Fpan87

Anybody here bled their brake fluids before? Does Abs fuse needs to be disconnect? Or just proceed with a one man bleeder?

2013 rx f sport here

Clutchless

I just did it with a one man vacuum pull bleeder from MityVac when I replaced the pads & rotors. I did follow the partial directions from a Motive brake bleeder I used to use to turn the ignition switch on, but not the motor, as they claim that somehow allows you to get some fluid out of the ABS. However, I did once get it bled professionally where they used Techstream to bleed the entire system including ABS and electronic brake thing.

Fpan87

How does your brake feel? Were your old brake fluids darker with some air bubbles?

I'm thinking about bleeding it soon with valvoline dry premium.

Clutchless

The brakes got some air in the fluid when I changed the pads/rotors, so it felt much better after bleeding. I got air out of the system. A year later when I got new tires and an alignment, I had the shop bleed the brakes because I wanted to protect the very expensive electronic brake force distribution controller and ABS system as they are not fully flushed without use of Techstream.

Fpan87

Hmm, are you positive that dealers bleeding with Techstream makes a difference? What was your odometer meter when you brought it into the dealer?

Clutchless

Around 40,000 miles, but I did not take it to the dealer. I took it to a very good independent in the DC area, Curry's Auto Service as they are a certified Tire Rack installer and I have used them before. Most good independents have the Techstream software as there are millions of Toyota vehicles. Using the software is the only way to completely flush the system and this is true of any modern vehicle with ABS and electronic brake force distribution etc.

SkiMe

What does Toyota charge to bleed the brake system? Lexus charge??

salimshah

Since the brakes work even if you have total loss of power, one should be able to bleed without the service tool. It may take more effort/time.

Lexus owners who take their vehicle to Toyota should be proud that they own a Toyota


Salim

Fpan87

I ended up bleeding the brakes this past weekend and the old fluid wasn't as bad as I had anticipated. It was goldish and a little darker compared to the brand new brake fluids which were clear gold. There were little amounts of air bubbles that came out and now brake feels great.

I also spoke to a friend of mine who is a technician at Honda dealership and asked him about using programs such as Tech Stream to fully bleed the system, he wasn't too fond of it. He mentioned that the programs don't always get the job done. It's actually best to do it manually with a bleeder and just pumping the brake pedals.

greeknasty

How do you change brake fluid without techstream and what not?

salimshah

No disrespect, but if you are asking the process to bleed/replace the brake fluid, please take the vehicle to a mechanic or a friend who has bled the brakes.

If you are ONLY interested in learning, there are 3 methods
Gravity
Gravity + assistance of low pressure at the master cylinder [best process]
Pedal pumping [with assistance or Single person].

Salim

Fpan87

Thats how I did it, with a one man bleeder and pumping the brakes.

greeknasty

well my bud is going to do it. He specializes in Nissans and owns a shop and has changed fluid in many cars but nothing like my RX, so his concern would be if there's any tricks or tips that he would need to know or do's and dont's for this particular car

salimshah

Just remind him that he should limit the brake pedal travel when bleeding. One should keep the pedal movement close to how much travels during regular operation. This prevents damage to master cylinder piston.

Salim

Clutchless

I use a Mityvac to apply vacuum at the bleed valve to pull the fluid through the system. I had a Motive brake bleeder that applied pressure to the master cylinder but it would never maintain a decent seal and tended to leak brake fluid all over the engine. I abandoned it for the Mityvac multi fluid extractor (they also make dedicated brake bleeders, look around Amazon) and never looked back.