Brake bleed/flush 94 Civic ex 4 wheel disc/abs??

[94exa2]

Hey, guys, I have a 94 Honda civic ex w factory 4 wheels disc and abs, and am about to replace brake lines, new oem lines for rear, ss lines for front, then bleed or hopefully completely flush the old dot 3 brake fluid for new brake fluid.

Now, my questions. I have read alot about ATE brake fluid, and wondering if DOT 4 is 100% safe in my 94 civic. If so i plan to use ATE super blue dot 4. I am about to replace all 4 brake calipers,rotors,pads,and lines, then flushin the h*ll outa that old dot3 with ATE dot4 if dot4 is safe.

Also, what is the best way to flush and bleed the 4 calipers/brake lines by myself??? I know the traditional 2 person way pressing the brake pedal and doing each corner, but how should i FLUSH and bleed my brakes by myself? open one bleeder and take resivoir cap off and start pouring in new fluid till fluid coming from caliper is new, then go to the next? Idk how to flush and bleed by myself.

Thanks guys!

 

[mechanicx]

Dot 4 is compatible with Dot 3, Dot 4 is just better. You can get an inexpensive one-man bleeder kits, or make your own. You would need a tube preferably clear that fit over the bleeder tight, and the other end has to be kept submerged in clean brake fluid, and you can pump the brake pedal. Or you could use a vacuum bleeder like a mityvac but they cost a little. I'm not sure if gravity bleeding would be very fast and effective.

 

[bepperb]

Dot 4 is fine, they will mix fine.

Mechanicx hit it for the how to, I have a "one man bleeder" which is basically a clear hose and a cup for five bucks. It works fine even alone. I also have a MityVac (I couldn't bleed a hydraulic clutch with the cup) that I use now.

For what you'd pay for the ATE, I'd go to a local parts store (or walmart, farm store, hardware store) and get some prestone/valvoline/whatever dot 4 and the mityvac. It's tough to screw up with that but it is slow. The one man bleeder is pretty easy though, too.

What you don't want is for air to get into the system. The whole purpose of the cup and hose is so that when you let the pedal up and it sucks a little bit back through the system you don't pull a bunch of air in.

 

[MarkM66]

I'd just use regular DOT3 or 4 and gravity blead it, if you can't find an assistant.

I just did mine the other day, it doesn't take that long.

 

[mechtech2]

Mix away! In other words, don't fret about any residual DOT3 in there! It's perfectly fine.

Gravity bleeding is great, but can be slow.
Really, go beg, borrow or buy a Mity Vac or equivalent. You can get knock offs for cheap.
Then, you can perform a vacuum bleed. This really works well, and is fast and clean. They often give you a tiny reservoir, so you will have to dump it often. [or make a bigger one from a jar or whatever].

And BTW, don't make the mistake we have all made of not KEEPING the reservoir filled! Then you suck air and have to start over!

 

[HTSS_TR]

Originally Posted By: mechtech2
Mix away! In other words, don't fret about any residual DOT3 in there! It's perfectly fine.

Gravity bleeding is great, but can be slow.
Really, go beg, borrow or buy a Mity Vac or equivalent. You can get knock offs for cheap.
Then, you can perform a vacuum bleed. This really works well, and is fast and clean. They often give you a tiny reservoir, so you will have to dump it often. [or make a bigger one from a jar or whatever].

And BTW, don't make the mistake we have all made of not KEEPING the reservoir filled! Then you suck air and have to start over!


After using Mityvac to bleed the brakes of my cars, I sold the Motive Power Bleeder on Craigslist for less than I paid for it.

I bought the Mityvac to change oil for the E430 and PSF, ATF ..., and had Motive to bleed the brake. After used both I sold on Mityvac in doing brake bleeding, it is so easy and fast and no air could get into the brake system as long as you keep the brake reservoir filled. The time to raise the car, remove the wheel, re-install the wheel and lower the car is about 4-5 times longer than bleeding the brake itself with Mityvac.

 

[Vikas]

How do you prevent the air coming from the bleeder threads? I know it does not enter the braking system but shows up as bubbles in the jar. Because the bubbles never stop, how do you determine that you have bled all the air from the brake system?

My mechanic uses similar system but the vacuum is generated by the shop air. He has enough experience to distinguish between bad bubbles and good bubbles

- Vikas

 

[HTSS_TR]

The vacuum of the Mityvac is very strong, therefore the air leak from the bleeder thread, if any, would be vacuumed into the Mityvac reservoir. Also, to prevent air getting into the brake system I closed the bleed screw while the Mityvac was vacuuming, then remove the hose attached to bleed screw.

 

[mechtech2]

Who cares if air does or does not pass the bleeder threads?
Think about it.


Thought enough?
Well the answer is that there is still vacuum pulling on the fluid normally.
And it is always good practice to shut the bleeder while there is still some vacuum.
So don't give it another thought!