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BLEED

2.5K views 13 replies 9 participants last post by  Integraguy1995  
#1 ·
I need to bleed my brakes is there any special precautions i should take whn doing this. Integras all have ABS so is there anything i have to do special. Also does anybody have like a walkthrough of the process with pics or something like that thanks
 
#2 ·
Theres a specific order that you need to bleed them in but I dunno it off the top of my head and I think its different for different models (ls/gsr/itr)
 
#3 ·
yeah i went to team integra .net and the guy said he wasnt sure but he gave me an order
 
#6 ·
brake bleeding

I also have a gen 2 Integra, no ABS, which I prefer. You are correct in starting with the brake furthest from the master cylinder, the right rear. Then move to the left rear, right front, left front. Most people (including me at one time) neglect their brakes and don't bleed the brakes until their is a problem and they are fixing other things. Brake fluid absorbs moisture, and really should be bled every couple of years, at least. This will prolong the life of the master cylinder, wheel cylinders and calipers. Also, I always take some paper towels and soak up all of the old fluid out of the resevoir and refill with clean fluid. Bleeding is quicker this way, as you are only purging the fluid in the lines, not a whole master cylinder full of dirty fluid. Be sure to have a trash can or something under the hood to catch the towels and dripping fluid, to keep from ruining your paint. If all you are doing is bleeding the brakes, it is not necessary to remove the wheels. If replacing pads, shoes or other repairs requiring the wheels to be removed:


***BE SURE WHEN WORKING UNDER A CAR WITH THE WHEEL OR WHEELS REMOVED THAT IT IS SAFELY SUPPORTED WITH JACK STANDS, NOT CINDER BLOCKS OR SOME OTHER RIGGING. GOOD JACKS ARE WORTH THEIR WEIGHT IN GOLD, UNTIL THE DAY YOU CAN AFFORD A LIFT***

You can even bleed the brakes by yourself, in case you pissed your girl off one time too many (like me) and can't get the neighbor kid to calm down long enough to pump the pedal for you. First, figure out what size rubber hose will fit over the bleeder screw. I have used clear hose from Wal Mart, aquarium tubing, I think. You'll need about three or four feet of it. I take an old plastic soda bottle, drill a hole in the cap just big enough for the hose to fit in. I also take a 18"-24" long peice of small guage solid wire, #18-#22 or so, since it is easy to wrap. (I have a lot of fixture wire out of flourescent light fixtures laying around, since I am an electrician), tie wire or such works good as well, to hang the bottle and keep from knocking it over and making a mess. I promise you will knock it over at least once if you don't do this. I did. Tie one end around the neck of the bottle. I like to take a box end wrench six point socket or line wrench and be sure I can break all of the screws loose before I start (10mm on every Honda/ acura I have worked on). Next, put about 1" of fresh brake fluid in the bottle so that the brakes won't draw air while you are bleeding them. Insert one end of the hose into the bottle with the end about 1/2" from the bottom. Find a good bracket or such to hang the bottle on. Make a loop in the other end of the wire you tied on the bottle and hang the bottle on the bracket,etc. Loosen the bleeder screw about one turn. Insert the other end of the hose over the bleeder screw. Be sure the resevoir is full, and to keep the resevoir full of fluid, and put the cap back on it everytime before bleeding.(It is easy to forget if you get in a hurry) Brake fluid could gush out and RUIN your paint. Get inside and pump the brakes SLOWLY and steadily. After about four-six pumps, check the hose to see if the fluid is clean and has no air bubbles. The fluid placed in the bottle when you started keeps air out of the system. This is also why you don't want to put the hose touching the bottom of the bottle, as it will suck up the old dirty fluid you just bled out. Also, bleed the brakes until the nasty fluid is out, not just the air bubbles. If the fluid looks clean and has no bubbles, you can take the hose off, tighten the screw and move on to the next wheel . Be sure to check the fluid level again, or you are wasting your time. If you have trouble with air leaking past the bleeder, you can take the bleeder screw out an smear a little grease on the threads and screw it back in. This will help it seal when bleeding, and keeps it from getting stuck the next time you need to bleed the brakes.

