Brake Bleeding Procedure

[SJAndrew]

How do you guys bleed your brakes?

I have a '98GTP with the Bosch 5.3 ABS modulator (124k miles). Lately, I've been struggling with weak brakes.

By "weak" I mean that they feel mushy (like there is air in the system).

Long story short: I've replaced the master cylinder, pads and switched to SS flex lines. They're much firmer now.

The question I have....

I've read mixed things about the Bosch ABS system. Do you need to "home" the cylinders before bleeding or not? Some articles say the pistons must be toggled then bled, some say that the system has its own reservoir and is closed to the rest of the system so long as the ABS is not activated.

What I did was bench bleed the master cylinder and then use a pressure bleeder and then just bleed per normal (PR,DR,PF,DF).

How do you guys handle bleeding the ABS system?

 

[GR8racingfool]

When I replaced my stock braked with stock ones I rebuilt after I had them powder coated, I did the same method at the caliper with a helper pushing the brake pedal. RR,LR,RF,LF. I was always taught longest line, to the shortest line.

NEVER had a problem, and the ABS still worked cause in that year I had to mash the brakes atleast twice and they worked like they should.

Several years later, I removed those, and installed F-Body fronts, and a new set of stock rears I had power coated the same color again, redid the same bleed set up at the calipers. RR,LR,RF,LF. NEVER had a problem to this day.

I have been told, the "correct" method is to bleed them system at the ABS module. I never have done it on my car that way, or the countless other cars I have done, and have never had a brake problem. I takes brakes very seriously on my own car, as well as when I work on somebody else's. Its kinda life or death if they fail.

That's what I do, and have been doing since I have had a car with ABS. First car with ABS was a '94 Cavalier. Never a problem on that car either.

~F~