Brake Bleeding I just serviced my forks and decided to bleed the brakes as well since they where right there for the taking! I have a vacume pump tool I bought at Harbor Freight tools for $30
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Make sure you have enough Brake fluid, I usually end up using 2 bottles of dot 4 fluid, since I do the brakes and the Clutch fluid as well. Once you open a bottle of fluid it can not be saved for very long, exposure to air makes it absorb moisture, making it useless. 8mm wrentch for the bleeder bibs 10mm for the PCV valve.
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Here is a write up Paladin posted by one of the Canadian VFR list group. I used this as my guide.
1. Wrap front master cylinder with a rag so you don't get any fluid on the bike. If you get fluid on the bike, wipe it up and wash it off immediately. Carefully removed the cap and clean it.
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2. Use paper towel to soak up all the fluid in the reservoir. Clean it out best you can. ( I sucked it out with my vacume tool)
3. Top up reservoir with DOT4 brake fluid (to casting line).
4. Bleed front outside left caliper. (top bleeder bib)
[image: IPB Image] 5. Bleed front outside right caliper. (top bleeder bib)
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7. Remove rear cowl.
8. Carefully removed the cap from the rear brake cylinder and clean it.
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9. Use paper towel to soak up all the fluid in the reservoir. Clean it out best you can.
10. Top up reservoir with DOT4 brake fluid (to line marked "upper")
11. BLEED IN THE FOLLOWING ORDER.
12. Bleed front LEFT caliper (center bib).
13. Bleed front right caliper (center bib).
14. Bleed PCV valve. This is just under the right side of the gas tank hinge. I was able to bleed this with an elbow on the bleed hose. If you are using a plain tube, you will likely need to lift the gas tank.
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15. Bleed rear center. Getting to it is a difficult task, I just took off the rear wheel, and removed the brake bolts otherwise the center bib is unreachable, the vacume hose keeps coming off.
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16. Bleed rear outer bib (the caliper is sideways so its the same as the top bib on the front calipers).
17. DONE. Make sure no air got in the system and put everything back together!
(note the bib on the ends of each caliper bleeds the outer 2 cylinders the bib in the middle bleeds the middle)
This is cake if you just did your brakes! remove the cap to the clutch fluid, suck it out or use a rag.
[image: IPB Image] The bleeder bib is on the clutch slave cylinder near the kickstand
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Bleeding a standard VTEC
We began by removing the seat and prepping the back area for work. Take off the 2 black Plastic pieces on both sides of the tank. Actually its not necessary to remove the piece on the right side but It could be a bit of a hassle to deal with.
[image: IPB Image] Removeing the Plastic on the right side
[image: IPB Image] With the plastic removed you have more room to work, push in the center of the plastic clips to remove them.
[image: IPB Image] Proportion valve bleeder on the left side
[image: IPB Image] Left side removed covers the proportion valve and battery
[image: IPB Image] Turn the handlebar to level the master cylinder remove the cap, plate, and diaphram
[image: IPB Image] My vacuum bleeder has an auto filler that seals off the master cylinder and siphons in new fluid from a fill bottle.
Begin Bleeding The front Brakes
[image: IPB Image] Begin on the right side top bleeder (its the only bleed valve on the right front)
You vacuum until its clean fluid then pump the bar hold it and close the valve. You will get air in the bleeder line its unavoidable, just make sure its clean coming out.
[image: IPB Image] Cruddy fluid still coming out
Now go to the left side and do the top valve.
[image: IPB Image] The bleeders on the calipers are 8mm, after you get clean fluid pump the handle again hold it and close off the bleeder
[image: IPB Image] Top off the master cylinder and your done with the front, put the cap and stuff back on.
Doing the Back Master Cylinder
[image: IPB Image] Remove the cap and diaphragm
I suck out the master cylinders first and top off with new fluid before bleeding.
[image: IPB Image] The siphon filler would not seal cause of the ABS plastic was holding it up.
If you spill brake fluid clean it up with soapy water right away or it will eat the paint!
[image: IPB Image] The center valve on the front left caliper is connected to the rear master cylinder start there
They recommend that you remove the caliper and hold it at 45 degrees to help the air bubbles float out, they also say to replace the calipers bolts when you remove them. NAH! Power bleeder!! I just push on the secondary master cylinder above the caliper to pump the air out.
