump the new fluid through the brake lines.

Never have had any issues with a pressure valve...

 

Thanks for all your replies! Has anyone tried a power bleeder? See here: http://www.motiveproducts.com/02bleeders.html


BTW: would any one know if the bleed screw on this model is accessible without removing the tires? I still need to invest in a good jack/stands...thx

 

I have a little vacuum actuated bleeder that you use at the caliper, but I really only use it when I am by myself and can not get anyone else to help out. It works, but it is still faster to have someone pumping the pedal for you.

As far as if they are accessible without pulling the wheels. Well, they should be, but you'll want to spray all of the bleeders with some penetrating oil for a few days before you attempt to open them up. Typically they get froze up and if you round the hex off, you'll have a ton of work in front of you!

Another tip would be to use some clear hose that fits over the bleeder and put it into a glass jar. That way you'll be able to see when the fluid changes to the nice clean, clear fluid. Plus this way you won't spray brake fluid all over the place!

 

There is another way to bleed the lines of old fluid.
However if your fittings are old and rusted, you should do like suggested in the above posts.

I like to remove the rubber hose from the caliper, or remove the hard line from the wheel cylinder. Let the brake fluid drain (no pushing the brakes) into a catch can, a rubber hose over the end will help control the direction of flow. Have a helper keep the master filled with new fluid. To control the fluid flow from the brake end, use a brake hose clamp. It clamps on the rubber line to stop the fluid from flowing. I don't recommend using vise grips for this. They have sharp edges and cause the inside of the brake line to colapse/break. The brake clamp is only a couple bucks at your local autoparts store.

Once you have removed all the old fluid, reattach the fittings to the caliper/wheel cylinder and bleed them like described in the above posts.

A few tricks to free up sticking bleeder screws, brake fittings.
Penetrating oil, like PB Blaster is a great idea.
Always use flare wrenches, 6 point sockets, or 6 point closed end wrenches on the fittings. A regular open ended wrench will round off the corners on a stuck fitting. A flare wrench is designed to grip all 6 sides of the fitting, much like a closed end wrench with a small section missing to slide over the brake line. Typically hte fittings are made of soft metal and will round easy. Never use an open ended wrench.
If you are still having trouble. Use a propane torch on a low setting. Heat will burn off some of the rust, plus make the fittings expand. Heat also does not distinguish what it burns. Be carefull and keep a fire extingusher handy. You will boil the brake fluid, and it must be bleed out. Once you heat it up, spray the fitting with the PB Blaster. It will soak into the threads and help loosen it up more. You may have to repeat this process several times. Take it easy, and go slow. There is no hurry, hotter is not better. Once you hurry, you will be replaceing parts. Don't worry if the penetrating oil smokes, keep spraying, the heat is burning off what your putting on. In other words its not soaking into the threads. Don't worry, PB Blaster won't ignite like gas, and rarely does it catch on fire. But just in case, you do have a fire extinguisher close at hand right? and where is that gas tank?????

Once you have broken the fitting free you may still have to work the rust off the threads. Take it slow, use plenty of penetrating fluid. Follow this procedure for rusted up threads. Loosen, tighten, spray, loosen a little further, tighten, spray, loosen. Repeat until it comes off. It is extremely easy to twist the hard lines off at the wheel cylinder. IF you do, don't panic. They are not hard to replace.

If you happen to twist off the fiiting, or are replaceing the wheel cylinder, buy new hard line. Most autoparts stores sell striaght line in various lengths. Chevies are easy, the fittings are the same at both ends. Fords are another story. Brake hard line is easy to bend by hand. Carefully bend it with your fingers and use your thumbs to push the line around a finger. Slowely, it is easy to kink as well. Practice on the old line. In most cases you will have to get a line that is too long, no big deal. I use a liquid laundry detergent bottle to make a circle in the line to take up the slack. Even if you have to move the circle down the hard line it is no big deal. Just roll and unroll the hard line around the cap. I follow the old line where it connects to the master end, make sure it clips in on the axle. If I have to coil anything it gets coiled over the rear springs. Less liekly to get hung up on something.

If you have to replace the front caliper, replace the rubber line as well. Follow the tips above to loosen the fittings.

Sorry for getting long winded. Jsut trying to prepare you for the worst. And the worst isn't really a big deal. Just takes more money and time. But

 

Thanks everyone for the awesome tips!