Brake fluid change on mk2 tdci

[Jason87]

Is this easy and just a case of opening each bleeder nipple and pumping the brake pedal til new fluid comes through just making sure to keep the reservoir full while pumping? I won’t mess up the clutch fluid will I? Is this separate? First time doing this. Anything special I need to know/do? Oh and do I need dot4 and how many litres should I buy? 

[unofix]

If only it was that simple !!

Changing the brake fluid is probably not something you should do yourself if you have no experiance of doing it.

I guess from your questions that you have a little knowledge of the brake system but perhaps not enough to tackel this with out help.

You will need DOT4 brake fluid and probably about 2 litres.

The brake system, and if your car has a hydraulic clutch are two completely seperate systems.

You can't just open the bleed nipples and pump the brakes, each time you release the pedal you would suck air back in to the pipes, and how would you know when the new fluid had gone through the pipes and reached the nipple, the old and new brake fluid will be the same colour ?

I can only suggest that this task would be perhaps better left to a garage with the proper equipment.

[F0CUE]

When I done my MK2 I used a gunson easy bleeder it connects to a spare tyre and the fluid reservior with its own bottle full of fluid and it keeps the pressure and makes sure it's topped up when bleeding so no pedal pumping needed. HERE

[Tizer]

There should be some helpful videos on youtube. If your car has rear Drum Brakes then the rear nipples are quite small and close to the Brake Pipe so you may need a slim ring spanner for them. I have a large selection of tools but I had to buy a slim spanner when I had the same car.

The capacity of the system is probably less than 1 Litre if filled in the factory but there will be some waste and if you are using a conventional tube it will take quite a few pumps to empty the reservoir.

If you want a cheap Bleeding Tube then I have been using one of these for years successfully, including repiping cars. It has a split in it that only opens when pumping the pedal so can be used without an assistant

 

[Jason87]

The YouTube videos make it look quite simple like I described. They just have a piece of hose on the nipple going into a plastic bottle and then pump the brake pedal. He has the hose in a little fluid in the bottle at the start to stop any air. So is it not this simple for me to do? And I have rear drums 

[unofix]

Hi Jason, correct me if I'm wrong but I thought you wanted to completley change the brake fluid and not just bleed the brakes ?

Bleeding the brakes is quite straight forward, and yes all you need is a bit of rubber hose with the little slit in the side, an empty jar and some brake fluid. If on the other hand you want to change the fluid in the whole of the system then you need something like

15 hours ago, F0CUE said:

a gunson easy bleeder

and yes the system will hold about 1 litre when full but you will need to put about 2 litres through the system if you are trying to ensure that all of the old fluid has been replaced.

The question I would ask is why do you want to change the fluid in the first place, do you have a problem with the brakes ?

[Jason87]

Sorry yes I want to change the fluid as it’s never been done in the 5 years I’ve had the car. I want to do it mainly as I like doing things on my car and learning how to do it. But from YouTube videos it does look quite simple, you just have to be careful not to let the reservoir go low so it doesn’t suck air in. Is there something I’m missing that can be dangerous to do if I’ve not done it before? Will this be sufficient for the focus?https://www.eurocarparts.com/p/streetwize-vehicle-brake-clutch-bleeder-kit-548993220

[unofix]

Yes that kit from eurocarparts should do the job. Just make sure you have plenty of brake fluid in the bottle.

This thing about changing brake fluid is in most cases just not needed. The garage will tell you that brake fluid is "Hydroscopic" which it is, if left open to the air / water. However since the brake system is by its very design sealed, then the only posible point of entry for moisture to gain entry in to the system would be through the tiny breather hole in the filler cap.

[Jason87]

17 minutes ago, unofix said:

Yes that kit from eurocarparts should do the job. Just make sure you have plenty of brake fluid in the bottle.

This thing about changing brake fluid is in most cases just not needed. The garage will tell you that brake fluid is "Hydroscopic" which it is, if left open to the air / water. However since the brake system is by its very design sealed, then the only posible point of entry for moisture to gain entry in to the system would be through the tiny breather hole in the filler cap.

I’ll give it a go then as it doesn’t look hard from what I’ve seen

[F0CUE]

10 hours ago, Jason87 said:

I’ll give it a go then as it doesn’t look hard from what I’ve seen

It's really not but you just need to be careful no air bubbles are left or the pedal will hit the floor and require pumping to work been there done that 😂

[Jason87]

1 hour ago, F0CUE said:

It's really not but you just need to be careful no air bubbles are left or the pedal will hit the floor and require pumping to work been there done that 😂

Lol what do you do if pedal hits  floor? Mean you have to get a manual pump and pump the lines out ?

[JW1982]

Be aware that the ABS pump contains a fair amount of old brake fluid. To change the brake fluid properly you have to activate the valves of the ABS pump using a suitable diagnostic system during the procedure.

Also be aware that changing the brake fluid by flushing requires quite a lot of fresh brake fluid. During the flushing procedure the old brake fluid mixes with the new fresh brake fluid. It will take at least 3 Litres of fresh brake fluide before all of the old brake fluid is flushed out.

I personally prefer to drain as much as possible of the old brake fluid out of the system before flushing/filling/bleeding the system with fresh brake fluid. On older cars I always use a pressure bleeder. On more modern cars (Focus MK3 onwards) there is no need to use a pressure bleeder. These cars have the ability to bleed the brake system using the ABS pump and a suitable diagnostic system. 

