Brake Bleeding Question

[bstway]

Do you guys bother retracting the pistons into the calipers when flushing the brake system? In theory it sounds like this would be necessary in order to get all of the old fluid out. On the other hand, the vacuum created with a Mityvac should get it all out anyway. Not sure; thus the question.

[westmount]

I talked to my mechanic who helped teach me to bleed the brakes. He tld. me that as long as the fluid changes color.. back to original you can skip that step. THis is what's done at most of the dealers to save some time.

I saw him do my wheel circuits last week and I had no problem with him doing it his way. There was a noticable change in color. Good enough for me too

[Kenny2]

I took out my pads. While out I cleaned them and checked for wear. Also, the back tend to hang up on the pin. I remove it, clean / polish it with emery paper and reinstall.

Yes, I push back the pistons, holding them back with shims. this is to ensure any grim that is in there is removed the best I can without a tear down of the caliper. (It allows me to check for free movement and no hang-ups.)

I don't know your bike, but my '02 R1150RT can't use the mity-vac. I installed speed bleeders.

[AntonLargiader]

I talked to my mechanic who helped teach me to bleed the brakes. He tld. me that as long as the fluid changes color.. back to original you can skip that step. THis is what's done at most of the dealers to save some time...

Holy crap.

I guess I do believe that many mechanics do it this way, but think about it. The fresh fluid goes in right next to the bleed port. So the clear fluid will come out the bleed nipple as soon as it goes in from the line, but the old fluid will stay in the piston bores (and where is it important to have fresh fluid... what heats up and boils... it's not the lines, there's a big tip).

If this is an iABS bike, there's no excuse for not spreading the calipers because the spreader tool is needed later in the procedure anyway AND it's so friggin' easy - you don't even have to remove the calipers. On an earlier bike, just pull the caliper bolts and gently rock the caliper to spread the pads, then reinstall.

But if it's all the same to you, next time he can just suck the fluid out of the reservoir and refill it. Lots of car dealers do that 'to save time.'

[BubbaZanetti]

putting in new pads on my 99 S takes about 20 minutes total, they're so easy to remove and the pistons so easy to retract, why not just do it every time you bleed your brakes, also gives you a chance to inspect your pads properly

[PineGreen]

Years ago I had a R100RS. I changed the fluid and pumped the crap out or the pedal and hand lever. Changed the fluid allright, but, corrosion had built up in the cylinder where the piston of the front brake lever slid. And the rubber skirts on the piston traveled over corrosion and I had to huge leak. Cost big bucks for a new master cylinder assy. The rubber skirts were destroyed because ,the bleeder being open, let the lever,hence the piston, travel farther than it would have had the bleeder been closed , as in normal operation. To this day I use the suction contraption when changing fluid.

[FredRydr]

For ABS III, when it comes to bleeding I aways think of leeches.

Oh, I meant when it came time to pay the bill.

Fred