Hey guys,
Hoping someone is willing to help a newbie with a problem. I've bled my brakes plenty of times before, but don't ask me how, I bled my reservoir dry. The pedal has little to no pressure left. I'm assuming I'm in for the painful task of removing the master cylinder and bench bleeding it. If anyone can provide me a how-to or some advice on how to do this, or if there are any alternatives, I would be forever grateful.
Haven't been working on my car on my own for long, but am always trying to learn.
Thanks everyone!

 

Using a combination of pedal and pressure bleeding you should be able to get it good.
Look into Motive products.

The issue is going to be the abs network...youre probably going to have to bleed, drive, engage abs, and re-bleed several times to get it 100%.

 

I've read that if you let the master go completely dry, the only option is to take it to the dealer since they have to connect to the abs unit in order to properly bleed it by cycling the system.

When I did my BBK install I had success in gravity bleeding and then using a Motive bleeder, but I didn't let it go completely dry.

Others have suggested finding a gravel road and making the abs engage by slamming on the brakes, but this seems a little sketch.

https://my350z.com/forum/brakes-and-...o-install.html

https://my350z.com/forum/brakes-and-...ding-help.html

https://my350z.com/forum/brakes-and-...tem-bleed.html

 

Thanks for the response guys! I am going to see if I can pick up a Motive Bleeder today and give it a try. Otherwise it looks like it will be a tow to the dealership :/

 

If the pedal is not really firm after bleeding, it seems like driving it for a little bit and doing some hard braking may help you out. In other words, don't get discouraged after using the Motive bleeder if it's not quite where you want it - it may just take some more braking!

 

Bummer! Even with the number of times we've bled brakes in our shop, it's surprisingly easy to forget to check that brake master cyl res when you're bleeding. That 'tiny straw sucking from a near-empty soda can' sound gives me an insta-headache.

You may have gotten lucky and not actually drained your ABS module, but you should activate the ABS anyways to be sure. As guitman said, you should try to bleed the system until you have sufficient pressure that you are comfortable taking it out on the street, then take it to a safe location to engage ABS, then re-bleed the system. The easiest/lowest speed way to engage ABS is to overload the tires by turning hard and mashing the brakes at the same time. Obviously, engaging the ABS is inherently 'dangerous' in that you are attempting to break traction, so make sure you are in a clear/empty area, and have plenty of runoff. You'll feel a strong pulsing in the pedal once the ABS is engaged (don't mean to be patronizing, but some people don't know!).

To be on the safe side, I'd recommend re-adjusting your ebrake before you go out there. Never can be too careful haha

Good Luck!

 

/end thread

 

Thanks everyone! Couldn't get my hands on a Motive bleeder today, but one en-route from Amazon. Did a gravity bleed followed by some pedal bleeding. The pedal firmed up nicely. Topped it off and took it out. Brakes may have been slightly mushy, but that may be in my head. They function fine. Engaged the ABS 4-5 times.
Got back, and the reservoir was about 1/2 full. Couldn't see any leaks. Any idea where this fluid could have gone? I'm assuming some air in the master cylinder worked itself into the reservoir.
Thanks again for all the help everyone!

 

Sounds like you did have air in the ABS module. When you engaged the abs, that air was pushed into the lines and compressed, and as you let off the brakes, fluid was pulled from the res to take up that space. Rebleed the brakes and you're good to go. If you need to drive the car, bleed them asap, do not wait for the new bleeder.

 

This. This is the only way you're going to get your OEM system to bleed properly. Covered in dozens of threads. You need to positive pressure bleed these cars. Anything else is misinformation.

 

Thanks for the help everyone. Used the Motive bleeder and got the last of the air out of the system. Everything running smoother than before.