How to Change Brake Fluid Video - Advance auto parts

Changing Brake Fluid Video - Advance Auto Parts Bryan: Welcome to today's Video Clinic, Changing Brake Fluid. So much of the time we talk about what makes a vehicle run. Perhaps the most important thing is, what makes a vehicle stop. Jim:That's right, and changing brake fluid can be very controversial. Manufacturer to manufacturer, they disagree as to exactly when it should be done. But we know it should be done because brake fluid can get contaminated. It absorbs moisture and it can cause fading, brake fluid boiling and it can even destroy expensive ABS components. Bryan: That's right and this is a really easy job if you use the right tools, which we have, and we're going to show you how to do that today. You've got about an hour, this is something you need to consider doing every time you change brake pads. Jim: Let's take a look at the things that you'll need to do the job right. You'll want to look at your owner's manual or check with an Advance Auto Parts' team member, to find out if you'll need DOT3 or DOT4 brake fluid. Brian: Lot of great options out there for brake fluid folks. Today we're going to use the Valvoline synthetic brake fluid which actually exceeds DOT3 and DOT4 standards, great in all ABS systems. Jim: Another thing to consider is how you're going to bleed the system. You can either use a one man brake bleeder like this. Many people like this because you can do this all by yourself, at each individual wheel cylinder. Brian: Or you can use another really nifty tool, both available at Advance Auto Parts. We really like this, it's a vacuum pump. We're going to suction the old fluid out of the master cylinder as well as bleed the lines and fill the lines with the new brake fluid, using this tool. Jim: The first step is to put the canister on the pump, that's provided with it. This becomes the reservoir, and now we drain the master cylinder. Brian: You need to make sure you get the tube all the way down into the bottom of the reservoir. There's usually a primary and secondary reservoir. We made sure the tube is all the way down in, to pick up all the fluid possible. You can see how quickly the reservoir fills up and look how brown this fluid is. You can tell that it's old, worn brake fluid. Jim: I like having a rag handy. Brian: Great idea. Jim: So brake fluid doesn't get all over the paint and things. Now get yourself a nice clean rag, and try to get out as much of the dirt as you can around the inside of the reservoir, and the outside of the neck. So that we have a nice clean place to start with. Brian: So working as quickly as possible so we can get that lid back on the master cylinder, we're going to go ahead and add the new synthetic fluid. Just fill it to the line level where it says "full." Almost all master cylinders show you where full is. Jim: OK, it's full, Brian, and I'm going to put the cap on as quickly as possible, to keep the air out. Brian: We're at the back of the vehicle now. We've actually got all four wheels removed so you can see what we're doing. This particular vehicle has drum brakes on the back, so on the back of the backing plate, you can see the bleeder valve. I'll pull the rubber boot off, and expose the bleeder valve. So we're using the same vacuum pump that we used to drain the master cylinder reservoir. It simply connects to the back of the bleeder valve, like so. We take, in this case, a three-eighth's wrench, Jim has given us a good pedal full of pressure. Loosen the bleeder valve, and you can see it coming out the line along with a few air bubbles. This truck did have a spongy pedal, and that's probably the air bubbles that we're seeing right now. You can see the old, contaminated fluid coming out. Give it about 15 or 20 pumps. Go ahead and tighten your bleeder valve back up, and we've got to add some fluid to the master cylinder reservoir up front now, and we'll do this again. Well, I've completed the passenger side front of the vehicle which is the third fartherest wheel from the master cylinder. Now we're working on the driver's side front which is basically right below the master cylinder. You can see the brake line as it travels down, comes into the caliper, and again we're attached to the bleeder valve. We go ahead and crack open the bleeder valve, and drain the rest of the contaminated fluid out of that line. Pump the pump a few times, watch for the air bubbles to dissipate. There you go, you can see the golden brown, solid line and the tubing coming off the bleeder valve. That means we've got all the new brake fluid filled into the caliper and no air bubbles. We're just about done. We're going to top off the master cylinder and we'll be ready for a test drive. Jim: It's a good idea to take time to check the brake pads and the rotors while we've got the wheels off. And also make sure there's no fluid on any of those components that would indicate a leak. Brian: Now in some vehicles, when the job is complete, the brake pedal may go almost to the floor and you might get an ABS light coming on. After you pump the brake pedal up 10 to 15 times, it will firm up and be near or better where that pedal was located before you started the job, and the ABS light should go off after the car ignition is turned off and then on again. If it doesn't go off, unhook your battery, the negative terminal, so the computer will reset. So we spent about an hour changing the brake fluid on this Dodge truck. We had the right tools for the job, which is key. We've got a great pedal and I'm looking forward to the test drive. Jim: That's right, so the next time you're changing your brake pads, go ahead and spend the extra hour and change your brake fluid. It's a great investment in your safety.