[image: IPB Image] Push on the caliper forward to pump the secondary master cylinder
[image: IPB Image] The Proportion valve wont bleed at all until you pump the petal, its 10mm wrench
[image: IPB Image] Top off the rear reservoir so it doesn't go dry, start with the rear top bleeder
[image: IPB Image] The old fluid is very dark! you will use a lot of fluid to do the VFR! almost a liter, we used synthetic Valvoline brake fluid.
[image: IPB Image] Getting to the valves on the rear caliper is a pain in the butt
[image: IPB Image] you can see a glimpse of the top bleeder in this shot
Again pump the petal hold it and then close the valve, do the front valve after the top valve.
Clutch Line
[image: IPB Image] Remove the cap, suck out the bad fluid, top it off
[image: IPB Image] Location of the slave bleeder on the left side of the bike
Check the firmness of the levers and petal and make sure the clutch operates. If you feel spongy then you still have air in the system you will need to re-bleed!
I just bled my brakes and clutch using a nice little tool from Autozone for $25.00. It's pretty simple for one person to do by themselves. 1. Clean off bleed valve located at the brake actuators. 2. Attach hose from bleeder to bleed valve. This must be tight fitting to keep air out. 3. Loosen reservoir cover for later filling. 4. Pump up bleeder about 15 times and loosen bleed valve with wrench. Keeping pumping, as required, to maintain suction pressure shown on the gage. 5. Drain about 1 inch of fluid into bleeder cup and close bleed valve. 6. Dump out bleeder cup. 7. Remove reservoir cover and add new DOT4 fluid. 8. Loosly install reservoir cover. 9. Repeat steps 4 thru 8 until the bleeder cup is filling with clean fluid. 10. Tighten reservoir and pump brake handle until there is resistance being felt. If the brakes feel spongy, repeat the bleeding process.
The process is similar for the rear brake and clutch. Remember to bleed both front bleed valves. One for each brake actuator.
Great idea. My dealer does something similar, but their bleeder is attached to an air hose to create the vacuum. But the same principle applies. Thanks for the info. Larry
Here's a quick tip from an old Auto Mechanic. ? biggrin.gif
This is the best and easiest procedure to bleed hydraulic systems whether it be your clutch or brakes.
1. Attach proper fitting rubber line to bleeder screw. I use 1/4 " vacuum hose. Dip the end in brake fluid (DOT 5 or 4, check your owners manual for proper fluid grade!) to aid in lubricating the hose and help it's sealing from the rubber line to the bleeder screw.
2. Next, find a small "Clean" glass jar. Fill the jar 3/4 of the way full.
3. Place the vacuum line attached to the bleeder screw into the brake fluid in the jar.
4. Loosen (Crack open) the bleeder screw. (not to much, you don't want the screw threads sucking air. 1/4 turn is plenty!)
5. Pump brake lever or clutch lever. Watch for air bubbles. If there are no air bubbles then you have a perfect system. If you see air bubbles pump the lever until they disappear.
6. Close bleeder screw. Wrap cloth around 1/4" vacuum line and pull line off bleeder screw. Remember, the line will be full of brake fluid. By putting an old rag around it the fluid will not meet the painted parts on your bike. BUBBLE BUBBLE *Cough cough*.
*NOTE* - You do not have to open the Brake or Clutch Reservoir. The air will be pushed out of your hydraulic system with out opening them. This is the beauty of this procedure, there is no mess or fuss!
Any Questions? I plan on providing a paper with full pictures in the future for all of you smile.gif
RoadWorthy, May 22 2003Larry has a good procedure too. Nice paper. ?
Here's a quick tip from an old Auto Mechanic. ? biggrin.gif
This is the best and easiest procedure to bleed hydraulic systems whether it be your clutch or brakes.
1. Attach proper fitting rubber line to bleeder screw. I use 1/4 \" vacuum hose. Dip the end in brake fluid (DOT 5 or 4, check your owners manual for proper fluid grade!) to aid in lubricating the hose and help it's sealing from the rubber line to the bleeder screw.
