How to Bleed Brakes

Any brake services in Fayetteville consist of various small repairs that will keep your brake system performing well. Brake bleeding is one of those repairs that can keep them working at their best. If you have air trapped in your car’s brake system, you might be wondering how to bleed brake lines to release it. 

This process isn’t complicated but can be slightly time-consuming, especially if you aren’t the handy type. While we recommend scheduling an appointment at the Superior Ford service center, knowing how to bleed brakes by yourself is something every Siloam Springs driver should know.

Why is Bleeding the Brakes Important? 

Are you curious how to bleed brakes in Springdale? It might seem like a major undertaking, but it’s just a normal part of caring for your vehicle’s brakes. Over time, the moisture resistance of your brake fluid will wear down, and the fluid begins to absorb water. Air will also get into your brake system, causing the pedal to feel spongy or soft when pressing down. Knowing how to bleed brake lines can remove any trapped air, giving your brake pedal a firmer feel.

How to Bleed Brakes By Yourself 

If you want to try bleeding your brakes at home, you’ll need brake fluid, a box-end wrench, a fluid holder and tubing, and an assistant to help you. After you’ve gathered the materials you need, follow these steps: 

Step 1: 

Check your owner’s manual to make sure you have the right brake fluid for your vehicle. There are multiple kinds of brake fluid, so it’s important to know what’s right for your vehicle. Your owner’s manual will also tell you what the replacement intervals will be.

Step 2: 

Once you’re on solid and level ground outside your home in Siloam Springs, remove your wheels.

Step 3: 

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

Step 4: 

After your screws are loosened, tighten them once more. Bleeding your brakes is a slow process, and you need to bleed one brake at a time, the other three screws will need to be tight to avoid air bubbles.

Step 5: 

Pop the hood and check your master cylinder reservoir’s brake fluid level. Make sure the vehicle has the appropriate fluid amount. When you are bleeding the brakes, leave your master cylinder cap unscrewed but still resting on top of the reservoir. To start, you will want to bleed the brake furthest from the master cylinder, but your vehicle may require a different order. Review your owner’s manual or ask our technicians for more guidance. 

Step 6: 

Secure the end of a piece of clean tubing (about one-fourth in diameter) over the first bleeder screw. Put the other end of the tubing into a receptacle, this can include an everyday plastic bottle. You can also buy a cheap brake bleeding kit from any Springdale auto store or order one line. In any case, your tubing needs to be long enough that you can place the catch container above the bleeder screw’s height. This way, any trapped air won’t move back into your brake caliper.

Step 7: 

For this step, you will need an assistant. Make sure your vehicle engine is off and ask your assistant to pump the brake pedal several times until they feel resistance pushing back against the pedal. Tell them to apply pressure on the pedal. Meanwhile, open the bleeder screw a bit. Fluid will then move through the tube, and the pedal will start dropping closer to the floor. Make sure your assistant continues applying pressure at all times.

Step 8: 

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

Step 9: 

Repeat your previous two steps around five times at the same bleeder screw or until the fluid stream doesn’t have bubbles.

Step 10: 

Repeat steps seven through nine on the other three bleeder screws in your correct order, starting with the screw furthest away from your master cylinder and moving to the one closest to it.

Step 11: 

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

Step 12: 

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

Get Brake Service at Superior Ford!

Now that you know how to bleed brake lines, you might wonder how your brakes are working at the moment. Does your vehicle’s brake pedal have a spongy feel when you press down around %%target_city_2%? If that’s the case, you will need to bleed your brakes. Rather than learning how to bleed brakes by yourself, bring it to Superior Ford in Siloam Springs. Don’t forget to check out our service specials and see if you can save on your next visit. Whether it’s brake service or resetting the check engine light, Superior Ford is the place to go!