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    #1

    brake bleeding an ABS vehicle

    So I have been noticing that my car pulsated when I hit the brakes (hard)

    I SUSPECT it cold be a warped drum, or air in line.

    I NEVER bled brakes on ABS vehicle. Any idea of what the procedure is? I heard from a friend you need additional equipment to do this. This true?
    "To Find yourself, you must first lose yourself"

    -1973 Volkswagen Bus Westy
    -1986 Honda Magna 700cc
    -1989 Lincoln Town car Signature Series
    -2011 Subaru Outback
    Tags: None
    #2
    Originally posted by porschpow View Post
    So I have been noticing that my car pulsated when I hit the brakes (hard)

    I SUSPECT it cold be a warped drum, or air in line.

    I NEVER bled brakes on ABS vehicle. Any idea of what the procedure is? I heard from a friend you need additional equipment to do this. This true?
    Bleed it as you normally would. The ABS is bypassed unless it is activated.

    Comment

      #3
      Just do not run the master cylinder dry. Its only when you get air in that ABS unit that you have problems.
      86 Lincoln Town Car (Galactica).
      5.0 HO, CompCams XE258,Scorpion 1.72 roller rockers, 3.55 K code rear, tow package, BHPerformance ported E7 heads, Tmoss Explorer intake, 65mm throttle body, Hedman 1 5/8" headers, 2.5" dual exhaust, ASP underdrive pulley

      91 Lincoln Mark VII LSC grandpa spec white and cranberry

      1984 Lincoln Continental TurboDiesel - rolls coal

      Originally posted by phayzer5
      I drive a Lincoln. I can't be bothered to shift like the peasants and rabble rousers

      Comment

        #4
        Originally posted by gadget73 View Post
        Just do not run the master cylinder dry. Its only when you get air in that ABS unit that you have problems.
        You can let the master run dry. The ABS system is isolated and all the valves are normally closed(or open, depending how you look at it). The only time they open(or close) is when the ABS pump actually cycles. You can take the whole system apart and disconnect all the lines and bleed it as you would a non ABS car when you are done. Fluid passes through the ABS unit to each caliper. The valves don't cycle until the ABS pump kicks. If you blew a brake line and let the master run dry while sliding on ice with ABS activated then you would get air into the ABS module which would require a trip to the dealer who has fancy equipment.
        Last edited by Mr Bean; 01-21-2015, 07:48 PM.

        Comment

          #5
          I remember we had a lot of trouble getting the ABS on dmccaig's wagon to clear itself out. The normal bleeding stuff was used, but the pedal still wasn't right. The only way to get it fully cleared was to smash the pedal and force the ABS to kick. That got the air out of the unit and it worked. Just not pushing air into the thing seems like an easier solution than dealing with trapped bubbles though.
          86 Lincoln Town Car (Galactica).
          5.0 HO, CompCams XE258,Scorpion 1.72 roller rockers, 3.55 K code rear, tow package, BHPerformance ported E7 heads, Tmoss Explorer intake, 65mm throttle body, Hedman 1 5/8" headers, 2.5" dual exhaust, ASP underdrive pulley

          91 Lincoln Mark VII LSC grandpa spec white and cranberry

          1984 Lincoln Continental TurboDiesel - rolls coal

          Originally posted by phayzer5
          I drive a Lincoln. I can't be bothered to shift like the peasants and rabble rousers

          Comment

            #6
            Letting a master run dry on a ABS car is just asking for trouble.
            2020 F250 - 7.3 4x4 CCSB STX 3.55's - BAKFlip MX4
            2005 Grand Marquis GS - Marauder sway bars, Marauder exhaust, KYB's
            2003 Marauder - Trilogy # 8, JLT, kooks, 2.5" exhaust, 4.10's/31 spline, widened rear's, metco's, addco's, ridetech's 415hp/381tq
            1987 Colony Park - 03+ frame swap, blown Gen II Coyote, 6R80, ridetechs, stainless works, absolute money pit. WIP

            Comment

              #7
              porschpow, I have a crappy memory for certain things, so can you please include which car you're dealing with when you create a thread? For this one, I'm a little confused about why you would suspect a warped drum rather than rotor.

              AFAIK, apart from warping, another possible cause of pulsating is when the brake pads leave grooves in the rotor.

              I occasionally feel pulsating in my car (2000 MGM), which gives the impression of a problem, but it ends up being temporary. I have no idea what that's about.

              AFAIK, the telltale sign of air in the brake lines is a spongy brake pedal. Is there any obvious sponginess?

              I've never bled brakes in the sense of knowing I have air in the lines and needing to get it out, but I changed the brake fluid in my 2000 MGM with ABS and just did it the usual way. Here's the thread about that:
              http://www.grandmarq.net/vb/showthre...y-and-Changing
              (Many thanks to the folks who contributed!)

