CHANGING FRONT BRAKE CALIPERS WITHOUT BLEEDING THE BRAKES?

bowtieman55

bowtieman55

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 25, 2006
Location
Elizabeth City, NC
'76 Chevy C-10
Can this be done? I don't really have anyone to help me bleed the brakes (unless absolutely necessary). I was thinking of pinching off the brake hose with locking pliers? I (think) my right front caliper may be sticking...although the truck isn't pulling to one side...I know the rotor (at least the pass. front) is warped and the pads are really worn and that the wheel/tire, rotor doesn't spin with ease. You can hear it "scrubbing" pretty good going down the road, put it doesn't pull. Any advice/suggestions? Thanks guys.:beer:
 
Not if you want to stop good!!! Use an old bottle with some brake fluid in it and run a line from the bleeder down into the bottle below fluid level. Crack open the bleeder and pump the brakes, single person bleeding.
 
i do that on my jeep,for good or bad, Just need a c-clamp to push caliper apart, cause the new pads are too thick.

IF this is bad, someone tell me and I will start bleeding them correctly..Thanks
 
don't be pinching the lines it will damage them. Just get a kid from the neighborhood or go down to napa & get a one man bleeding kit with the hoses & cup that will hook to your bleeeder on the caliper.
 
Dylan W. said:
i do that on my jeep,for good or bad, Just need a c-clamp to push caliper apart, cause the new pads are too thick.
IF this is bad, someone tell me and I will start bleeding them correctly..Thanks
Click to expand...
I thinkk you mis-read this, he is changing calipers not pads it's ok to use a clamp on your caliper but not ok to vise grips on your rubber break line
 
yeah...I MAY be changing the calipers. I'm gonna change the pads and rotors first though and go from there.
 
Well if you are in York, just give me a call, (I think you have my #?) Ill be glad to come help bleed some brakes.... my wife prolly wouldd too she has became an expert at Pump EM....ok hold....ok pump em up...

Dont crimp the line, it will collapse and then you will end up with a stuck caliper.

If you cant get help all you need is a container full of brake fluid (not the container it comes in like a cup or jar) buy some "aircraft tubing" at Lowe's (clear plastic tubing) and work it over the bleeder screw loosened. Then keep the other end of the hose under the fluid level in the jar. Now you can pump the brakes up until the tube is full of fluid and when it "sucks" back it will draw fluid back into the system.

You can also gravity bleed them...but thats another process to type and I am lazy and sick right now
 
Gravity bleed them and you'll be fine. If you where replacing a master cylinder then thats one thing, but you'll be fine with just a caliper.
You can clamp down a rubber brake line with no problem and not cause damage, you just have to use common sense while doing it and not clamp the s#*t out of it.
 
You never need to clamp down a rubber hose it will damage it and you will wish you did not do it later. Also why would you wantto clamp down a hose anyway?
 
Did it very often on the rear of Toyota's when replacing the rear wheels cylinders so it doesn't cause a mess on things, I've done it for years. Also doing brakes on some ABS vehicles and not pushing the debris from the caliper to the modulator and destroying it, but instead pushing it out the bleeder and not up the line. There is a small, simple, 25 dollar tool made for doing it, it has rounded edges top and bottom and has a small dial for tighening so you cant get much leverage and tighen it too much. You can get it of any tool truck. No one including myself that I've ever seen has had a issue with it. Just speaking off of experience.
 
Gravity bleed it. Ive been doing this on all my junk for years with no probs. Just crack the bleeders and add some tube to a drain pan, pull cap off of mc, and fill. Smoke a cigg or whatever you do for relaxation, check and fill mc. Do this twice and you should be good.
 
Dylan W. said:
i do that on my jeep,for good or bad, Just need a c-clamp to push caliper apart, cause the new pads are too thick.
IF this is bad, someone tell me and I will start bleeding them correctly..Thanks
Click to expand...

Someone told me that if its ABS equipped that you should crack the bleed valve when you are using the c-clamp to push it apart... not sure if its true but its how I wound up doing things :beer:
 
jeepn-jason said:
Gravity bleed it. Ive been doing this on all my junk for years with no probs. Just crack the bleeders and add some tube to a drain pan, pull cap off of mc, and fill. Smoke a cigg or whatever you do for relaxation, check and fill mc. Do this twice and you should be good.
Click to expand...

I have the one man bleeder and this is still what I do. Just crack them so it very barely drips once. Not like an old faucet, just barely...
 
Thanks for all of the insight! I broke down and changed out the hose, caliper, pads, rotor, and bearings...including a new spindle nut and dust cap. A guy at work came over and helped me bleed them. The caliper had definitely been sticking...torn piston dust boot and the inner pad was hardly worn at all; it's just that it was missing half of the pad surface:shaking:...

anyways, all is well for now. Maybe I'll tackle the driver's side next week sometime. Ron, I hope ya feel better:beer:
 
hey man all better now...
I heal quick

Gimme a call or swing by sometime, Id like to meet more folks.
2935 cedar lane

Hell Ill even supply the ::beer::s for the wrench fest, cant bleed brakes w/o beers
 
SkyHiK5 said:
hey man all better now...
I heal quick

Gimme a call or swing by sometime, Id like to meet more folks.
2935 cedar lane

Hell Ill even supply the ::beer::s for the wrench fest, cant bleed brakes w/o beers
Click to expand...


I don't have your number anymore, for some reason...:confused:
 
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