nbd13

Thanks everyone.

Can someone explain or link a thread explaining how to bleed brakes?

Thanks,

Nick

RodeoFlyer

wow. just wow.

nbd13

RodeoFlyer- Was that comment directed at me and the question I posed?

Nick

Argonaut

You can google "How to bleed brakes" and find tons of how to write-ups.

If you don't have a power bleeder or vacum pump or speedbleeders, you are left with the two man procedure. One guy cracks the bleed screw on the caliper and says "push". The guy sitting in the car slowly pushes the brake pedal and holds. The bleed guy closes the bleed screw and says release. Then repeat until you are sure its only new fluid in the line (thats why super blue and type 200 are so good - different colors). You need a small plastic tube to go from the bleed screw to a jar or some other recepticle, dont want fluid getting all over. Do the corners in this order: RR, LR, RF, LF. Make sure the master cylinder never gets close to dry...that would be very bad. B Fluid eats paint, don't get it on your paint. If you do, immediately wipe it off with some sort of cleaner.

There is only one Mustang nuance you need to be aware of, getting the rear brake pistons to retract into the caliper. Because of the parking brake design, the rear pistons need to be screwed in, not just pushed in. Screwing them in is a bit of a b**ch. Having the proper tool really helps.

Here is a picture of the rear caliper, notice the indents in the piston. The prongs on the tool insert into these indents.


And here is a picture of the special tool. I bought it from Harbor freight. You can rent a "Disc Brake Tool" kit from Autozone, etc. IMO the cheapy little "cube" you can buy for a few bucks is a POS. I know it works for some folks but the vast majority go gray with frustration trying to get it to retract those pistons.

nbd13

Thanks! Do you mind telling me how much that tool was you pictured above?

Nick

danbevsv6rumbler

I believe Harbor Freight sells the kit for ~$25 if I can remember

Argonaut

Yep, like Danny said, pretty cheap, <$25 bucks for a whole kit (the tool I pictured is just one of the pieces in the kit). If you do this often its a good thing to buy. If you only do it once then I'd just rent the kit from AutoZone.

dvs4.6

ndb13,
take their advice, i too was contiplating the gt500 swap, and did the hps pads and ss lines with the ate dot4 fluid and did just fine in my first two de/tt in south texas where temps are close to 90 right know. spend that $1000 dollors on some good fat rubber so that your car stays planted. thier are plenty of write ups on best tire selections. good luck!

nbd13

Thanks again!

Ok a few more things:

1. Where can I get the Goodrich SS lines?
2. Any thread that you guys know of that explains how to switch the lines to the SS lines?
3. I want to change my brake fluid to some else, maybe the ATE Super Blue Racing? Any thoughts?
4. How man liters of new brake fluid will I need?
5. Can I change the brake fluid myself or no because of the ABS brake system in our cars?

Thanks again everyone,

Nick

Argonaut

1. Call Sam Strano www.stranoparts.com - support your grassroots vendors.
2. I think its so easy that nobody has ever taken the time to create a step-by-step. Jack and support the car. Pull a wheel. Look at the caliper. There is a rubber line going from the caliper up to a fixed aluminum line mounted on the frame. Put a pan under the caliper to catch the fluid. Unbolt the line on both ends. The Goodridge kit comes with everything you need, new bolts, washers, mount. Just replace the old with the new. Give the bolts a good snug up but don't go all gorilla on them. Once done, bleed the line. There is a bleed screw (looks kind of like a grease nipple) on the caliper, its 10mm I think. Loosen it to open the valve, only takes about 1/4 turn.
3. ATE is a good choice. Many others also. Sam can sell this to you also.
4. Get two liters.
5. Yes, easy to change it yourself. You will not get 100% of the old fluid out because some will be in the ABS system. Thats ok, nothing to worry about. I track my car, doing consistent high speed stops and have never had a problem. It you are really ****, you can change the fluid then take her out, do several ABS stops then bleed again. Then do it all again, after a few times you can rest assured that ~99% of the fluid will be brand new.