DIY: 1996 Camry Brake Fluid Flush Procedure (GEN3)

[dz63]

I completed this procedure at 215,000 km on my 1996 Camry 2.2L DX with front disk brakes and rear drum brakes. The rear brake lines were recently replaced, so I only concentrated my efforts on flushing the brake fluid in the front brakes. The same procedure would apply if you wanted to flush the rear brakes too. As far as I know, aside from the rear brakes, the brake fluid in my Camry has never been changed before.

Why change your brake fluid? Click on the link below for some compelling information.

http://www.aa1car.com/library/bfluid.htm

Disclaimer
Use this guide at your own risk! I assume no responsibility for any damage to your vehicle or personal injury as a result of following this guide. Any comments to improve the procedure will be gratefully received and incorporated where possible.

Time Required
It took me about 2.5 hours from start to finish, including time to take photos and make notes. No special tools are required. If I had to do this again, I think I could reasonably pare this down to 1 hour.



Tools & Supplies:
a) 946ml (32 oz) Prestone DOT3 Synthetic Brake Fluid $12.42 CAD (Canadian Tire)
b) Turkey Baster $1.13 CAD(Dollar Store)

Total = $14 (taxes included)


Let's get started...




1. Loosen lug nuts. Block rear tires. Raise and support front of car on jack stands. Remove the wheels. Note that if you are flushing both the front and rear brakes, then it is recommended to flush the rear brakes first. Remove any residual vacuum from the brake booster by pressing the brake pedal several times with the engine off. You will notice the brake pedal get stiff when the vacuum is gone.


2. Remove the master cylinder reservoir cover and set aside.



3. Suck out the brake fluid using the turkey baster. To avoid drips, I covered the end of the baster with my finger when transferring the fluid to a storage container.



4. Remove the brake fluid strainer by lifting it upward and then rotating ¼ turn. I had a bit of dirt in the bottom of the reservoir underneath the strainer, so I sucked this out with the baster too.


5. At this point, you will notice that the reservoir is divided into two chambers and there will be some residual brake fluid remaining in the front chamber that you cannot suck out with the baster. I believe that the front chamber supplies brake fluid to rear brakes and the rear chamber supplies fluid to the front brakes. Don’t worry about this residual fluid. It will get drained when you flush the rear brakes. Note that I was able to suck a total of about 150ml (5 oz) out of the reservoir.

[EDIT MAR. 2011]: According to TN member dgsbikes, the rear chamber supplies the rear passenger side and front driver side brakes while the front chamber supplies the rear driver side and front passenger side brakes..


6. Slowly refill the reservoir with clean brake fluid. Use a funnel if needed to prevent spillage. You will observe some bubbling as the fluid pours over from the rear chamber to the front chamber. Fill the reservoir to the MAX line.



7. Remove the rubber cap from the bleed nipple. Note that the remainder of this procedure focuses only on flushing the right front brake. The procedure is similar for the other brakes.


8. Loosen the bleeder valve slightly, then tighten it to a point where it’s snug but can still be loosened quickly and easily. If the bleeder valve is stuck, it may be necessary to use some penetrating oil to loosen it up. Fortunately, mine was easy to loosen. I used the box end of a 5/16” (8mm) combination wrench.

[EDIT Oct. 2011]: According to TN member JohnGD, to avoid small amounts of air getting sucked past the bleeder threads into the brake caliper when the pedal is released, it is recommended to smear some sealer (brake lube, SpeedBleeder sealant) on your bleeder plug threads.



9. Slide 3/16” ID x 5/16” OD clear flexible vinyl hose over the bleed nipple and run the hose up, above the level of the master cylinder and then down into a drain pan. You will need about 7 feet of hose. I didn’t have 7 feet of clear flexible hose, so I improvised by piecing together some clear hose with some ¼” black polyethylene pneumatic air tubing. I routed the hose around the hood gas strut as shown.

[EDIT Aug. 28, 2011]: Caution!!! Brake fluid will quickly damage paint. It is recommended to cover your fender with a fender apron or towels when doing this procedure to prevent damage to your paint. If any brake fluid gets on the paint, wipe if off immediately. Thanks to TN Member mkulina for this warning.



10. With the hose connected, loosen the bleeder valve about ½-1 turn. You will immediately see some brake fluid start to come out of the bleed valve and travel up the hose.


11. Slowly and repeatedly press the brake pedal to the floor to pump the brake fluid out of the bleed valve. Check the fluid level in the reservoir often and refill the reservoir to prevent the fluid from falling low enough to allow air bubble into the master cylinder. I found that that pumping the brake pedal a total of 10 times, and then re-filling the reservoir worked pretty good. I was not sure how many times to pump the pedal in order to adequately flush the brake cylinder and line, so I did a total of 30 depressions of the brake pedal. Pressing the pedal to the floor 30 times discharged about 250mL (8.5 oz) of brake fluid.

