When the brake pedal is pressed down too much, one of the common brake issues arises. No Brakes. Many car drivers state the brake performance varies and isn’t as it used to be. A mechanic will bleed the contaminated brake fluid to get rid of air bubbles. These bubbles in your brake fluid prevent the brake caliper from working as it should.
As a result, the brake pedal level drops, and the braking lags. You could find that if you come to bleed the brakes yourself, brake fluid not coming out of bleeder nipples. If this happens, it means you have other issues such as a faulty flex hose, bleed screws leaking brake fluid, or more.
In our guide, you can learn why won’t my brakes bleed and why you need to add new brake fluid. By the end, you’ll know why no fluid leaves the master cylinder and why you have no braking performance from your front brakes and rear wheels. (Read What Color Is Gasoline For Cars)
What Causes No Brake Fluid Coming Out When Bleeding?
It is a sign that there is a problem if no brake fluid is coming through the brake caliper’s bleeding port and from the rubber hoses of your brake system. Ensure you find a solution to this before it becomes dangerous.
The following are the reasons for the brake’s root cause to bleed:
Wrong Bleed Procedure
Despite being an easy job, it must be completed correctly. When done incorrectly, bleeding your brakes won’t result in any brake fluid being released.
The person bleeding the brake fluid may be the problem rather than the car itself.
Follow these steps for a successful bleeding job:
- This job needs to be split between two people. While the other is bleeding, one person must press the brake pedal to maintain pressure in the brake circuit.
- The brakeman should apply five to six pulses of the brake pedal, followed by a long press.
- Locate the bleeding screw while keeping the brake pedal depressed.
- The bleeding person should slowly unscrew the bleeding screw, wait for the fluid to drain from the bleeding screw, and then tighten the screw.
- A rubber hose should sit from the bleeding screw into a glass jar or container half filled with brake fluid. As the old fluid flows out, you can see any air pocket that forms.
- In addition, once all the air is out, you should not see any air bubble in the jar, and you can tighten the bleeder screw.
- As instructed in the user manual, check the Dot 3, Dot 4, Dot 5, and Dot 5.1 brake fluid levels.
- Before moving on to the next wheel, if you notice a low level, top off the brake fluid.
- Until there is no more air visible, this process should be performed three times on each wheel.
Faulty Bleed Screw
The bleed screw is located at the highest point of the brake caliper because brake calipers use brake fluid. It functions much like a valve for releasing air trapped in brake fluid. The brake caliper behind the steering wheel is where the bleed screw is located. It lives in a challenging environment because of this.
Besides the braking process’s heat, the wheels’ muck and dust are also disposed of on it. The bleed screws could rust or corrode in this hostile environment, making removal challenging. Because of the blockage in the bleeding channel, the screws can be removed but cannot bleed. (Read What Does Corrosion On Car Battery Mean)
Faulty Brake Flex Hose
The flex hose transports brake fluid to the brake caliper from the reservoir and brake master/cylinder.
The case of brake bleeding failure results from cuts or leaks in your hoses, which happens under pressure from the brakes as the brake pads hit the disc, and holes are the weakest areas.
Various Methods of Brake Bleeding
The brakes can be bled using one of five techniques. Some of them are doable by one person or two people. Some of these methods will cost you money, while others are inexpensive and easier to carry out.
The purpose of brake bleeding is to remove any compressible air bubbles from a system that shouldn’t contain any such gases.
- The pump and hold technique calls for two people. While the other person opens each bleed screw one at a time to let the air out, one person presses the brake pedal.
- It requires the usage of a pressure pump for the pressure method. To pressurize the system while the bleeder valves are opened sequentially, you must connect the pump to the master cylinder.
- The vacuum method requires connecting a vacuum pump to the bleeder valve. Opening and closing the vacuum pump allows it to withdraw brake fluid until all air bubbles have been eliminated from the system.
