bleeding dual axle trailer brakes
couple of questions
went and did the wheel bearings on my trailer the other day, only to find (a can of worms) the front left caliper in need of seals and some quite uneven wear on the 4 discs. the rear axle seems to have been dragging the brakes, overheating discs and pads.
removed that caliper and plugged the line.
is it just a case of bolting back on the caliper and bleeding just that one??
what can be done about the uneven brake wear???
the rigid brake lines are looking in pretty poor condition too, though it's surface rust, i'll swap them out next time for flexi ones.
just wondering, as i'm not too mechanically minded , in what order you'd bleed the 4 calipers ???
al ko brakes with hydrastar elec system if that would matter
If I spent half as long fishing , as I do reading this bloody forum , I'd be twice the fisherman I am.
carnarvonite
Posts: 8669
Date Joined: 24/07/07
Bleeding
Get some plastic tubing that will fit over the bleed nipple and go into a container with a enough fluid in it that it won.t suck dry but will let bubbles escape.
Open the furthest bleeder from the master cylinder about 1-2 turns and squeeze the tubing over it. When you push the handle on the master cylinder watch as the air bubbles come out of the nipple through the tube making sure that air doesn't suck back up the tube. Keep pushing and releasing the handle slowly until the fluid comes out without any bubbles close the nipple and proceed to the next furthest bleeder.
REMEMBER to top the master cylinder up regularly or else more air will be introduced in to the system.
kydenn
Posts: 4
Date Joined: 12/12/09
bleeding brakes
Carnarvonite has the rite idea using the plastic tubing . A bleeding kit can be purchased at most auto shops ,but for me the easiest way is to have four pieces of hose ,four small containers to catch the fluid in and a 1ltr bottle of brake fluid . place the hoses over the bleeder nipples ,fill master cylinder to top leaving the lid off, open fully all bleeders starting at furtherest [remember to keep m- cyl full at all times] . Doing it this way it is gravity fed and it alleviates the need to pump the air out the system manually which can drag air back into the system if done incorrectly. When all air is removed tighten bleeders from front to back . when all bleeders are cloed pump handle a couple of times until firm ,if u can keep pressure on the handle for a minute or so without it going soft all is good ,if it goes soft retry proccess and look for leaks, and providing that all calipers are working freely this should provide even braking and help with un even disc wear.
Denny
grayzeee
Posts: 2283
Date Joined: 09/07/09
Cheers guysjust to double
Cheers guys
just to double check denny , open all 4 bleed nipples with plastic tube attached , running into empty collection bottles.
and just keep the master cylinder topped up and let gravity do all the work , no need to pump brake while opening and closing nipple????
If I spent half as long fishing , as I do reading this bloody forum , I'd be twice the fisherman I am.
bourbon
Posts: 21
Date Joined: 19/03/11
ROTORS WANTED
anyone got idea on where i can get 2 [ford pattern] brake rotors from for a good price?
RELEASED TO ESKY
bellony
Posts: 94
Date Joined: 27/01/10
hydrastar system makes it real easy
Do the same as already mentioned with the tube on the closest brake nipple. Plug the electrics into the car ( you should be able to hear the primer pulse/tick from the hydrastar). This pulse is enough to pump fluid slowly through the system. Just watch your tube until all the air is gone then lock up the nipple and move to the next brake.
From my experience the alko calipers are prone to getting a gummy build up around the exposed part of the stainless pistons that stops the pad backing off, which causes just enough drag on the pads to create a lot of heat. I now strip the brakes and clean the pistons every 12 months when I repack the bearings. Uneven wear could be from the slider binding up and not letting the caliper centre, or a badly aligned bracket welded to the axle.
Great brake setup when it is all working, but does require maintenance
grayzeee
Posts: 2283
Date Joined: 09/07/09
thanks guys
thanks guys
If I spent half as long fishing , as I do reading this bloody forum , I'd be twice the fisherman I am.
Scotte
Posts: 1145
Date Joined: 07/12/06
brass of flexible?
great info there guys.. also is it best to use flexible or brass lines from the junction block to the caliper ?
carnarvonite
Posts: 8669
Date Joined: 24/07/07
Flexible
Use flexible because after a while the brass/ copper will break from the movement of the wheels/ caliper up and down as you drive along.
Scotte
Posts: 1145
Date Joined: 07/12/06
cheers carnarvonite.
cheers carnarvonite.