Are Your Brakes Bleeding?
I had to do an article about this because I had no idea what it was .. & I assumed that you didnt either so even more reason to do an article on your Bleeding Brakes .
Brake bleeding is a typical repair job that people like you & me would not really enjoy. Its something that has to be done throughout the lifespan of your car! .. kind of like that dreaded trip to the doctor where they have to take out blood - I think we all dread something like that, right?
Most Brakes on vehicles need to be bled every two or three years in order for your brake system to be at its prime performance. There are small volumes of air that can eventually become trapped in your cars brake line - this can usually create some sort of spongy feeling when you step on the pedal. If theres big amounts of air that go into the brake line, this is no bueno (Spanish for not good). If this happens, your car is at a high risk of suffering from a total Brake failure - Im pretty sure this is the last thing that you want to happen.
So youre probably wondering, Well, how does air get in there in the first place? The air can be pretty sneaky and get into your brake system during different types of servicing being done to your car or even if theres a leak of some sort. The air can also get in there for less obvious reasons like if you have worn pads or something (or if youre one of those impatient drivers that always slams on your Brakes for no real reason .. sorry to burst your bubble).
When the bleeding of Brakes is happening, you are removing the air thats supposed to be in the line. This is what helps make sure that your Brakes are in tip top shape. Here are the three systems of bleeding brakes :
1. Vacuum Pumping
2. Pressure Pumping
3. Pump & Hold
If you notice, they all have something to do with a pump - which makes sense.
If you go get your car serviced and either you notice or they tell you that your master cylinder is pretty low on fluid, you should investigate the problem then and there or the first chance that you get. Since your entire braking system is a closed system, this means that no fluid should get out - at all. If you are low on the fluid, like I said before, finding the problem and the fixing the problem should be at the top of your priority list.
Here are the things that youre going to need if you plan to fix your Bleeding Brakes all by yourself (which is something that you should be proud of) :
1. A 10 mm box wrench for disc brakes.
2. 8 mm box wrench for drum brakes.
Youre also going to need at least one can of brake fluid if youre just bleeding the lines; maybe up to three cans if youre looking to do a full replacement. You should even look into using a type of fluid thats a different color than whats in the brake line already. The main reason why you should do this is so you can tell when the old fluid has been completely flushed from the system.
So, after reading all this, do you think you can do it yourself or do you prefer to go get it done?
Brake bleeding is a typical repair job that people like you & me would not really enjoy. Its something that has to be done throughout the lifespan of your car! .. kind of like that dreaded trip to the doctor where they have to take out blood - I think we all dread something like that, right?
Most Brakes on vehicles need to be bled every two or three years in order for your brake system to be at its prime performance. There are small volumes of air that can eventually become trapped in your cars brake line - this can usually create some sort of spongy feeling when you step on the pedal. If theres big amounts of air that go into the brake line, this is no bueno (Spanish for not good). If this happens, your car is at a high risk of suffering from a total Brake failure - Im pretty sure this is the last thing that you want to happen.
So youre probably wondering, Well, how does air get in there in the first place? The air can be pretty sneaky and get into your brake system during different types of servicing being done to your car or even if theres a leak of some sort. The air can also get in there for less obvious reasons like if you have worn pads or something (or if youre one of those impatient drivers that always slams on your Brakes for no real reason .. sorry to burst your bubble).
When the bleeding of Brakes is happening, you are removing the air thats supposed to be in the line. This is what helps make sure that your Brakes are in tip top shape. Here are the three systems of bleeding brakes :
1. Vacuum Pumping
2. Pressure Pumping
3. Pump & Hold
If you notice, they all have something to do with a pump - which makes sense.
If you go get your car serviced and either you notice or they tell you that your master cylinder is pretty low on fluid, you should investigate the problem then and there or the first chance that you get. Since your entire braking system is a closed system, this means that no fluid should get out - at all. If you are low on the fluid, like I said before, finding the problem and the fixing the problem should be at the top of your priority list.
Here are the things that youre going to need if you plan to fix your Bleeding Brakes all by yourself (which is something that you should be proud of) :
1. A 10 mm box wrench for disc brakes.
2. 8 mm box wrench for drum brakes.
Youre also going to need at least one can of brake fluid if youre just bleeding the lines; maybe up to three cans if youre looking to do a full replacement. You should even look into using a type of fluid thats a different color than whats in the brake line already. The main reason why you should do this is so you can tell when the old fluid has been completely flushed from the system.
So, after reading all this, do you think you can do it yourself or do you prefer to go get it done?
