Manual Brake Bleeding
How To Manually Bleed Your Brakes
A great place to start is by soaking each of the bleeder valves with some kind of penetrating lubricant, this will help loosen any debris and free up stubborn bleeder valves.
Be sure your master cylinder is topped off, in general it is best to leave the cap on, and frequently check the fluid level during this process.
One person will pump the brake pedal until it is firm, and while holding pressure on the pedal, another person will open the bleeder until the pedal is fully depressed to the floor. It’s helpful to attach clear tubing onto the bleeder valve to route the fluid away from the wheel and observe any air bubbles that may be trapped in the lines.
Then re-tighten the bleeder before releasing pressure on the pedal and repeat the process at each wheel until the fluid runs out clear and free of any air bubbles.
On a typical street rod application you will start with the caliper or wheel cylinder farthest from the master cylinder, the passenger rear, then the left rear, passenger front, and left front. On other applications, you may consider referring to the manufacturer’s recommendation.
Before test-driving, check the pedal, it should feel firm when depressed and it should hold constant pressure without dropping.
NOTE: If you have tried to manually bleed your system several times and your pedal remains spongy, you may consider pressure bleeding the system.
