I called the dealer mechanic today to ask him how much brake fluid to put in my 2001 Protege ES after I had changed the brakes and bled the system. He told me that it wasn't a flush and fill like with most other cars and that there was a special procedure to do this and that it was too lengthly and in depth to describe over the phone. Personally I think he's lying through his teeth, but I just want to make sure before I go ahead and do it and have my brakes fail on me. If anyone has installed thier own brakes can you tell me how much brake fluid I would need for my 2001 ES and if I should go down to the dealership and kick his teeth out?

 

It might be different for ABS equipped vehicles, but when I changed my brakes, I just bought two small jars of fluid and it was plenty. Bleed your brakes when you are done like it outlines in the workshop manual and you should be golden.

 

i called a dealership an they told me how it was done, its fairly simple. I don't have abs brakes btw.

 

I am a Mazda technician and as far as I know, there isn't a special way to bleed brakes on any Protege. You just have to remember to start bleeding brakes at the bleeder screw farthest away from the master cylinder and then work your way closer. So start with the RR, then the LR, RF and finally the LF. And there is no special way to bleed the ABS systems as the valves inside of the ABS pump are open during normal braking. They only close, and rapidly, when a wheel is detected spinning,

 

bleeding brakes is very important. You never want to get an air bubble in your master cylinder or run it dry. I've seen so many people wreck because they thought they knew what they were doing.

 

Ok, here is what the dealer mechanic told me.

1. Siphon the master cylinder dry.

2. There are 4 8mm drain valves on each caliper. Take the rubber off and drain the brake fluid.

3. When it is done tighten drain valves and top off the master cylinder with about 2 cans of brake fluid.

3. Pump the brake pedal a couple of times until to get rid of air bubbles.

Protogizzle please tell me if this is correct.

 

this is close to being 100% accurate. There are a few other things to do, but without actually doing it I can't remember everything I do. Sounds like he's straight up with you.

 

Yeah, don't find many people like that nowadays, expecailly at dealer garages. I must have called 15 dealer garages within a 30 mile radius of my house and I finall found one that gave me a straight up answer. I think I even called mazda performance out in Texas to see if they knew how since they had a how to on installing brakes.

 

I didnt think one would have to bleed the system with just replacing the pads as long as you do not crack the lines open and let the enter air into the system meaning replacing calipers or a master cylinder for that matter, that is how it was taught to me when doing brakes for for you rear drum owners like the replacing wheel cylinders one would have to bleed the system because you would have to crack the line open to replace the cylinders.

 

I'm replacing everything, brake lines, rotoros, calipers, the works.

 

Am I reading this right? The mechanic told you to drain the system till its empty, seal the system back up, add brake fluid to the master cyclinder and, pump the pedal a few times to get rid of air bubbles? How does this get fluid in the system?

I've always bled brakes by filling the master cyclinder with fluid, having someone press down on the brake pedal while I open the bleeder screw on the caliper, closing the bleeder screw before having the person release the pedal, open the screw, press, close, release, etc., etc. You keep doing this till you see clean fluid and no more bubbles. I pretty sure Protogizzle was alluding to this.

Have I been doing this wrong all these years?

 

Hello all,
I am a mechanic also, and the above instructions to bleed a brake system is incomplete, and missing a few vital steps.

1. siphon the master cylinder dry.
this is good to get the build-up or crud if any out of the master cylinder. You need to fill it back up to prevent air entering the brake lines

2. Drain valves, with the master cylinder full and closed, have a assistant pump the brake pedal 3 times the last pump holding the pedal down. then open one of the bleeder valves, as the fluid drains out the pedal shall drop to the floor. the assistant should no let go of the pedal unless the bleeder valve is closed.the pump and repeat the process several times depending on which bleeder. keeping a watch on the brake fluid level, do not let it go low or the process will have to start over.

Another way to bleed the brakes is to fill the master full and open one of the bleeded valves and allow the brake fluid to self bleed(drain) it doesnt always work with all cars but most will work. But this process will take longer and draining is slower but good if you are alone.

There are several different ways to bleed brakes, and differ quite a bit. The idea is to not allow even more air into the system if thats what you are trying to remedy.

There are also "one man brake bleed kits" from auto parts stores.

 

Oh yeah one more thing....
if you have abs and conventional bleeding doesnt get rid of it the air problem, the air may have entered the abs pump, and to bleed that you need to activate the abs a few times, what this does is release pressure to the "locked-up" caliper(wheel) and since the brake fluid has no where to go it shoots back to the master cylinder...overcoming the force of YOU pushing on the brake pedal(hence pulsation during ABS intervention) and air bubles if any, so this long process brings the air back to the master cylinder resevior and the air floats to the top and you may be air free.