As for doing anything different on ABS vehicles, on my 97 chevy truck, I had to use a Mity Vac to bleed the brakes to get a good solid pedal feel. I bled the brakes the old fashioned way about 4 times, seemed to get the air out, but still had a soft pedal. After the Mity Vac, I had my good pedal feel back. Good luck!
 
#7 ·
Oh man, fun times. On the topic of the ABS, if you really want to disconnect it in a g3 (for racing purposes only of course :paranoid: ) just pull off the passenger side rear interrior panel and the computer is right there next to the speaker. Just disconnect the harness from the box and then pull the annoying ABS light out of your instrument cluster and voila! no more ABS.
 
#8 ·
i meant to say G3 integras have ABS
 
#9 ·
Integraguy1995 said:
Oh man, fun times. On the topic of the ABS, if you really want to disconnect it in a g3 (for racing purposes only of course :paranoid: ) just pull off the passenger side rear interrior panel and the computer is right there next to the speaker. Just disconnect the harness from the box and then pull the annoying ABS light out of your instrument cluster and voila! no more ABS.
Why would you want to do that unless you also pulled out the parts to save the weight? I guess the theory is so you could 'drift' around corners but we all know how well fwd cars drift...
 
#10 ·
RubenationGSR said:
i meant to say G3 integras have ABS
i got what you were saying.. only cuz i own a G3 and forget about the other gens some times... nothign agianst the other gens, i love all tegs, i've seen spectacular tegs in every gen.... spread the love
 
#11 ·
coldfire said:
Why would you want to do that unless you also pulled out the parts to save the weight? I guess the theory is so you could 'drift' around corners but we all know how well fwd cars drift...
Um, no.

ABS is bad for racing because it makes it much more difficult and frustrating to use the propper threshhold braking because you get this dumb little computer kicking in that says 'I know how to brake better than you' when you try to brake hard. Why do you think no racecar has ever been made with ABS? Because it is SATAN to a racer who's trying to push the limits of their vehicle. The only reason ABS was created is because most people in this world (or at least this country) who drive are completely clueless about how to brake quickly. They panic and can't think and just slam their foot all the way to the floor on their brake pedal without thinking. The reality is that if you know how to brake propperly, you can stop and slow down a HELL of a lot faster without ABS than with it.

Do most true racers 'drift' around corners? Hell no, not only is it virtually pointless, but in any legitimate racing competition where drifting is not the point, you look like a fool for even trying. If you feel like gutting the whopping 10-20 pounds of ABS crap from your car as well, fine, this was just the simple solution for the weekend warrior.
 
#12 ·
Under diffrent braking situations (espically trail braking), everything from the VSS to the individual speed sensors on each axle and even G loads are calculated. if any of these varables go over a certin set threshold, the ABS kicks in and will make for a shitty day at the track (I've had it happen before and acctually gone off into the dirt because of it).
 
#13 ·
Integraguy1995 said:
The reality is that if you know how to brake propperly, you can stop and slow down a HELL of a lot faster without ABS than with it.
In good conditions....possibly. if u need to come to an all out stop, abs will beat non abs any day of the week. Dry or snowy or whatever. But yes braking hard to enter into turns, ABS would be a hindrance. Unpredicatable and pulsating is not the feel u want entering a turn.
 
#14 ·
blueLS01 said:
In good conditions....possibly. if u need to come to an all out stop, abs will beat non abs any day of the week. Dry or snowy or whatever. But yes braking hard to enter into turns, ABS would be a hindrance. Unpredicatable and pulsating is not the feel u want entering a turn.
I actually saw this video in my driver's ed class where they put a watermelon on a pedestal out on a frozen lake and then had a pro driver try three different ways of stopping. He did old school manual pumping, thresh-hold brakeing and just a full-out stomp on the pedal to kick in the ABS. The only one he didn't hit the watermellon with was the thresh-hold braking. The thing you have to consider with ABS is that when it's pulsating, your brakes are not providing stopping power 100% of the time. If you can hold it right on the thresh hold of the ABS kicking in, right on the edge of that lock-up, you're getting braking power 100% of the time AND your wheel are still turning so you can steer. Just something to think about.