Hi all,
I think the passenger’s side rear brake calliper has failed on my MK1 Eunos Roadster so I’m looking to replace it. I’m going to be replacing pads and discs in all four corners at the same time too. I’m confident enough replacing the pads and discs, however I haven’t bled any brakes before. Would anyone around the Cambridge area have a kit and the knowledge to help me out?
Cheers,
W
There’s no real science to it, clamp the hose before removing the caliper and after re-fitting slide a length of tube over the open bleed nipple put the other end of the tube in an empty containe, remove the hose clamp and slowly fully depress and release the brake pedal about 10 times. Close the nipple and check the pedal feel. Fully fill the fluid reservoir before bleeding.
Cheers Robbie. I’ll be ordering all of the various tools and hope to do it next weekend or the week after. Is MX-5 parts the best place to order from? I’m looking at the aftermarket rear caliper: http://www.mx5parts.co.uk/rear-caliper-aftermarket-mk1-25-standard-brake-pr-2657.html and it seems quite pricey. But with the OC discount I guess it comes down a fair bit.
They will certainly be the most expensive!!! that caliper price is robbery in my book
You would find an “Eezibleed” kit very useful. This is a very simple idea, it uses air pressure from a tyre to push fluid from the master cylinder through the system, flushing out air bubbles as it does so. It becomes a one-person job because all you have to do is sit by the bleed screw, open it and watch the bubbles and dirt get pushed out into the waste fluid bottle and tighten the screw when fresh fluid begins to flow.
Less than £15 off a well know auction site beginning with the letters “Eb”, or elsewhere such as a well known car accessory place beginning with the letters “Hal”.
P.S. Since 1971 I’ve always preferred to carry out my own brake overhauls after a garage’s incompetence and negligence almost killed me and my best mate. We suffered total brake failure after they carried out a so-called overhaul; the car went in with brakes that at least worked, it came out with none! Brake fluid was streaming from four brand new but ruined wheel cylinders - some grease monkey had over-tightened the bleed screws so much that the cylinders cracked across the threads!
there is no OC discount at MX5Parts… only at events…
I’ll be driving to Newmarket from Leicester next saturday morning and returning in early afternoon, if you are stuck I could pop by in passing on the way back and give you a hand, changing a calliper not difficult to do but bleeding it is always easier with two.
Paul
I can also recommend the Eezibleed kit if you are doing the job yourself. Really easy to use.
If there are 2 of you then it is straightforward with one sitting in the car pressing the brake pedal whilst the other person holds a tube attached to the bleed screw in a jam jar containing some brake fluid. Then open the bleed screw when the pedal is pressed down and close it before the pedal is released. You keep pushing fluid and air into the jam jar until no bubbles are seen.
Keep an eye on the fluid level in the brake reservoir and regularly top up with fresh brake fluid as you bleed old fluid out.
If the brake fluid hasn’t been changed in the past 2 years then it is a good idea to bleed all the old fluid out of all 4 corners.
I’ll let you know if I need a hand, cheers Paul! I need to order a tonne of tools etc so I’m not sure if it’s going to be this weekend or the next.
Looks like the Eezibleed kit it is then.
I’m not sure when the fluid was last changed (bought in August 2016) so I may as well change it. Do you know roughly how much the system takes? And is there anything different I’d have to do for bleeding the entire system?
I normally buy two litres of fluid when doing the brakes on any car. I seldom need more than a litre to flush a system, but seeing as it’s cheap stuff to buy it would be pointless having to stop the job to have to go back to the motor factors to buy more. Especially if you don’t have alternative transport.
To speed the job up and to reduce the amount of new fluid needed, I bought a £1 turkey baster from Wilko’s and use it to suck out as much old fluid from the master cylinder as possible before starting with new fluid. That reduces cross contamination of old and new.
Mind the paintwork though, the fluid softens it. Wipe up any spills asap.