[Edit Nov. 23, 2011] I have subsequently read that it is recommended to place a block of wood under the brake pedal before pumping. The reason is that under normal operation of the vehicle, you don't use the full stroke of the master cylinder, so the last small amount of stroke may build up some corrosion. When you are bleeding brakes there is very little back-pressure on the pedal, so it is easy to push it all of the way down. If there is some corrosion, and you press the brake pedal all of the way down, you could get some wear or abrasion of the seals, causing them to fail sooner, after the brakes are bled. I am not qualified to know how true this is, but it sounds logical and would not hurt to use the block of wood.

12. Close the bleeder valve, remove the flexible hose and replace the rubber cap. Start the engine and press the brake pedal several times. Ensure that there is no brake fluid leakage. If there are leaks, fix before proceeding. Ensure that the pedal is firm and not spongy. If spongy, then re-bleed the brake until all of the air bubbles come out of the bleeder valve. Install the wheel and torque the lug nuts to 80 ft.lbs.

13. Repeat this procedure for each wheel. If doing all four wheels, it is recommended to start with the right rear brake, then left rear brake, then right front brake and then finally the left front brake.

[EDIT Sept 2009]: Although the order isn't all that important, it is generally considered good practice to bleed the brake that is farthest from the master cylinder and work toward the brake that is closest to the master cylinder.

14. Check the fluid level in the master cylinder reservoir. If necessary, top up the brake fluid level to the MAX line. Replace the master cylinder reservoir cover.

15. Before driving the vehicle on the road, drive back and forth several times to test the brakes.

16. Over the next several days, check the brake fluid level. If the level is falling, this is an indication that there is a leak somewhere that must be fixed.

Replacing the brake fluid is a fairly simple, inexpensive preventive maintenace procedure. I am not sure what interval this is recommended. I have read anywhere from every 2 years to 100,000 miles. In my case, I did not notice any break fading or sponginess in the pedal, but we live in a fairly level area and I generally take it pretty easy on the road. I was replacing the pads and rotors (the rotors are becoming warped causing pulsation in the brake pedal) and thought it would be a good time to flush the brake fluid while I am in there.

[Jimnist]

Cheers! So if you have the hose above the master cylinder, then you don't need to have two people doing this? One working the pedal and the other closing the nipple when the pedal is at the ground?

[dz63]

Originally Posted by Jimnist

Cheers! So if you have the hose above the master cylinder, then you don't have to have two people doing this? One working the pedal and the other closing the nipple when the pedal is at the ground?

In theory, if the hose is routed above the master cylinder, then, when you stop pumping the brakes, the air entering the end of the hose should never be able to make it back into the wheel cylinder. This eliminates the need for a second person. Alternatively, you could pick up a one man brake bleed kit for $15 on Amazon.com. I got a chuckle out of the 1 customer's review. Been there and done that!

http://www.amazon.com/Actron-7840-Brake-Bleed-Kit/dp/B0009XQUKM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1249870734&sr=8-1

[fenixus]

great DIY! it makes me feel i'm ready (and knowing) how to bite that cake finally

great pictures (i love that part of all DIY's)! thanks!

cheers!

[Eye8Pussies]

added to diy

[96paseo]

Great DIY and awesome photos! Just out of curiosity, the picture above step 10, is the rubber line going to the caliper being stretched? Maybe my eyes playing tricks on me?

[dz63]

Originally Posted by 96paseo

Great DIY and awesome photos! Just out of curiosity, the picture above step 10, is the rubber line going to the caliper being stretched? Maybe my eyes playing tricks on me?

I think it is just an optical illusion or perhaps the poor lighting. The flexible brake line was not being stretched. In step 9, you can see my latest toy - a 2.5 ton aluminum floor jack. I am really liking it. It sure beats using a scissor jack.

[fenixus]

not sure if my car owner's manual give brake fluid capacity ... based on your measurements, it would be 250mL per caliper, plus 150mL in in tank (total of ~1.2L=40oz). so would it be safe to assume that 4 bottles of 12oz each (total of ~1.42L=48oz) cover the total needs of full system flush, correct?

By the way, Valvoline Synthetic describes their brake fluid as DOT 3 & 4, is it better than regular DOT3 (and still "compatible" for toyotas) ?

thanks.

[JohnGD]

One thing about the brake bleeder threads. Are you having problem with small amounts of air getting sucked back into the caliper as you release the brakes?

Do you use any sealer (brake lube, SpeedBleeder sealant) on your bleeder plugs?

I personally would want to make sure the threads aren't leaking air back into the calipers as the pedal is released.