2. Next, find a small glass jar. Fill the jar 3/4 of the way full.
3. Place the vacuum line attached to the bleeder screw into the brake fluid in the jar.
4. Loosen (Crack open) the bleeder screw. (not to much, you don't want the screw threads sucking air. 1/4 turn is plenty!)
5. Pump brake lever or clutch lever. Watch for air bubbles. If there are no air bubbles then you have a perfect system. If you see air bubbles pump the lever until they disappear.
6. Close bleeder screw. Wrap cloth around 1/4\" vacuum line and pull line off bleeder screw. Remember, the line will be full of brake fluid. By putting an old rag around it the fluid will not meet the painted parts on your bike. BUBBLE BUBBLE *Cough cough*.
*NOTE* - You do not have to open the Brake or Clutch Reservoir. The air will be pushed out of your hydraulic system with out opening them. This is the beauty of this procedure, there is no mess or fuss!
Any Questions? I plan on providing a paper with full pictures in the future for all of you smile.gif
That works fine for simple bleeding, but what do you do to replace the fluid in the whole system? :D
That's simple, Remove the part you want to replace or the fluid ( Depending on whether its the clutch or the brakes)..
Then simply hook up the 1/4" (possibly 5/16" line, depending on where you live, Britain vs.. American bikes) vacuum line to the bleeder screw of the system you've replaced the part in (whether it be the clutch or brake system).
Remove the Reservoir top.
1. Place empty jar below the bleeder screw.
2. Pump "clutch or brake lever till the Reservoir is almost empty", Not empty, but at least 1/4" of an inch full.
3. Refill Reservoir, pump "Brake or clutch lever" until clear fluid starts to flow from bleeder screw. DONE!
Hey Man, I said "ULEWZ" had a good system. Both of these procedures are great!
Choose at will!
*NOTE* - It is good Practice to replace your brake or clutch fluid every 2 years depending on how hard you ride and how hot the brakes or clutch get. Remember, clutch and brake components produce air depending on how hot the rotors get because the hydraulic fluid boils! Anytime you replace parts in an hydraulic system environment you should change the fluids to remove contaminates from your hands.
any one pumping the levers while bleeding on an older bike should take care not to let the lever travel past the normal range. if the master cylinder is pitted, it is likely more pitted where the seal of the piston doesnt normally move. the pitted area could damage the seal and tear up the smooth edge.
I am new to the forum. Something you guys may want to try is a product called speedbleeders. I have them on my 01 929 and they are awesome. I had bleed my brakes once before with a vacuum pump and it took all of about 1.5 hours. With the speedbleeders it took about 1.5 minutes. I haven't installed them on my 01 veefer yet. Will at next bleed. the link is speedbleeder.com Awesome product.
nathanso, Feb 6 2005, 11:43 PMI have an '02 VFR with ABS. Is brake bleeding a DIY job or should I take this one to a dealer? I've bled many a car in my day but never this bike.
You can do it yourself. It just takes a little while longer than a normal bike.
Only a couple notes that would have saved me some trouble in figuring things out:
- The front reservoir goes to the upper bleeder nipples on the two front calipers.
- The rear reservoir is the one you fill while bleeding the center front nipple, the Proportional Control Valve (PCV, the one under the seat) nipple, and both nipples on the rear caliper. HispanicSlammer's directions are much clearer on this point than the full VTEC manual, which only refers to "reservoir."
- If you get air in the rear brake system, the PCV nipple is the high point. Yes, I was really dumb once and kept trying to bleed out through the lower nipple on the front caliper, because that's where the "noise" was.
I have the silver super-fancy Mityvac, but I did just as well without it. The main advantage I've had with it is that it tells you when you don't have a good seal through your bleeder nipple threads...when you apply the vacuum you can see a constant stream of bubbles if they're there. Teflon tape or silicon grease will do the trick and seal the system.
