Ok so I'm going to get my MBC reconditioned tomorrow and I've got a booster coming from Sideways which will hopefully come before the weekend. What I need to know is how to bleed the brakes with the empty MBC installed. I've read about something called 'gravity bleeding' which involves opening all bleeders at once or something... I couldn't find anything in the tech section about it but maybe I'm just blind Even better, if someone was willing to come around on Saturday (provided I've got everything back in) and help me to do it, that would be fantastic. I've never bled brakes before and have absolutely no idea about the system. To add to that I can't even get my wheels off because I have the key for one wheel nut on each wheel but not the other 4 standard ones... argh! Advice please? Thank you!!!!!!!
Just bleed as per tech section,get a few bottles as you will need it Pressure bleeding you will need a vacuum pump which you dont have,so follow the tech
They also use a key but it's just a standard hex key, whereas the one I have is the special anti-theft lopsided one... Oh and I don't have a wheel brace or jack that came with the car... and I broke the 2 others I had so I'll need to buy a scissor jack.
Aight cool well that's gonna take some figuring seeing as I have little clue what I'm doing and don't even know what the bleeders look like or how they operate Maybe all will be revealed when I manage to get the wheels off and have a look. I did manage to get the MBC and booster out of the car with only the help of some dodgy pic from the FSM. I guess I'm no genius seeing as I was stumped by a simple clevis pin for 10 minutes....
just a tip,use the right spanner on the brake bleeders,if you round it off you will be in trouble Go to your local auto store and get a flare nut spanner,wont cost much and it will save you ,i think its a 10mm from memory Most people just use an open ended spanner,it slips and rounds the nut off
I took it out to either get it reco'd or replaced, it was filty and corroded from all the leaking brake fluid and I suspect it never actually worked anyway, my brake pedal has always been rock hard to press and very, very ineffective. Sweet thanks, I'll look out for that when i get some new jacks I started to round off the nuts for the brake lines @ the MBC with the normal 10mm open-end spanner. I only got them off with a pair of multigrips and a lot of effort
I have a good, proper 10/11mm Flare Nut Spanner if you want to borrow it. A ring spanner will do fine though as you are not undoing any brake lines. Get some clear tube to fit over the bleeder, a jar to bleed into and 2... maybe 3 bottles of fluid. Did r33k's brakes not that long ago. 2 man job and a piece of cake to do. Start with the left rear, then right rear, then left front, then right front, then ABS.
Slight correction.... You can just use a 10mm ring spanner on the bleeders. But you DO need a good flare nut spanner undo the flare nuts at the Master cylinder. The cheap flare nut spanners are often as bad as an open ender, so it's worthwhile paying a few dollars more for a decent one.
woops,ive been playing with the caliper metal tubes today lol,i got mixed up with the bleeder,but like you said,you need it for the mc and any future caliper removal
I will help you if you need it over the coming weekend, doing a zx is no diiferent than any other car.pm me if you require my help and what tools I need to bring. Martin
Well thanks for the advice everyone, and the offer Martin. Looks like I won't have everything I need before tomorrow so it will have to wait til next week. I've got a much better idea of what I'm doing now though so here's hoping it all goes well
OK I've bled all 4 wheels but don't know where the air bleeders for the ABS are. I checked the FSM and only find a mention of them, not where they are.... Do I have to pull all the trim out of the boot again to get to the actuator?