[JohnGD]

After you're familiar with the system you should be able to flush the old fluid out with about 24 oz. However, it's generally recommended that at least 250ml be passed through each caliper. I would actually let a bit more pass to the rear than fronts. So 1qt should be sufficient (but as suggested, buy 2 and return 1 unused).

The synthetic fluids, such as the Castrol GT LMA (Low Moisture Activity) and Valvoline Synthetics have high dry and wet boiling points and are supposedly less affected by moisture than conventional fluids. Great stuff.

The ATE Gold and Blue (alternating to know when new fluid is flushed out) are excellent too but pricey. So I stick to the "cheaper" Castrol GT LMA and Valvoline Synthetic.

IMO, the dealer DOT-3 fluids are awful, I think they are made by CCI. I have slight lubricity and thickening issues with them.

Originally Posted by fenixus

not sure if my car owner's manual give brake fluid capacity ... based on your measurements, it would be 250mL per caliper, plus 150mL in in tank (total of ~1.2L=40oz). so would it be safe to assume that 4 bottles of 12oz each (total of ~1.42L=48oz) cover the total needs of full system flush, correct?

By the way, Valvoline Synthetic describes their brake fluid as DOT 3 & 4, is it better than regular DOT3 (and still "compatible" for toyotas) ?

thanks.

[Oldcar95]

I was wondering about bleeding a brake system with the antilock system (ABS). I have a 2000 Camry with antilock brakes that needs the brake fluid changed. By bleeding the brakes by this method, will the new brake fluid be flush through the ABS componets? I heard that this method of flushing will only go through the regular brake system and not the ABS system. To flush ABS system you will have to connect an ABS reader/controller to the comm port (under the dashboard). And operate the ABS system to flush the new brake fluid through the ABS componets. Anyone know how to do flush a brake system with ABS?

[dz63]

Originally Posted by JohnGD

After you're familiar with the system you should be able to flush the old fluid out with about 24 oz. However, it's generally recommended that at least 250ml be passed through each caliper. I would actually let a bit more pass to the rear than fronts. So 1qt should be sufficient (but as suggested, buy 2 and return 1 unused).

The synthetic fluids, such as the Castrol GT LMA (Low Moisture Activity) and Valvoline Synthetics have high dry and wet boiling points and are supposedly less affected by moisture than conventional fluids. Great stuff.

The ATE Gold and Blue (alternating to know when new fluid is flushed out) are excellent too but pricey. So I stick to the "cheaper" Castrol GT LMA and Valvoline Synthetic.

IMO, the dealer DOT-3 fluids are awful, I think they are made by CCI. I have slight lubricity and thickening issues with them.

JohnGD - Thank you for the good information. Would you please PM me with your email address. Thanks dz63!

[fenixus]

Originally Posted by Oldcar95

I was wondering about bleeding a brake system with the antilock system (ABS). I have a 2000 Camry with antilock brakes that needs the brake fluid changed. By bleeding the brakes by this method, will the new brake fluid be flush through the ABS componets? I heard that this method of flushing will only go through the regular brake system and not the ABS system. To flush ABS system you will have to connect an ABS reader/controller to the comm port (under the dashboard). And operate the ABS system to flush the new brake fluid through the ABS componets. Anyone know how to do flush a brake system with ABS?

good point. can someone confirm that regular brake flush is OK with ABS brakes (i got those too).

EDIT:
it seems to be OK with ABS brakes, answered here:
strange brake pedal behavior

[fenixus]

i think this thread should also include the correct order of bleeding when someone wants to do a complete brake system flush through all calipers.

Right Rear / Left Rear / Right Front / Left Front - furthest to the nearest to the brake master cylinder.
This was based on 2000 Subaru Impreza
http://www.2carpros.com/forum/2000-s...-vt184712.html

(not sure if it applies to all FWD cars, correct me if wrong).

[djb2]

Wheel order isn't that important when flushing or bleeding brake fluid. If you don't have any other constraints you might as well do the furtherest first. It's not that big of a deal if you use a different order -- you are going to get some mixing, no matter what.

Valvoline has changed their branding from the silver "SynPower DOT-4" bottle to just "DOT3 & 4" fluid with a blue and white color scheme, along with reducing it's listed boiling point to the minimum required by the DOT-4 specification. There is a claim/rumor that's it's still the formulation as before, with the higher boiling point. But by changing the label they can make a cheaper fluid without notice.

That's pushed me over to preferring ATE fluid, even though it's significantly more expensive and must be ordered. That's too bad because most of the cars I maintain had SuperBlue and I was hoping to use the less-expensive SynPower for the next change. (Alternating blue-dyed and clear/amber/gold fluids makes it easier to tell when the new fluid is coming through, thus reducing waste.)