Can I bleed my brakes with the engine running?

[Ken4]

Mine is Gen4 Camry.

[Nick]

sure, but why would you? it needs to be up on a lift or jack with the tires off, there's not much point in having the engine running, unless you like CO in your garage

[Chris Corolla S]

Why would you have to lift your car and take off your tires to bleed the brakes Old Man??

I guess you really are old and can't crawl around under your car like us poor workin' stiffs without lifts (or garages for that matter) have to do

Seriously though I've bled brakes about six times and never used a jack or taken off my wheels, I dont get it.

And anyway I would say no, it is never safe to work on your car with the engine running, especially if you are under it and the wheels are on the ground, or if you are working in the engine compartment.

Chris

[Nick]

well usually when i'm working on brakes, brake lines, calipers and stuff i like taking the tires off

why make your life hard?

1 i'm 20, live in an appartment with no garage 800 km's from home, i got a handfull of tools

2 i can't get under my car unless its half on the curb or something

3 that bleeder valve is a pain to get to from under with the stock 15 " rims on

do what you want

[Chris Corolla S]

So do you have a lift? or do you use jackstands on all four corners?

Or do you just jack up one corner at a time and take off one wheel at a time to bleed?

I wasn't trying to insult your methodology in my previous post, just curious at how you do it.

I am 24 (I guess I'm the old man) and I live in a Studio Apartment with my girlfriend about 3,400 mile from my parents (who also don't have a garage), my garage is my car port.

I am asking because I am always looking for better ways to do things, and you seem to talk like you have a fair amount of experience working on cars.

I don't have jack stands yet so I usually service one brake at a time and then reasemble the whole thing so I can move the jack to the next corner.
I think the car is suposed to be level when you bleed because of air bubbles, so I wouldn't use stands unless I had four. Also I don't have to get under my car per-say to reach the bleeder valves, maybe our cars are different or I have long arms... What do you drive?

PEACE
Chris

[Nick]

92 camry, v6 le, dead stock, except for my "custom ram/cold air" intake

hahahhahaha aka dryer duct to the stock filter box

oh and i have -1 finger gap in the back (dead springs)

i don't even have a jack stand, just the jack that came with the car and i do have ramps (i do oil changes for classmates 20$) hehe


took shop grades 10-12 and worked 2 summers at a garage when i was 15 and 16

it sucks being away from home and all your connections, i have to pay for things that i can do myself!! if only i had the equipment (mounting tires, balancing, turning rotors...)

[Chris Corolla S]

So, I can see why your car is lower than mine, but what about the bleeding?

Are you saying you get your brake work done at the shop now?

Or do you use the ramps to do the pads/bleed? If so do you use 2 or four?

I know what you mean about the lack of resources though. I have to get a shop to flush my cooling system, I could do it easily, but it's way to messy for my car-port :-?

Chris

[Nick]

actually i've never blead the brakes on the camry, i've only had it since march, but they're coming up, i'll probably do them in a friend's driveway with my little jack

the garage where i worked had 2 bays in the front and 1 in the back, (that's where they kept the little grease monkeys like me, away from the customers) it had no lift, just a jack and 4 jack stands,

[WEFs00]

Bad idea :cry: