Any good write ups on Flushing the breaks?

DeTwizzle

New member
Any good write ups on flushing the brakes?

I know that youtube has videos for such stuff, but most is not 4runner related.
Just wondering if anyone has come across a good write up that is 3rd gen specific (even though brakes are fairly similar from car to car).
If so I greatly appreciate it.
And yes I know I should know how to do this stuff, my excuse is that I was raised by my mother.:biggrin2:
 
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Delete your duplicate post.

And, hey, everyone has to start somewhere.

It is pretty simple. 1. go buy a chilton's or haynes manual. yea, they are a bit generic, but they also explain procedures like this perfectly, with photos! YEA!

But. I will give you the short and dirty.

Needs:
1. Brake Fluid. DOT rated. Buy 1 or 2 large bottles. You may well replace all your brake fluid.
2. Self brake bleeder. All it really is a little bottle with a magnet and a one way air valve. You will attach it to each brake bleed valve at each wheel, as you flush the line/bleed it. It keeps air from getting in, by submersing the line in fluid.

Tools. And beer. Always beer (unless you are too young, then soda.)....


How it works. The simplest way to flush your lines is to pop open your brake fluid resovior in your engine bay and pour in a ton of new fluid.

Walk to your back left ( I think) someone will correct me. Always start at the rear. Jack up your truck. Pull the tire, for easy access. This isn't always necessary, but it makes it easy. Besides, pulling the tire gives you a chance to rotate tires or check stuff out while doing this.


You will see the bleed nipple. Literally. It looks like a small nipple with a hole in the center. This is the bleed valve, and it will be on the caliper assembly. You will take your self bleeder bottle, attach it to the body frame with some fluid in it (enough to keep the tube inside covered) and then it is simple....

Pump away at your brake. You will be pushing all the old fluid out. The first line you do will do most of the work. The first one will be used to push all the old fluid out of the resoviour and booster out. It will look burnt/dark. Keep pouring NEW fluid in the resovior, and keep pumping, until ONLY CLEAN fluid comes out.

Then. Assuming you have kept the self bleeder on, and no air is in, which it shouldn't. Done this many times, no problem. You close the valve. After the first brake is done, you will have removed about 70% of the old fluid. You will just need to flush the actual individual lines that run to each other tire out.


So. After that rear tire, move to the next rear tire. Repeat. Pump until only clean fluid is leaving the valve. Make sure you keep adding fluid into the engine bay.

Move to the front. Repeat.

After you have done each tire. Close everything up and try to pump up your brakes. Turn on your car and test for sponge like feeling, this happens if air gets in. If so, you will need to bleed the system.


A haynes or chilton's manual will describe this in precise detail. Every beginner should get one. It is true that over the years they have become less advanced, but they are an awesome beginners tool.
 
Thanks alot!
That is good info, I kinda knew the basics from the youtube videos I have watched, but to have it step by step is very helpful, again thank you!

And my bad on the double post.
 
So I went and bought a Haynes book on the 4runner and the new brake fluid.
I am actually replacing my brake hoses on the front, it says in the manual to, "disconnect the hose from the caliper, discarding the copper washers on either side of the fitting. Using new copper washers, attach the new brake hose to the caliper.

Is it necessary to replace the copper washers, and can I pick them up from any automotive store?
 
I mean... meh.. :)

Some of these things you have to take with a grain of salt.

I honestly do not remember, but are the crush washers? If so, then yes.

Something to understand about the haynes manual.... in some places it gives detailed, vehicle specific info, and in others; it gives just "general" vehicle info. My guess is to save money, the publisher reuses sections to save money on writers. Things like oil changes or the such, that have essentially the same procedure on vehicles... is kinda like this.


But.. in general, yes. They serve as a seal, and over time can bend or form to your old line. If this wasn't a pressure sensitive, LIFE dependent component, I would say.... you should be fine. But, brakes are your life. So, yes. Go and pick up 4 copper brake line washers at your local autozone. They will be very inexpensive.

Also. Make sure your brake line has the proper brake flaring and is speced to your vehicle.
 
So that was an epic fail! Everything went fine on the rear, but when I got to the front right side sh*t hit the fan. I was trying to remove the brake hose the 12" of it and right off the bat I stared to round off the nut that is threaded into the steel brake line. I blasted it with PB Blaster before I totally rounded it of but to on avail. I wrenched on it with everything possible but I think the only think that might loosen it is a torch and a vice-grip. Thinking that I will go pick up a crack torch from some gas station or something tomorrow.
:roadkill:
 
From the ware on the existing brake hoses and how hard it seems to be to remove them I am sure these are the factory lines. I really hope I don't have to take this to a shop.:cry:

Here is what I trying to replace the OG's with. From Metro...
 

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Why did you bother with the brake hoses? Bleeding doesn't require they be removed, you just need to loosen the bleeder valve.

There are a couple different options for 1-man brake bleeding, and I have used both of these ways and find them both to be pretty easy:

Vacuum pump:
Brake Bleeder & Brake Bleeder Vacuum Pump Kit
Brake Fluid Bleeder

Speed Bleeders:
Speed Bleeder Bleeding Brakes Bleeding Motorcycle Brakes Automotive Bleeder Screw Brake Bleeder
4runner uses SB1010

The speed bleeders are my favorite because you can just pump away at the pedal, though I have the first kit from harbor freight and use it frequently (last night in fact, on my motorcycle). The second kit looks nicer though...
 