[mjt]

10 hours ago, Jason87 said:

Lol what do you do if pedal hits  floor? Mean you have to get a manual pump and pump the lines out ?

No. If there's air in the system and the pedal goes to the floor you can usually recover some pressure by pumping the pedal. You'd probably need to do it every time you brake.

[Jason87]

2 hours ago, JW1982 said:

Be aware that the ABS pump contains a fair amount of old brake fluid. To change the brake fluid properly you have to activate the valves of the ABS pump using a suitable diagnostic system during the procedure.

Also be aware that changing the brake fluid by flushing requires quite a lot of fresh brake fluid. During the flushing procedure the old brake fluid mixes with the new fresh brake fluid. It will take at least 3 Litres of fresh brake fluide before all of the old brake fluid is flushed out.

I personally prefer to drain as much as possible of the old brake fluid out of the system before flushing/filling/bleeding the system with fresh brake fluid. On older cars I always use a pressure bleeder. On more modern cars (Focus MK3 onwards) there is no need to use a pressure bleeder. These cars have the ability to bleed the brake system using the ABS pump and a suitable diagnostic system. 

I’ve got 5 litres of brake fluid but I didn’t know about the abs part 

[Jason87]

So I got my streetwize bleeder kit that uses the pressure from spare wheel but it doesn’t come with a tube to connect to the bleeder nipples. thought it would have come with this? Can I just pour it into a bucket or will it spray everywhere?

[F0CUE]

1 hour ago, Jason87 said:

So I got my streetwize bleeder kit that uses the pressure from spare wheel but it doesn’t come with a tube to connect to the bleeder nipples. thought it would have come with this? Can I just pour it into a bucket or will it spray everywhere?

It will go everywhere and you won't be able to check for bubbles a piece of clear hose doesn't cost much.

[Jason87]

I’ve got my rear wheels off and looking at the drum bleeder nipple, what size is it? As the nut on the bleeder looks tiny, I assume I turn the but that’s on the bleed nipple itself and not the nut  on the brake tubes?

[Jason87]

I’ve somehow snapped off the bleed nipple? Am I going to be able to drive the car to the mechanics with this off or will my fluid leak and I’ll have no brakes?

 

 

[unofix]

Well Jason I give you top marks for perseverance !!!

No you can't drive the car now - you have no brakes, if you have snapped off the bleed nipple. I know you are full of good intentions but I did say

On 7/30/2021 at 5:39 PM, unofix said:

Changing the brake fluid is probably not something you should do yourself if you have no experiance of doing it.

I guess from your questions that you have a little knowledge of the brake system but perhaps not enough to tackel this with out help.

The remains of the bleed nipple will have to be drilled out and the hole re-threaded if possible. Otherwise you are looking at replacing the rear drum plate. Before trying the loosen the other bleed nipples you need to give them a good spray with WD40 and leave overnight. If they are still hard to loosen then an old trick is to try tighting them just a little first and then loosen them.

Good luck, with the broken one.

[Jason87]

3 minutes ago, unofix said:

Well Jason I give you top marks for perseverance !!!

No you can't drive the car now - you have no brakes, if you have snapped off the bleed nipple. I know you are full of good intentions but I did say

The remains of the bleed nipple will have to be drilled out and the hole re-threaded if possible. Otherwise you are looking at replacing the rear drum plate. Before trying the loosen the other bleed nipples you need to give them a good spray with WD40 and leave overnight. If they are still hard to loosen then an old trick is to try tighting them just a little first and then loosen them.

Good luck, with the broken one.

I need to get it to the mechanics as I’m not going to bother doing the rest in case it happens again, not sure what I can do it I can’t drive the car. No fluid came out from the break but I assume when I pump the brakes it will come out? Also the bleed kit was a pain and kept just squirting out the brake fluid from around the master cylinder cap, couldn’t get a full air tight seal

[unofix]

The only options now is the mechanic will have to come to the car and do the repair or you need to get the vehicle recovered on a transpoter (do warn the recovery people that the vehicle has no brakes). Probably the cheapest option is a mobile mechanic if you can find one locally.

[Jason87]

Just now, unofix said:

The only options now is the mechanic will have to come to the car and do the repair or you need to get the vehicle recovered on a transpoter (do warn the recovery people that the vehicle has no brakes). Probably the cheapest option is a mobile mechanic if you can find one locally.

If I pump the brakes with the engine on and nothing comes out won’t it be ok? If I do it for a number of times to be safe 

[unofix]

You maybe very lucky and the nipple is still sealing the brake system. I couldn't recommend driving it as the brakes could fail suddenly at anytime, but if you feel that its worth the risk I would take it driectly to a garage (and drive slowly). Remember sudden or heavy braking could cause it to loose all brake fluid.

[Jason87]

1 minute ago, unofix said:

You maybe very lucky and the nipple is still sealing the brake system. I couldn't recommend driving it as the brakes could fail suddenly at anytime, but if you feel that its worth the risk I would take it driectly to a garage (and drive slowly). Remember sudden or heavy braking could cause it to loose all brake fluid.

I think what I did was turned it the wrong way so it just snapped instead of turning so maybe it’s snapped and still blocked. I’ll just keep pumping the brakes on the drive and check for any leaks. I’m guessing the mechanic can just replace the whole drum part? Probably easier than fiddling with the bleed screw. 

[Jason87]

Will the handbrake work with out brake fluid? As an emergency on way to mechanics