Since there's no powered master cylinder like a car, you can get away with the cheap version by using one of those little $3 brake bleeder hoses and a bucket. I just put it on, open the bleeder, and pump away at the brake while filling the reservoir. Like I said, the only thing I got from the vacuum pump was indication of bad seal at the threads and a little bit of added cleanliness...
babasan, Dec 25 2004, 05:34 PMI am new to the forum. ?Something you guys may want to try is a product called speedbleeders. ?I have them on my 01 929 and they are awesome. ? I had bleed my brakes once before with a vacuum pump and it took all of about 1.5 hours. ?With the speedbleeders it took about 1.5 minutes. ?I haven't installed them on my 01 veefer yet. ?Will at next bleed. ?the link is speedbleeder.com Awesome product.
I recall a member who tried installing a set of speed bleeders on the back caliper but the nipple stuck out too far (limited clearance) and he could not get them to screw in. I cant remember is that was the case or not but if you can find a shorter speedbleeder over the standard ones go with the short ones.
What do you have to do to bleed the rear and the lines that link the front and rear? From the manual I see that you need to take off the rear wheel and the whole brake assembly to bleed the rear lines, any hints or tips. I've done the clutch and front in isolation before but haven't tackled the rear yet. I don't want to pay someone for a job I can do myself.
Does anyone know about these vacuum bleeder systems? I've heard about them and know that my local shop uses one hooked up to a small motor but not much else.
The VFR handlebars slope down a lot so the banjo is higher than the inlet at the bottom of the reservoir. If you get air into the system it will form a bubble at the top of that banjo & can't be bled out. Take the master cylinder assembly off the handlebar, take the lid off the reservoir, hold in your left hand and tip it so the banjo is lower than the inlet; carefull not to spill brake fluid, with right hand pump the lever. Bubble of air comes back into reservoir. Do it several times to be sure all air has escaped. Refit to bars.
Similarly with the brake calipers; the banjo can hold an air bubble. If you remove them from the forks you can twist them so the banjo is below the bleeder so the bubble passes out the bleeder.
Certainly when I did mine like this I got lovely big burps from both the brake & clutch master cylinders. Not certain about the calipers. I have stainless braided brake hose so the double banjos at the MC really hold a big bubble of air.
anyone know what size PVC tube fits over the bleeder bib/nipples on the 02 VFR calipers? i got a mityvac at Cycle Gear but the two sizes of tube it came with 1/4" and 5/16" didn't fit, with 5/16" really seeming waaay too small. the black plastic 90 deg adapters didn't seem to work either except on the propotioning valve bleeder under the seat.
did this with no problems on my 93 VFR with a previous mityvac that I cannot find. I'm guessing 3/16" is the next hose to check, was hoping it would have been in the kit.
damn english measurements... what's wrong with the metric system!?!?
someone else with the same issue. My Mityvac sucked in that regard too. Same issues as you. I finally went to the hardware store and bought some smaller diameter, dont remember what though and it still did not seal right so I resorted to the old fashioned method of bleeding and it worked great.
I trusted it more. With the mighty vac there are always bubbles in the line. You are not sure if it is in the brake line. Having a partner and using the old fashioned method you can see if there is any air coming out. I did it both ways and it took about the same amount of time if you have an assistant. It does feel tighter after bleeding the old fashioned way, which i really like.
Did a pad swap and almost full bleed this weekend with the visiting father in law.
Almost because we could NOT, for love or money, get the top rear valve to bleed. Took off the rear wheel, got a good seal with the MityVac (after fighting with it like hell) and loosened the valve. Nada. The front one? Fine. No problem. Given that I rarely use the rear brake (and my test ride went fine) I left good enough alone. But damn it that was annoying.
Plus that valve is a bitch kitty to get to. ARGH. Any ideas why we could not get anything? The pedal was (and still is) firm and the brakes work fine so I think it was user error. Thanks for the info on the process, it was a help to get the proper sequence.
Went for a quick 70-mile loop yesterday and the new pads and front bleed feel GREAT - lots more initial bite and firmer lever. fing02.gif
You will have to pump the secondary master cylinder on the left side of the front wheel. Just grab some front brake and rock the bike forward a bit to pump it, should break loose some fluid.
HispanicSlammer, Dec 31 2006, 03:50 PMYou will have to pump the secondary master cylinder on the left side of the front wheel. Just grab some front brake and rock the bike forward a bit to pump it, should break loose some fluid.
Even when using a MityVac to pull the fluid out?
End of thread · 27 posts recoveredWayback Machine snapshot 18 Feb 2007