Brake bleeding frustration

[jrf0195]

Hello everyone. I've run into something of a big headache while bleeding my brakes today. I am no stranger to this process so this one really has me scratching my head.

I started bleeding in order RP, RD, FP, FD. The two rear pedals went perfectly fine. Got to the front passenger wheel and as soon as I opened the bleeder I lost nearly all pressure in the pedal. I went through nearly 60 oz's of fluid trying to flush all air out of the lines. I figured the must be air trapped in the ABS so I closed that bleeder did the FD side (same issue but no surprise). Since we just got a fresh pack of snow and I have a long driveway, I took it out to the driveway and did the brake slam to activate the ABS a few times. My thinking on that was also that since I basically ended up doing a full system flush I may as well try to eliminate the really old stuff in the ABS as well. Took it back and started the process over in the same order. Same problem happens at the same spot. I do see a constant stream of bubbles from that nipple until the flow stops. What in the world is going on at this FP side wheel?!?!?

Before it's asked, I was extremely cautious to make sure the fluid in the MC never dropped below the min line. I'm paranoid as hell about that. I've done this the old school way and gravity bleeding. Nothing changes.

 

[donjetman]

I wish I had the answer? Others here have had the same problem, so do a search here.

FYI
I replaced rear calipers, hoses, etc a few yrs ago. Bled them the regular old school way and no problems.

I recently replaced the front calipers, hoses, etc. Bled them the ole school way and again, no issues.

I do take our abs vehicles out on the country roads near us when it's raining, maybe twice/yr, and do several full abs panic stops to flush some brake fluid thru the hydraulic abs control unit.

Also, at least annually, I suck out and replenish as much brake fluid as I dare (6 onces) out of the reservoir. I use a a large horse syringe with a hose instead of a needle. I do the same for the power steering fluid too.

I don't own a bi-directional scanner, but I know the day is coming

 

[JPS0284]

Hello everyone. I've run into something of a big headache while bleeding my brakes today. I am no stranger to this process so this one really has me scratching my head.

I started bleeding in order RP, RD, FP, FD. The two rear pedals went perfectly fine. Got to the front passenger wheel and as soon as I opened the bleeder I lost nearly all pressure in the pedal. I went through nearly 60 oz's of fluid trying to flush all air out of the lines. I figured the must be air trapped in the ABS so I closed that bleeder did the FD side (same issue but no surprise). Since we just got a fresh pack of snow and I have a long driveway, I took it out to the driveway and did the brake slam to activate the ABS a few times. My thinking on that was also that since I basically ended up doing a full system flush I may as well try to eliminate the really old stuff in the ABS as well. Took it back and started the process over in the same order. Same problem happens at the same spot. I do see a constant stream of bubbles from that nipple until the flow stops. What in the world is going on at this FP side wheel?!?!?

Before it's asked, I was extremely cautious to make sure the fluid in the MC never dropped below the min line. I'm paranoid as hell about that. I've done this the old school way and gravity bleeding. Nothing changes.

Sorry to hear about your luck, sometimes these procedures tend to go a little smoother with the proper tools. Do you have access to a bidirectional scan tool to cycle the ABS? Xtool A30M is fully bidirectional lifetime updates Bluetooths to your phone or tablet, it’s on Amazon for $190ish. Also Harbor freight has a nice pneumatic blender that works really well especially if you’re by yourself. It’s a tool I definitely don’t use much but extremely useful when needed. What’s the reason for bleeding the brakes?

 

[jrf0195]

I wish I had the answer? Others here have had the same problem, so do a search here.

FYI
I replaced rear calipers, hoses, etc a few yrs ago. Bled them the regular old school way and no problems.

I recently replaced the front calipers, hoses, etc. Bled them the ole school way and again, no issues.

I do take our abs vehicles out on the country roads near us when it's raining, maybe twice/yr, and do several full abs panic stops to flush some brake fluid thru the hydraulic abs control unit.

Also, at least annually, I suck out and replenish as much brake fluid as I dare (6 onces) out of the reservoir. I use a a large horse syringe with a hose instead of a needle. I do the same for the power steering fluid too.

I don't own a bi-directional scanner, but I know the day is coming

That's a good idea. With that in mind I just went out for about 20 minutes in a snow filled parking lot and did nothing but slam on the brakes to activate the ABS. Coincidentally my pedal has considerably more pressure now. Doesn't make sense to me.


I forgot to mention that I hadn't done any brake work at all. This was supposed to just be a simple bleed job because the brakes were beginning to feel a little spongy to me.

 

[JPS0284]

That's a good idea. With that in mind I just went out for about 20 minutes in a snow filled parking lot and did nothing but slam on the brakes to activate the ABS. Coincidentally my pedal has considerably more pressure now. Doesn't make sense to me.


