1983 Ram50 - How do i go about bleeding the brakes?
I just bought a beautiful 1983 Ram50 with only 76,000km on it and only one previous owner. Its been parked in a garage for the past 12 years and is pretty damn good shape apart for some rust. The brake fluid is pretty dirty though and i'd like to flush the system. I'm a total amateur and my mechanical knowledge is fairly basic but my goal is to learn as much as a can and be able to work on this car myself. Is there anyone out there who could give me a step by step guide to bleeding my breaks?
Ok, you're gonna need a one man brake bleeder tool - it's basically a hose with a check valve in it so you don't have air drawing back into the brake system and a 10mm wrench (don't use lock jaws or the wrong size wrench as chewing a bleeder up is disastrous) The recommended method is to start from the brake furthest away from the master cylinder and work from the rear to the front. I would prefer to have a spare right foot to pump the brakes while I'm bleeding them so I can lock the bleeder off and pressurise the line without risk of air drawing in which will result in a spongy brake pedal. You'll probably need at least 2 bottles of brake fluid (*to be on the safe side - running out when you're almost done sucks...) and an empty bottle to hold the old fluid as you bleed it out. Keep flushing the brake fluid out of each bleeder until the fluid looks fresh and clean. If you don't have the bleeder dust covers, replace them. It'll keep moisture and crap out of them. There are plenty of tutorials and info on bleeding brake systems online, and there isn't a specific technique to performing it on our trucks so check a few of them out so you know what you're getting yourself into. Brakes are kinda important and you don't want to screw this up - that being said it's pretty straight forward to do.
* A small squeeze bottle like you'd use for mustard/ketchup etc with a length of pvc hose pressed onto the outlet will be a help too (I use something like this to siphon brake and clutch fluid out of reservoirs before flushing/refilling) If the inside of the reservoir looks contaminated, siphon it out completely and remove the reservoir, then give it a flush out with brake cleaner and wipe it out with a clean shop cloth or paper towel and blow it out with compressed air if you have access. No point in bleeding out the whole system if the reservoir automatically contaminates the fresh fluid...
This is the tool I made for bleeding brakes. Just be gentle when you pump. I need to change the fluid in the bottle next oil change it goes in with the old oil.
Make sure the hole is tight around the hose and If I were making a new one I'd get a container that stood on its own against the weight of the hose.
thanks, this is helpful. the first tutorial i read said to remove the wheel to access the bleeder screw. is this necessary? I'm pretty sure i've located it.
If you’ve never bled brakes before, being able to easily see and access the caliper and wheel cylinder bleed nipples will be instructive. Put the truck on jack stands, so if you don’t remove the wheels, you have room to move under and behind the wheels. If you remove the wheels you don’t have to get under the truck and the bleed nipples are easy to see and bleed. You can also inspect the condition of the calipers and pads, plus you can remove the rear drums and assess the condition of the rear brake shoes and wheel cylinders. You can also rotate the tires if the rears are better than those in the front.
I would remove each wheel as I go and bleed them. Chock the wheels too. Use axle stands in conjunction with a jack. If there is a problem you'll see it sooner than the trail of brake fluid seeping out of somewhere it shouldn't, and it'll give you a chance to get a closer look at the overall condition of wheel hubs/brake discs and pads etc... Access is easier too. Guys in workshops have the luxury of a vehicle hoist and pneumatic brake bleeders which drastically cuts service time.
1983 Ram50 - How do i go about bleeding the brakes?
Here she is!
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