This is the last job i carried out on my car this weekend. Its rely simlpe and makes a massive differancefor some.
My brake pedel was rely spongy, i only rely noticed how bad it was till i had to drive my dads yaris, which brakes are rely good.
If you press your brake pedel and it travles a long way down before braking, or if your brakes feel soft or spongy, this simple fix might help.
Before starting remember that brake fluid is poisonous, flamible and a rely effective PAINT STRIPPER.
Here the tools youll need;
A jam jar with a lid and hole in it
a piece of plastic or rubber tubing which fits tightly over the bleed screw (it needs to be clear so you can see the brake fluid inside)
brake fluid DOT 3 or 4
8mm spaner
wire brush and clean rag
and an assistant
First of locate your master cylinder reservoir in your engine and make shure it is filled up to the MAX line.
It will have a warning on it to only use brake fluid.
Do not let the level drop below the min line when you are bleeding the brakes, if you do you will let air into the system and you will have to bleed the whole system again.
Next chock the wheels just in case, you'll be under the car so better safe than sorry.
Take the rubber caps of the bleed screw and with your wire brush clean the area around the screw, then give it a wipe with a clean cloth.
The bleed screw is the little valve that sticks out at the back of each of your brakes.
Get your assistant to sit in the car and pump the brakes a few times till there stiff, then get him/her to push a final time but to hold the pressure on the pedel till you till them to take it off.
Put some new brake fluid into the jar or some oil as i used, this is to stop the old fluid from running out once you take the tubbing of the screw.
Work through the bleed screws in this order, left back brake, right back brake, left front brake, right front brake.
Place yout 8mm spaner over the bleed screw then place your tubbing over the rest of the end.
Now have your assistance depress the brake pedal for the final time and hold it there. Now turn the bleed screw half a turn or so till the brake fluid starts to flow out. Your assistant will feel the brake pedal move down as they keep pressure on it, make shure they till you when the pedal is near the floor so you can retighten the screw to let them pump the pedal again, DO NOT let them take there foot of the pedal till you have tightned the screw.
Keep a look out for air bubbles, once there are no air bubbles you can stop.
Move on to you next wheel and do the same thing. Dont forget to put the rubber cover back onto the bleed screw then your done, and make shure you dont spill any brake fluid onto any paint.
Your brakes should now feel a lot stiffer and not travel so much.
If is recomended that you change your brake fluid every 2 years.
To do this simply use something like a syring to suck out the old fluid from the resivore, DO NOT USE YOUR MOUTH TO SUCK IT OUT, ITS POISONOUS.
Refill the reservoir with new fluid then bleed the brakes the same as above till the new fluid starts to come out.
Hope this helps someone out there save a bit of cash.
