Bleeding brakes for the first time

[Kulebrero1]

About to bleed the brakes on a GR86. It just occurred to me I don’t know the right order.

Also, is TYP200 good for our cars? If not, what do you recommend for track/HPDE duty?

I’ll be putting Carbotech XP10 pads all around.

[ZDan]

Order isn't going to matter a whole lot, really. I'm sure the factory service manual does have a preferred order so if anyone has that, no reason not to follow it.

I have gotten better performance over a long time period from readily available off-the-shelf name-brand (Castrol, Pennzoil, etc.) DOT4 or DOT5.1 from parts stores than some "race" brake fluids, including ATE type 200. I had to rebleed ATE200 after one track day in the s2000, vs. as many as 6-8 track days with off the shelf stuff before doing a caliper bleed. Most likely you don't need or want anything fancy here.

FWIW I do the one-man bleed method using this:
Loosen bleed screw, pump pump pump, top off reservoir, repeat for all 4 corners.

Idea the first time is to completely flush out the old fluid, so you have to pump until reservoir gets somewhat close to empty, top it off and pump pump pump again until you get fresh fluid in the calipers. After that you can likely just caliper bleed the next time the pedal feels soft, and flush again beginning of next track season.

[gcmak]

Here's a bit of a guide on brake fluid for track use: https://trackmanual.com/blog/castrol-srf-vs-motul-660
Here's a comparison list you can reference (use as guidelines, not as a bible): https://thebuildjournal.com/tech-gui...parison-guide/

The procedure is to bleed the calipers furtherest away from the brake fluid reservoir/master cylinder. USDM cars will be: 1. Passenger rear 2. Driver rear 3. Passenger front 4. Driver front.

To do a full flush, it takes up to 1L of fluid - plan to push more fluid out the rear brakes of the car than the front as there's more fluid in the longer lines that travel to the back of the car. Typically you'll see a change in color of the fluid, even if you aren't using a different color brake fluid. Regardless of which brake bleeding method you use, do NOT let your brake fluid reservoir drop too low. Once it reaches the min mark area, fill the reservoir up again.

Last safety item. BEFORE you put the car in gear, pump the brakes to ensure you have a firm (or at least some pedal). If after a drive the pedal feels mushy, consider repeating the process, it's possible some air was introduced or shifted in the system that still needs to be cleared out.

There's torque specs for the bleeder valves you will want to follow somewhat closely - they're ~7ftlb front and ~6ftlb rear. Over crank those bleeders and you'll also have a bad time. After a short drive, just double check you're not seeing wet calipers and you're good to go!

[e_lunatic]

working on drift and race cars for a long time i've done a lot of brake bleeding and every team i've been a part of always stuck to the starting from the furthest caliper first and then moving inward. Makes sense but i never did any research on how accurate it is but if it ain't broke don't fix it i guess

[Ultramaroon]

Originally Posted by e_lunatic

working on drift and race cars for a long time i've done a lot of brake bleeding and every team i've been a part of always stuck to the starting from the furthest caliper first and then moving inward. Makes sense but i never did any research on how accurate it is but if it ain't broke don't fix it i guess

The order of operation is important for the worst case scenario with dry lines but it works in all cases. Typical best practice from forever ago.

[Kaotic Lazagna]

I use a turkey baster syringe to take out the old fluid from the reservoir down to the min line, then top it off with new fluid before starting the first caliper. I put some of that into the one-man bleeder bottle just for extra caution to prevent any possible air going back up (bottle supposedly has a one-way valve, but why not be safe).

I empty the bottle and leave about an inch of old fluid for the reasons above. I keep pumping and refilling the reservoir until I see new fluid coming out of the bleeder valve, then move onto the next caliper in the aforementioned order above.

[ZDan]

Originally Posted by Kaotic Lazagna

I use a turkey baster syringe to take out the old fluid from the reservoir down to the min line, then top it off with new fluid before starting the first caliper.

This is a great idea, I've done this too but during track season I'm OK with just bleeding out the fluid that's been in the calipers, that's seen high temps, and replacing with fluid from the MC (aka caliper bleed). Also this is how I fake "bleed" the clutch, by emptying the reservoir with syringe and refilling with fresh DOT4 once a year.

[Kaotic Lazagna]

Originally Posted by ZDan

This is a great idea, I've done this too but during track season I'm OK with just bleeding out the fluid that's been in the calipers, that's seen high temps, and replacing with fluid from the MC (aka caliper bleed). Also this is how I fake "bleed" the clutch, by emptying the reservoir with syringe and refilling with fresh DOT4 once a year.

Have you bled the clutch before? I only replace the fluid since I thought I read to not bleed the clutch line for some reason.

[Ultramaroon]

Originally Posted by Kaotic Lazagna

Have you bled the clutch before? I only replace the fluid since I thought I read to not bleed the clutch line for some reason.

It doesn't get remotely hot. Compared to punishment from brake calipers, clutch system is a fluffy pillow.

[gen3v8]

Originally Posted by Ultramaroon

It doesn't get remotely hot. Compared to punishment from brake calipers, clutch system is a fluffy pillow.

Okay
[QUOTE=Ultramaroon;3535996]

[Kaotic Lazagna]

LOL

[Ultramaroon]

Originally Posted by Kaotic Lazagna

LOL

+1