Changed my brake fluid

Tried it today, and it hasn't worked out very well. I now need to replace a cylinder (just the one). We unscrewed the bleed valve thing, but the thing's still sealed, it fell apart. It was just one of the rears and it's not leaking. So I still need to replace the brake fluid in that wheel.

The Eezibleed thing wasn't quite so eezi either because it was leaking a bit. Don't know whether I was using the wrong washer? After finishing the brake fluid level was a bit too low (and the warning light came on occasionally when driving), so I needed to open my 2nd bottle of brake fluid. Will this 2nd bottle of brake fluid still be OK next week if I keep it sealed? You maybe wondering why it was below min. The problem is that it wasn't as simple as just pouring it in. Because of the leak the Eezibleed was continuously putting more and more oil in, and would've eventually overflowed.

Reply to
petermcmillan_uk
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? You undid the bleed nipple, no fluid came out, and then the cylinder fell apart?

You do know you only have to undo the nipple about half a turn or so, don't you?

You probably had too much pressure in the tyre. You need something like 10 -

15psi at most, IIRC, should tell you in the instructions.

After

I'd just like to point this bit out to everyone who thougt I was being over-careful telling Peter to quadruple check, etc. Anyone with even an eight of a brain might have checked the resevoir level *before* driving.

Will this 2nd bottle of brake fluid still be OK

Other people might say no, but personally I'd be happy to use the already opened bottle, so long as you've put the top on properly (I'm not holding out much hope).

You mean the leak in the Ezibleed? Use less pressure, and how can a leak mean things would overflow? It's no more likely to happen that way than if it wasn't leaking, you're not suppose to just bugger off and watch a bit of telly while it magically does everything for you. In fact, I'd say an Ezibleed is far too complicated a device for you to be trying to use. One of those pipes with a valve would be better for you I reckon.

Reply to
Stuffed

No we were trying to undo it, and it wouldn't undo. The thing came out, but it didn't undo.

Yeah, the back ones were bad, I could only just undo one of them, and the other broke :-(.

20psi max, in the end I was down to around 10psi.

I did check it, and it wasn't bad!

As the air escapes out of the resevoir more brake fluid is sucked in. Eventually the brake fluid will start escaping instead of the air.

Reply to
petermcmillan_uk

Was it leaking from the cap that fits the master cylinder reservoir? If so, there's sometimes a groove to let air in on the top edge of the thread.

And you did drop the spare tyre pressure down to under 20psi?

It can't put more fluid in than the reservoir holds. You've got to keep an eye on the Eezibleed one though as it empties pretty quickly. If you don't and you let the master one empty too, you have to start again. ;-)

Reply to
Dave Plowman (News)

That means you snapped it off then. It's always a good idea to spray a little PlusGas on first, and let it soak in for a few minutes.

I've never found those things easier than using gravity TBH. In most systems you can simply undo each bleed nipple in turn and allow the fluid to gravity feed into a pot. It speeds it up if you remove the old fluid from the reservoir first.

You might just have an over-sensitive switch, or you could have a leak. If you used too much pressure in the Eezi-bleed, you could have popped a seal somewhere.

I was told that it takes 30 minutes for fluid to become contaminated, however, it can last up to 2 years in the brake system, so a couple of weeks in a resealed container will be OK.

Nothing is sucked in. You use the pressure in a tyre to push the fluid in under pressure. It *should* fill the reservoir completely. If it leaks, you haven't sealed it correctly, or as already suggested, you have too much pressure.

Having said that, I could never get those to seal myself.

I agree.

Reply to
Andy Hewitt

You were told.

As well as get the air out.

Peter. PAY SOMEBODY TO SORT IT OUT. Neither you or your father have enough knowledge to do it. THIS IS A SAFETY CRITICAL SYSTEM. You can't afford to f*ck it up or you and others can get seriously injured/killed when you find out at 60MPH that it wasn't quite done properly.

Reply to
Conor

You snapped it. Now you need a new cylinder. You'll probably find the brakepipe feeding the cylinder will snap meaning you need one of those too.

In short, £30 for a fluid change at a garage would have been cheaper, quicker and a damned sight more safer.

Reply to
Conor

It's not that big a deal. If the brakes are still working ok and the cylinder isn't leaking, I would leave it until the cylinder needs changing anyway. Then you can have a new cylinder and fresh fluid to hand, along with a brake pipe, or your trusty brake pipe flaring kit.

Steve

Reply to
shazzbat

Yes, don't ever try anything yourself.

Like making mistakes is a bad thing? heh.

Reply to
T.

Well... yes and no.

Maybe do stuff that isn't safety critical *first*?

flush the radiator, change the stat etc. That way you learn how to deal with the real world problems (stuck nipples oo-err etc.). I didn't do brake work until I'd practically rebuilt my first Escrote engine.

Reply to
PC Paul

What a d*****ad. When its brakes yes, mistakes are a bad thing.

Reply to
Conor

T. ( snipped-for-privacy@zen.co.uk) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

This is Peter. It was a foregone conclusion he'd break it.

Reply to
Adrian

Conor ( snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

Although if the brake pipe's going to snap, it needed replacing anyway. If the nipple snapped, then the cylinder's probably getting towards the end of it's life anyway.

Reply to
Adrian

I think it was going to snap anyway. It was all dirty there anyway, and the nut wasn't gonna come undone without a fight. The fronts came undone easily, but the other rear was a nightmare. As I started to undo it, it got tighter again. There was obviously some dirt in it making it difficult. I drove the car 30 miles today, and the brakes seem fine. Either I'm getting used to the brakes or they are starting to work better too.

Reply to
petermcmillan_uk

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