Power bleeders are def. nice, I was giving him the cheap method. Works just as well, takes a bit more time and has a lower start up cost. Why I picked that one.

Time tested!

And i would be 99.9% sure they are original. Very few people replace them.


Well... It is quite possible that the lines are rust fused. Happens. And honeslty.. just a note: sometimes you learn it is better to stick with the old rather than try to replace it with new, as it will create a larger problem, as you are discovering.


Here is my suggestion. You may well have to cut the entire joint off, physically, with a cutter and put in some new solid brake line. Welcome to car mechanics 101... when you start messing with old, rusty bits... it will often get far more complicated.

If you DO have to replace a section of solid brake line, it is fairly easy and cheap... you will just have to practice. Brake ends require a very specific type of what is called "flaring", it helps to create a physical seal. It is VITAL you do this correctly, as it is your life riding on it. The physical tool to make the flare is sold, for rather cheap, at any decent auto parts store. When I had to replace my entire brake system DUE to rust, I bought a good 4 foot section just to practice flaring. I sat on my couch, watched TV and got to where I could do it without looking.

That is honestly the hardest part. Other than that, brake line repair is a simple plumbing job. Make sure you hat tight fits and good connections.. As with plumbing, it is all rather inexpensive. You can buy solid feet of bendable plumbing for a few bucks.

Make sure you buy a tube bender. It will help you create the subtle bend that won't kink, or hurt the tube. It is about the size of a small wrench and costs 5 bucks.


...also. Welcome to the complications of older trucks. Consider it a right of passage for most starting out mechanics.
 
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It looks like he was replacing them with the ones pictured above.

Oh I get it now...

Why replace them? Are they super rusty?

The hard lines are there for a reason, they move the pivot points that the flex lines have to handle to more beneficial locations. This prevents wear points in the flex line, where it could rub on something and wear through over time. I know alot of guys like replacing the hard lines with flex, but I don't see the point. Replace the stock flex line with SS, fine, but I don't see you getting much benefit from replacing the hard lines with flex, just opening yourself up to wear problems.
 
Well I guess I should update. This project has been a nightmare. The brake hoses were very hard to remove even after PB blasting them and taking a torch to them but I did get them loose eventually( good luck not rounding off your nutz, I found a vise-grip to work best, f a 10mili). The passenger side went on quite quick after finally breaking the seals on them. The drivers side was where sh*t hit the fan. The top of the brake hose broke free quit quick after PB blasting it and taking the torch to it, but the end closest to the caliper seems to have been cross threaded by the factory at production. I seem to think this b/c once I did finally loosen the fitting it would come to a point where it was nearly off but not quite, and would just spin on the threads and not move down them anymore, so I resorted to cutting steel brake line that is closest to the caliper to get it out. Now I'm waiting on the steel brake line that toyota had to order since there were none in town.

So I am delayed till tomorrow. This has turned into a PITA.:roadkill::smashputer:
 
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Well I guess I should update. This project has been a nightmare. The brake hoses were very hard to remove even after PB blasting them and taking a torch to them but I did get them loose eventually( good luck not rounding off your nutz, I found a vise-grip to work best, f a 10mili). The passenger side went on quite quick after finally breaking the seals on them. The divers side was where sh*t hit the fan. The top of the brake hose broke free quit quick after PB blasting it and taking the torch to it, but the end closest to the caliper seems to have been cross threaded by the factory at production. I seem to think this b/c once I did finally loosen the fitting it would came to a point where it was nearly off but not quite, and would just spin on the threads and not move down them anymore, so I resorted to cutting steel brake line that is closest to the caliper to get it out. Now I'm waiting on the steel brake line that toyota had to order since there were none in town.

So I am delayed till tomorrow. This has turned into a PITA.:roadkill::smashputer:

Not sure I followed along 100%, but that sounds like it sucks...

My calipers are so rusted that I rounded off the bleeder valves trying to bleed it, so now I gave up on bleeding and am leaving them alone til I do the tundra brake upgrade. I may just order new brake hard lines as a precaution, but I will go OEM for that.
 
They make special wrenches for working on brake lines, more points of contact, harder to slip off and round the nuts, well worth the $10 I'm sure you'd agree at this point in the project.
 

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Not sure I followed along 100%, but that sounds like it sucks...

My calipers are so rusted that I rounded off the bleeder valves trying to bleed it, so now I gave up on bleeding and am leaving them alone til I do the tundra brake upgrade. I may just order new brake hard lines as a precaution, but I will go OEM for that.

I would say that the Tundra brake upgrade is probably the most important upgrade I have made. I should have done this when I upgraded to the larger calipers. I would definitely have paid the $50 for this to be someone else headache, but then I would imagine they would try to charge me hourly or something like that. Or maybe they would have had the correct tools and know how, but once they got to the cross-threaded fitting they would be toe'n the shotgun in their mouth... and the last thing I wanna be involved in is a homicide.:hunter:
 
These are the culprits. And this is why you want to replace 14yr old brake hose NelsonMD.
And boy was my brake fluid dirty, looked like watered down coffee... tasted like it too!:hatsoff:
 

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These are the culprits. And this is why you want to replace 14yr old brake hose NelsonMD.
And boy was my brake fluid dirty, looked like watered down coffee... tasted like it too!:hatsoff:

Was there suppose to be a picture there?

I'm sure it didn't taste as delicious as that sweet sweet toyota red I drank last year. MMMMMMMMmmmmmmmm, delicious... except for the nausea I got later.
 

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