How to Bleed Brakes

Brake Repair near Me

You’re slowing down for a red light on your drive through Atlantic City, Egg Harbor Township, Vineland, or Daphne and you notice your brake pedal feels soft, squishy, and low to the car floor. What’s the cause? There are several possibilities, and one is that air has crept into your brake lines.

When this happens, you’ll need to know how to bleed brakes to flush out the air and restore effectiveness to your brakes. Our team at BMW of Atlantic City has prepared this handy guide to make bleeding brakes easy! Give us a call if you have any questions.

Getting Ready to Bleed Brakes

Brake RepairWhen you’ve confirmed that air bubbles in your brake lines are the root cause of your sinking pedal (and you can have your brakes inspected by a certified technician to rule out other causes), you’ll need to jack up your car. Position your vehicle on a flat surface, remove any hubcaps, raise the car, and use jack stands to keep it secure.

At this point, you’ll want to remove all four wheels. Then, look under the hood for your brake fluid cylinder and replace the old brake fluid with fresh, clean fluid. If you want, you can let a service technician perform brake system servicing (changing brake pads, fluid lines, brake fluid) before bleeding, which will ensure all dirty fluid is flushed from the system for optimal performance.

How to Bleed Brakes: Part 1

First, you’ll want to make sure you can loosen the bleeder screw. Head to the rear right wheel and remove the dust cap covering the brake bleeder screw area. Use a box-end wrench to loosen the screw, but keep it closed.

Take a piece of clear plastic tubing (it could be an aquarium or vacuum tube) and link one end to the bleeder screw. Then put the other end in a clear, empty plastic bottle.

Part 2: Find a Helper

BrakesNow, you need someone to help you out. Have your helper sit in the driver’s seat and await your command to gently and slowly pump the brakes. Here’s the process:

1.You say down. Your helper lightly presses the brake pedal and keeps the pressure on.

2.You loosen the bleeder screw a quarter-turn.

3.Dirty brake fluid will trickle out. When it stops, close the bleeder and say up. Your helper releases the pedal.

4.Repeat until fresh, clear fluid begins trickling out.

Continue doing this until the brake fluid that bleeds out of the fuel lines into your bottle becomes clear. Tighten the bleeder screw and move to the left rear wheel and do the same process over again, and then again for the right front and then left front. Top off your brake fluid cylinder as needed.

Bleed Your Brakes Properly

If you’ve ever wondered how to bleed brakes, we hope our guide is helpful to you. This can be a tricky DIY repair, so if you have any questions or run into problems during the procedure, don’t hesitate to contact our service department. Schedule an appointment and let our experienced technicians bleed your brakes for you!

If you live near Atlantic City, Egg Harbor Township, or Vineland, the service department at BMW of Atlantic City is the place to go for all your auto repair needs. Give us a call-we’d love to b