I'm just wondering if something special has to be done to bleed these brakes. - The shop had me pump the peddle while they were bleeding the brakes.


what is a power bleeder.

 

you just were building up the pressure in the lines and then they undid the bleed screw. If it has air bubbles in it, i needs to be bleed more. A power bleeder just sucks the fluid out of the lines instead of pumping it, a big waste in funds IMO. But like i said, if you get the little bottle with the magnet you can do it yourself.

 

You need to bleed your brakes yourself to make sure it's done right; it's easy:
1put a clear hose (buy it at the hardware store, 1/4" or so)on the bleed screw draining into a container (I use an old mayonaise jar)
2have a helper in the car to pump the brakes
3 loosen the bleed screw with a box wrench (round end, not an open end) & say "down" (or keyword of your choice)
4the helper pushes the brake pedal (not break peddle) slowly to the floor - not too fast or brake fluid will spurt up out of the open master cylinder (remove the top cover & top-off the fluid before starting)
5when the pedal is on the floor the helper says "down" (or keyword of your choice)
6at that point you tighten the bleed screw (not too tight) & say "up"
7the helper lets the pedal up, not real fast, & say "up"
8 repeat steps 3-7 a bunch of times until fluid is running clear and bubble-free you're done
9 start with the longest line first & work to the shortest (usually RR, LR, RF, LF)

IMPORTANT: you MUST not let the master cylinder run low or you'll suck air into the brake lines instead of fluid. If this happens you MUST bleed the whole line until the bubbles stop! This is probably what happened at the shop, which would give you a soft ineffective pedal. It's best to have a 3rd body just keeping the m/c from running dry. You need to refill every 4th pump or so. Use DOT4 fluid (Audi spec); no need for DOT5 or anything exotic.

Here's what's going on. You loosen the bleed screw first to allow fluid to run out the clear hose, and you tighten it BEFORE the pedal comes up so air doesn't get sucked back in through the hose when the pedal comes back up.

If you run enough fluid through the system you will replace old cruddy dark fluid with light-colored nearly clear fluid. This needs to be done every 2 years anyway to keep rubber seals and so on from corroding. Buy yourself a couple quarts of DOT4 synthetic fluid; it takes about that much for a complete flush (did on mine).

Oh, one more factor regarding new brakes; they must be bedded-in properly. Read this: http://www.stoptech.com/tech_info/wp...rakedisk.shtml

 

does anyone know the torque specs for the rotor and caliper nuts?

 

i never torqued them to specs. They should just have to be tight.

 

Just so you know, Autozone does not sell anything that is "Top of the line" It might be their most expensive, but it is still junk. Also, Unless you are strapped for cash, never get rotors re surfaced ever. Buy new ones.

 

I used there brakes, had mine resurfaced and the car stops on a dime.


It stops just as well as it did when I bought it with OEM pads.


Only issue was the stupid idiot that installed them...clogged one of my brake lines...So once I changed those... whoot! - She stops like a dream.


-So I would beg to differ with your opinon.

 

rotor re cutting/surfacing is a USA thing and not done in the UK ( but nothing wrong with it as long as you put new pads on and the rotor dosnt exceed the thin limit ) not sure what the cost of a new rotor and pads are over there but here I would replace them

 

It saved me close to $500 to get it done with generic parts. - I cant tell a difference. - I have always bought generic or used parts to fix my cars. - When I was younger I always bought brand new parts or brand new upgraded parts...etc - However i've found that once you get in a car accident...that investment is money wasted. - Buying used, or buying cheaper parts....saves you money and gets the job done.


Plus I tend to go through cars about once a year or so...

 

I totally agree^^ but depends on what your using the car for and how hard your breaking, you keep the car for a whole year wow that's a long time