I flushed my brake system this past weekend. I didn't have a power bleeder, instead I used a vacuum pump.

One tip if you are doing it with a vacuum pump, pull the bleeder valve all the way out and teflon tape the threads first then re-insert and start the bleed process.

I noticed when I started on the first caliper there was a lot of air that seemed to be coming out of the bleeder valve causing the vacuum not to hold and not suck much fluid. Realized the air wasn't actually coming from my brake system but was seeping around the threads of the bleeder valve. Putting teflon tape around the valve threads eliminated this and the next caliper went a lot easier.

 

great diy. i know its old but for those with brembos we dont need to jack up on all fours and remove the wheels right since the bleeder valve is easy to access?

 

Not sure about brembos since iv never worked on them but most bbk have dual bleeder valves, while the outside can be bled easily without removing the wheel im not too sure if you can operate the inside bleeder without removing the wheel, but if you can then you can save yourself a lot of time

 

If your wheel offers big enough of a clearance, you can certainly do it "through the spokes" but it gets a little tricky fitting your wrench in there, IMHO. Plus you risk having drops of fluid drip onto your wheel, possibly causing paint issues.

In the end, i believe, it's easier to just lift the car and remove the wheels.

 

ok oh..im looking at the service manual and looks like brembos only have 1 bleeder valve which is on the outside

 

i see. i have 5 spoke 350z wheels so theres plenty of clearance. i also have a small wrench that i use for the the clutch bleeder. so i guess i wont need to jack the car up and remove that wheels. thanks god! lol i dont have a garage so i do wat i can in my condo parking stall lol

 

^^ As Mike already mentioned, just remember that brake fluid loves to eat paint, clearcoat, etc.

 

ill jus be careful.

 

Hmm... are you sure it's just one bleeder? Unless Nissan changed specs along the way, the Brembo's should have one inner and one outer. Edit, also posted pic of rear, which has two bleeders.

Here's a pic of the front.


p.s. I have a 5-spoke open design 18s myself, i cannot reach the rear nipple and barely the front with the wheel on. Granted, the Akebono's are much larger than the Brembo's.

 

lol fk jus looked at the fsm again and yes theres two bleeders.

 

when i bleed its jus a 1 trip procedure right? meaning i only have to bleed each brake once (assuming i do it right) because i may only be able to jack my car up 1 side at a time. if i do all fours the secuirty might give me **** since we're technically not even supposed to do maint in the parking stalls. if i have all 4s up they might complain. ive been able to get away so far by doing 1 side at a time for maints

 

That's one strict security. I've worked on my previous cars in a similar situation as you are now. All i did was shrug and say if i can't fix the car now, it'll just sit there the entire time (which they didn't want either.)

The recommended order for bleeding is passenger rear, driver front, driver rear then lastly passenger front. You can theoretically just jack the corner you need access to at any particular moment, but man that's going to be one big hassle. Do you guys have some type of rent-a-garage or shop in the area?

Better yet, i've found that Firestone will bleed for you if you bring your own fluid, for about $45. I don't normally recommend it, but in your situation, this is probably the easiest route.

 

I am thinking about doing a DYI on a '08 sports brakes. I haven't done this before so please don't mind my beginner questions.

Question: how to properly losen and tight bleeder valve? To make sure that they are tight and won't losen by themselves later on?

For '08 Sports brakes, there should be just one bleeder valve per caliper?

 

I forget, but is the sport brake the non-Akebono? If so, yes, just one per caliper.

You loosen it just enough for fluid to start flowing. Too much and air will start seeping through the threads and you'll think there's bubbles in the line.

You only need to hand tighten -- the FSM calls for between 5-8 FOOT lbs.

 

yeah, thats the non-Akebono

thanks. i think i will start looking at what tools to get to get the job done.