I forgot to mention that I hadn't done any brake work at all. This was supposed to just be a simple bleed job because the brakes were beginning to feel a little spongy to me.

I had a similar issue in an old work truck and one of the brake lines was rotting out and blew one day on my way home.

 

[jrf0195]

Sorry to hear about your luck, sometimes these procedures tend to go a little smoother with the proper tools. Do you have access to a bidirectional scan tool to cycle the ABS? Xtool A30M is fully bidirectional lifetime updates Bluetooths to your phone or tablet, it’s on Amazon for $190ish. Also Harbor freight has a nice pneumatic blender that works really well especially if you’re by yourself. It’s a tool I definitely don’t use much but extremely useful when needed. What’s the reason for bleeding the brakes?

Thanks. I don't have the automatic tool, that's a fairly new concept to me for bleeding the ABS. I'm not working at the moment so $200 is a bit out of budget. I bought the pneumatic tool from harbor freight you're talking about and it sucked, figuratively. I used it on my BMW and literally spent hours trying to bleed the first wheel because it never would stop pulling bubbles. Finally I figured there wasn't enough of a seal and air was being sucked in from outside the bleeder (even after confirming all connections). I gave up and went back to old school and no issues. I gave it a shot on the Tahoe and had the same issue.

What started this whole process was that my brakes were becoming a little spongy. So I started the process of bleeding. When I saw how black the fluid was I decided it would be best to flush the whole thing with new fluid.

Coincidentally, I tried the old Dukes of Hazzard maneuver in a snow filled parking lot and spent about 20 minutes crushing the brakes in snow to activate the ABS and pedal pressure feels back to normal now. It would go 2/3 of the way to the floor all the time before I did that. Guess there was a lot of air trapped in the ABS unit, so I suppose I should do the bleed job all over again because the brake is still just a tad spongy.

 

[jrf0195]

I had a similar issue in an old work truck and one of the brake lines was rotting out and blew one day on my way home.

YIKES!!! I should have mentioned this as well, but I inspected all the lines as much as I could. I'm not seeing any signs of damage, corrosion, or leaking. Glad you survived that mishap.

I had a similar issue with an old Corolla once when I picked up a date. Their driveway was on a hill and when I was baking out the brakes suddenly blew. Luckily I was reactive enough to steer and come to a landing in a row of shrubs to come to a stop. Her father wasn't happy, and it wasn't because I landed in his bushes.

 

[JPS0284]

Thanks. I don't have the automatic tool, that's a fairly new concept to me for bleeding the ABS. I'm not working at the moment so $200 is a bit out of budget. I bought the pneumatic tool from harbor freight you're talking about and it sucked, figuratively. I used it on my BMW and literally spent hours trying to bleed the first wheel because it never would stop pulling bubbles. Finally I figured there wasn't enough of a seal and air was being sucked in from outside the bleeder (even after confirming all connections). I gave up and went back to old school and no issues. I gave it a shot on the Tahoe and had the same issue.

What started this whole process was that my brakes were becoming a little spongy. So I started the process of bleeding. When I saw how black the fluid was I decided it would be best to flush the whole thing with new fluid.

Coincidentally, I tried the old Dukes of Hazzard maneuver in a snow filled parking lot and spent about 20 minutes crushing the brakes in snow to activate the ABS and pedal pressure feels back to normal now. It would go 2/3 of the way to the floor all the time before I did that. Guess there was a lot of air trapped in the ABS unit, so I suppose I should do the bleed job all over again because the brake is still just a tad spongy.

Possibly, I never had any issues with the pneumatic bleeder, the pressure has to be adjusted properly and the using the tightest fitting adapter in order for it to work correctly. I used it when I replaced my calipers and pulled a decent amount of fluid through it no problems.

 

[JPS0284]

YIKES!!! I should have mentioned this as well, but I inspected all the lines as much as I could. I'm not seeing any signs of damage, corrosion, or leaking. Glad you survived that mishap.

I had a similar issue with an old Corolla once when I picked up a date. Their driveway was on a hill and when I was baking out the brakes suddenly blew. Luckily I was reactive enough to steer and come to a landing in a row of shrubs to come to a stop. Her father wasn't happy, and it wasn't because I landed in his bushes.

lol that sucks, well hope you can figure it out.

 

[jrf0195]

Possibly, I never had any issues with the pneumatic bleeder, the pressure has to be adjusted properly and the using the tightest fitting adapter in order for it to work correctly. I used it when I replaced my calipers and pulled a decent amount of fluid through it no problems.

Oh, it pulled fluid out like there was no tomorrow, even after adjusting the pressure down. I went through 3 30 oz bottles of fluid and seeing nothing but a stream of bubbles. I used a zip tie at the nipple, the old axle grease trick. Nothing. Maybe I got a lemon.