- Reverse method: You can use a pump to force fluid into the master cylinder through the bleeder valve. Air will rise in the brake fluid to naturally exit the brake system.
- The gravity method is the simplest and only needs one person to complete it. However, opening the bleed nipple causes brake fluid to seep out of the nipple since the reservoir is positioned higher than the nipple.
Fixes Of No Brake Fluid Coming Out When Bleeding
The next task is to fix them after you have determined what is causing the brake fluid to not drain when you try to drain it. It takes a lot of your time to do the job. There are typically 4 situations in which you can fix brake fluid problems.
1. No brake fluid from the master cylinder
Here, it would help if you replaced your vehicle’s brake fluid with new brake fluid. Using brake fluid compatible with your vehicle might be beneficial, as using the incorrect brake fluid will lead to such issues.
2. Faulty brake caliper
If a caliper does not move, it shows there isn’t enough pressure during the test, or you have no brake fluid going to the wheel, the car’s brake caliper is probably broken. The brake calipers should be changed as the ideal solution.
It is time to make sure there is no brake fluid leak; you should also carefully check the oil seal to see if the brakes won’ t bleed after caliper change or even if the brake caliper pistons seize up.
Sliding pins can be an issue, and if these stick, it may be time to get out the brake cleaner for the lower halves of your braking system to clear them of gunk from the harsh environments the brake calipers and flex lines live in.
Once clean, you may see corrosion build-up; thus, changing seals around the master cylinder may be required. (Learn How To Replace Valve Springs Without Removing Head)
3. Your brake pipeline has a problem
If the brake system isn’t working correctly while driving, you should check the brake fluid pipeline to the rear brake.
Usually, this pipeline might have deteriorated and could not pressurize the rear wheel. Therefore, to ensure the safety of both people and vehicles, you must replace the brake line if you discover its presence.
If you have an issue with the rear brakes, older models don’t use brake fluid, and cables control the rear calipers.
However, if you have all-around disc brakes and the rear brakes don’t work, it could be an issue with the proportional valve. The proportional valve will direct brake fluid to your rear brake.
4. The brake pedal is too light
Check your car’s hoses if your brake pedal is too light and if no brake fluid is coming from one wheel as you apply pressure. Typically, the hose will corrode or tear while in operation, causing brake fluid to leak on one side. It would help if you changed into pairs to be safe.
FAQs
Can I just bleed my rear brakes, or do I bleed all 4 brakes?
Whether you have an independent brake line will determine this. If the fluid level is over the level mark in the reservoir and the vehicle has independent brake lines, you can bleed one brake caliper. If not, you will need to bleed each of the four brakes to achieve the required results.
Can I change brake fluid without bleeding?
Using a pump, you may change brake fluid without bleeding the system. Suck the fluid out of the master cylinder by attaching the pump. When withdrawing the brake fluid, ensure air exposure to the systems.
Why are the brakes spongy after bleeding?
If you have adequately bled your system, but the brakes still feel mushy, the problem is with a broken component. A few problematic component issues include an ABS malfunction, leaks in the wheel cylinders, a worn-out master cylinder, leaking disk brake calipers, and broken brake lines.
Can I bleed brakes with the engine running?
When the purpose is to bleed the essential brakes that don’t require a pump, you can bleed brakes while the engine is off. However, you would need to run the pump, which requires a running engine, if you also wanted to bleed the ABS, although you may need a diagnostic computer to deal with ABS brakes.
Will brakes eventually bleed themselves?
No matter what, brakes will not bleed themselves. Any of the methods above must be used manually to bleed the brakes.
Can you brake without brake fluid?
Only an incompressible liquid, such as the brake fluid in the braking system, can work brakes. It would help if you had an incompressible brake fluid to create a reliable connection between the brake pedal and caliper. (Learn How Many Junk Cars Can You Have On Your Property)
This safe connection will assist in effectively distributing the hydraulic pressure throughout the system.
