How to Bleed Brakes in Mission

There are a number of small repairs involved in a brake service that help your vehicle run smoothly. Brake bleeding is one of the repairs involved in your routine brake service. It’s done if there’s air trapped in your car’s brake system. The process itself isn’t really complicated, but it can be time-consuming. We highly recommend scheduling an appointment at our Burns Motors service center in McAllen, we believe knowing how to bleed brake lines is good information for every Edinburg driver to know.

How to Bleed Brakes & Why?

Bleeding your brakes sounds serious, but in reality it’s just a simple part of caring for your car’s brakes. The moisture resistance of brake fluid wears down over time, and the fluid will begin to absorb water. Air can also get trapped in the brake system, which can cause a “soft” or “spongy” feeling when you press it. Bleeding the brakes removes any of the trapped air, and provides a firmer feeling when you brake.

How to Bleed Brakes By Yourself at Home

If you want to bleed brakes by yourself, collect these materials: brake fluid, a box-end wrench, a fluid holder and tubing, and an assistant to help you. Once you’ve collected these materials, follow your directions here:

Step 1: The Proper Brake Fluid

Check your owner’s manual and confirm you have the correct brake fluid. There are many different types of brake fluid, so it’s important to know which is right for your vehicle. The owner’s manual will also tell you what the replacement intervals are for brake fluid.

Step 2: Remove the Wheels

On solid and level ground, jack up your car. Remove all of the wheels.

Step 3: Find the Bleeding Screws

Find the four caliper bleeding screws and loosen them. If they don’t loosen immediately, don’t twist hard with the wrench. Instead, spray the screw with penetrating oil and wait about 30 minutes. Then, give it another try. If the screw strips or snaps, don’t go any further — bring your car to our service center right away.

Step 4: Repeat the Process

After loosening the screws, tighten them again. Bleeding your brakes is a slow process and needs to be done one at a time; the other three screws need to be tight to avoid air bubbles.

Step 5: Bleed Furthest from the Master Cylinder

Pop the hood and check the master cylinder reservoir’s brake fluid level. Make sure your car has the appropriate amount of fluid. While you’re bleeding the brakes, leave the master cylinder cap unscrewed but still resting on top of the reservoir. To start, you’ll want to bleed the brake furthest from the master cylinder, but your vehicle may require a different order. You can check your owner’s manual or ask a technician for guidance.

Step 6: Tubing

Secure the end of a piece of clear tubing (about 1/4 inches in diameter) over the first bleeder screw. Put the other end of the tubing into a receptacle of some sort, such as a plastic bottle. You can also purchase a cheap brake bleeding kit from any auto store that’ll have these items. In any case, the tubing needs to be long enough that you can place the catch container above the bleeder screw’s height. This way, any air caught in the tube won’t move back into the brake caliper.

Step 7: Pump the Brakes

You’ll need an assistant for this next step. Make sure the car engine is off, and ask your assistant to pump the brake pedal several times until they feel resistance pushing back against the pedal. Instruct them to keep pressure on the pedal. Meanwhile, open the bleeder screw a bit. Fluid will move through the tube and the pedal will start dropping closer to the floor. Make sure your assistant continues to apply pressure.

Step 8: Put the Pedal to the Floor

Have your helper notify you immediately before the pedal reaches the floor. When they do, close the bleeder screw right away. Then, inspect the fluid level in the master fluid reservoir. You may need to add fresh fluid.

Step 9: Repeat the Process

Repeat the previous two steps about five times at the same bleeder screw, or until the fluid stream no longer has any bubbles.

Step 10: And…Repeat Again

Then, repeat steps 7, 8, and 9 on the other three bleeder screws in the correct order — starting with the screw further away from the master cylinder and moving to the one closest to it.

Step 11: Fluid in the Master Cylinder Reservoir

After you’ve finished bleeding your brakes, instruct your helper to apply the brakes, then quickly release the pedal. While they do that, watch the fluid in the master cylinder reservoir. If the fluid is bubbling significantly, there’s still air in the system and you’re not quite done. However, if the fluid is moving only slightly, you’ve bled the brakes fully.

Step 12: Tighten the Screws

Before putting the wheels back on your car, tighten each of the bleeder screws. Again, don’t use all of your strength — just apply enough pressure to make sure they’re secure.

Get Brake Service & More Tips at Burns Motors!

Does your car’s brake pedal feel spongy when you press down? There’s a chance your car brakes need to be bled. After learning how to bleed brakes by yourself, if you decide you’d rather leave it to the professionals, the team at Burns Motors near Pharr is ready and willing to help! Schedule your service online, or give us a call at 956-253-1949 to learn more about our brake services. Meanwhile, be sure to browse our service specials for opportunities to save!