              FWIW, my brake pedal did not have 'obvious' sponginess before changing the fluid. But, I saw a single tiny air bubble come from each of two lines, and clearing out just that little bit of air produced a small but noticeable increase in firmness of the pedal.

              If the brake fluid hasn't been changed in awhile, it would probably be worth changing it in any event. It's relatively cheap and simple maintenance.
              Last edited by IPreferDIY; 01-22-2015, 05:42 PM.

              2000 Grand Marquis LS HPP, a hand-me-down in 2008 with 128,000 km; 175,000 km as of July 2014
              mods: air filter box 'tuba', headlight relay harness, J-mod (around 186,350 km), 70mm throttle body, KYB Gas-A-Just shocks, aluminum driveshaft, ARA3 PCM

              Comment

                #8
                Yeah, as it turns out, my 97 Townie has 4 wheel discs.

                I guess I will need to bleed the system, get new fluid.

                However, I need to find a one man system since I don't usually have another person to help me out.

                It doesn't really feel spongy, it pulsates hard when I hit the brakes hard. If I tap it slightly, it's normal
                "To Find yourself, you must first lose yourself"

                -1973 Volkswagen Bus Westy
                -1986 Honda Magna 700cc
                -1989 Lincoln Town car Signature Series
                -2011 Subaru Outback

                Comment

                  #9
                  Could always gravity bleed them. Pump the brakes then loosen the screw on the caliper and wait until fluid drains out. Repeat for the other wheels. Takes longer then conventional method but works.

                  Comment

                    #10
                    I tried doing that once, I think I made it worse then before. At least I had clear fluid
                    "To Find yourself, you must first lose yourself"

                    -1973 Volkswagen Bus Westy
                    -1986 Honda Magna 700cc
                    -1989 Lincoln Town car Signature Series
                    -2011 Subaru Outback

                    Comment

                      #11
                      sometimes it's worth it to me to take it to a shop and just have them do it. If I'm strapped for cash however, I'll gut up and do it myself.

                      I do have a vacuum pump brake bleeder kit. Mityvac MV8000

                      http://www.amazon.com/Mityvac-MV8000...dp/B00265M9SS/

                      Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former. -- Albert Einstein
                      rides: 93 Crown Vic LX (The Red Velvet Cake), 2000 Crown Vic base model (Sandy), 2003 Expedition (the vacation beast)
                      Originally posted by gadget73
                      ... and it should all work like magic and unicorns and stuff.
                      Originally posted by dmccaig
                      Overhead, some poor bastards are flying in airplanes.

                      Comment

                        #12
                        I have never had gravity bleeding work for me. Usually it doesn't make it worse, but its never made it better.


                        If you've got a kid or anyone strong enough to push a pedal, thats all it takes. I got my mom to help me with it once when I had to swap a caliper so I could get to work the next day.
                        Last edited by gadget73; 01-26-2015, 06:27 PM.
                        86 Lincoln Town Car (Galactica).
                        5.0 HO, CompCams XE258,Scorpion 1.72 roller rockers, 3.55 K code rear, tow package, BHPerformance ported E7 heads, Tmoss Explorer intake, 65mm throttle body, Hedman 1 5/8" headers, 2.5" dual exhaust, ASP underdrive pulley

                        91 Lincoln Mark VII LSC grandpa spec white and cranberry

                        1984 Lincoln Continental TurboDiesel - rolls coal

                        Originally posted by phayzer5
                        I drive a Lincoln. I can't be bothered to shift like the peasants and rabble rousers

                        Comment

                          #13
                          Well, I will be changing the front brakes tomorrow and want to know, will it be the same way as changing brakes in a non abs car?
                          "To Find yourself, you must first lose yourself"

                          -1973 Volkswagen Bus Westy
                          -1986 Honda Magna 700cc
                          -1989 Lincoln Town car Signature Series
                          -2011 Subaru Outback

                          Comment

                            #14
                            Yes
                            03 Marauder DPB, HS, 6disk, Organizer Mods> LED's in & Out, M&Z rear control arms, Oil deflector, U-Haul Trans Pan, Blue Fuzzy Dice
                            02 SL500 Silver Arrow
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                            12 Escape Limited V6 AWD, 225/65R17 Vredestein Quatrac Pro, Winter 235/70-16 Conti Viking Contact7 Mods>Beamtech LED headlight bulbs, Husky floor liners

                            Comment

                              #15
                              ok, cool! Now, in terms of brake bleeding the ABS system, I have heard from here and else where that you treat it like a non-ABS car, but then you would have to mash the medal down hard (I guess before hand, while driving) to force the air out. I am sorry, but this part still confuses me
                              "To Find yourself, you must first lose yourself"

                              -1973 Volkswagen Bus Westy
                              -1986 Honda Magna 700cc
                              -1989 Lincoln Town car Signature Series
                              -2011 Subaru Outback

                              Comment

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